The archaeology of water

When people think of archaeology I’d wager that their first thought goes to digging a big hole in the ground (more or less). Whilst this is a huge part of archaeology (and arguably more fun than doing research in the library…), there’s just so much more. With the introduction of more modern and sophisticated types of technology, archaeologists are exploring the hidden past in new and exciting ways.

One of these ways is underwater, and the archaeology associated with watery contexts. First and foremost this can mean in the sea. History is full of sunken ships – the map below shows just a few of the ships sunk off the Cornish coast.

[1]

The advent of scuba diving means that archaeologists (and anyone else!) can dive much deeper and for longer, in order to investigate the history lying on the ocean floor. This is often called Maritime Archaeology, as it investigates the history of maritime activity, although this discipline encompasses much more than just shipwrecks. Underwater archaeology doesn’t have to mean that any thoroughness or accuracy of data collection is lost – the below photo is a brilliant example of dedication to accurate recording.

[2]

Of course, you don’t need a wetsuit and some scuba gear in order to find archaeology in the water. In prehistory it was common for metal items to be deposited in hoards – in either a watery context or buried in the earth [3]. It’s been suggested that hoards were the result of storing wealth for safe-keeping in times of trouble.

However, other hoards (especially those in water) are more likely to have been deposited for religious or ritual reasons; water will corrode metal – not great if you’re only trying to keep it safe. It’s also interesting to think about the similarities to Arthurian legend, and the story of the Lady of Lake offering Excalibur aloft – is this imagery a result of Iron Age hoarding and ritual deposition?

Another hotspot for submerged archaeology is rivers. The foreshore of the river Thames is the longest open-air archaeological site in London (when the tide is out), with much of this being freely accessible to the public. A fantastic project hosted by the Museum of London is the Thames Discovery Programme, which is attempting to map and record all the foreshore archaeology. The TDP have a great “Riverpedia” site, and anyone can volunteer to help observe and record (provided that the requisite training days have been attended), as well as join in on Guided Foreshore Walks.

I volunteered with the TDP for a couple of days, and it’s some of the best fun you can have in London for free. Click here for more information about the TDP, or the Nautical Archaeology Society. And the next time you’re talking about archaeology – remember it’s not just digging holes in the dirt!

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[1] Image from http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/maps/shipwrecks.htm and if you’re walking along the SW coast path in Cornwall, there are several watch-stations that have much more information about wrecks in the area.

[2] Image from Wikipedia

[3] e.g. The Frome Hoard

The archaeology of film and fiction

The ancient world and archaeology are huge parts of our history, and so it follows that these aspects would bleed into other parts of our culture as well. The obvious film is Indiana Jones of course, and then there’s Tomb Raider and National Treasure; but I’m not just talking about films that feature archaeology as a major plot design. I’m talking about the more subtle uses – where films include archaeology in the background, as the heritage or culture of the world they have built for that specific film.

Archaeology is seen as something that links us to the past, and as such is created and incorporated into fiction in order to establish this connection and authenticate the history of the imagined world. One of the most famous movies where this is evident is Harry Potter.

Hogwarts grounds [1]

The grounds of Hogwarts have been created to include a stone circle. The fictional magical castle is located in Scotland, and stone circles are very common there (as they are in other parts of Britain). Why was this circle included? It seems to add an aura of history, of longevity and tradition to the site – it gives it credibility.

This is what fantasy films in particular lack – the depth of cultural history and tradition that is embedded within human history and society. Lord of the Rings is another excellent example of this. Tolkien was highly educated, and the richness of his imagination is evident in Middle Earth. Edoras, for example, is clearly a hillfort (in my opinion!), and it’s fun to see Tolkien’s reflection of this and his interpretation of how such a site would have been used and occupied.

Edoras [2]

The locations in Middle Earth all have rich histories associated with them, and many of the sites were influenced in Tolkien’s imagination by aspects of sites and buildings across England. It’s also encouraging that these world builders turn to archaeology in order to create their realities. I think this is a good sign for the perception of archaeology in terms of its relevance to popular culture and modern life - I hope this can be reflected in our political spheres as well.

At the other end of the spectrum is what might be termed ‘the archaeology of film sets’. Staying within the realm of science fiction/fantasy, the Star Wars saga offers us a beautiful example. The desert planet of Tatooine was filmed in the Tunisian desert, and the houses and other structures of the film set still sit in the desert today.

No More Stars © Rä di Martino [3]

The above photo is part of a collection at the Tate Modern called ‘Project Space: Ruins in Reverse’, thinking about the divide between archaeology, fiction and reality. Already they look like ‘credible’ archaeological ruins, all too easily mistaken for the actual remains of past civilisations. And in a way they are – archaeology is the physical remains of past societies, and the Star Wars movies do play their part in modern culture. It is also amusing to think what conclusions future archaeologists might come to when they stumble across the ruins in the future, after all knowledge of them has been lost.

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[1] This photo was taken by me at the Harry Potter studios – it’s a small scale replica used in the filming of the movies.

[2] Photo from Lord of the Rings wiki.

[3] For more information, see here. Exhibition runs until the 24th June. 

Itinerant archaeology

Last week I was lucky enough to have a few friends from Cambridge staying with me down in Cornwall. Whilst we did a lot of the more touristy stuff in the area (I can fully endorse the Seal Sanctuary and the Eden Project), I also tried to show them a sliver of Cornish archaeology.

Since Cornwall was (largely) untouched by the Roman invasion, and remains somewhat sparsely populated today, a lot of prehistoric archaeology is still in very good condition. My absolute favourite site in Cornwall is Carn Euny [1] – an Iron Age village that lies some 2 miles off the A30 near Land’s End, at the end of a windy one-track lane.

Although the initial occupation of the site dates to the Bronze Age, the two main building phases date to the (Middle and Late) Iron Age, and occupation continued well into the “Roman” period. As you can see from my photo above, the site is remarkably well preserved and it’s easy to get an idea of what it would have looked like in the Iron Age.

The site also contains a curiosity found only in Cornwall. Dating to the Middle Iron Age is a circular stone chamber, accessed through an underground passage, around 20m long. This is known as a ‘fogou”, and less that 15 have been found in Cornwall, although similar examples (known as souterrains) have been found in Scotland and France. The purpose of the Cornish fogous is unknown, although uses such as hiding places or food stores have been postulated.

The fogou passage [2]

Another nearby site is the prehistoric village of Chysauster, which also contains an example of the Cornish fogou, although this has been blocked off due to safety reasons. The interesting difference between Chysauster and Carn Euny is that the former is actively managed by English Heritage, and adheres to opening hours and an entrance fee. For my friends this meant the site was closed and inaccessible by the time we arrived in the late afternoon, and it’s strange that two near-identical sites are managed so differently.

Whether this is due to Chysauster being slightly easier to drive to, I’m not sure, and it’s worth pointing out that English Heritage also oversees Carn Euny, and there are a few signs dotted around to explain the site (although in my opinion they could include more information). Personally I much prefer the hands-off approach at Carn Euny but obviously this is not always possible.

Another fun past time I like to subject my friends to is “Spot-the-hillfort” – a game to be played when travelling throughout Britain. One of my favourites to point out is Brent Knoll hillfort in Somerset, which dominates the landscape adjacent to junction 22 of the M5. In Prehistory the Somerset levels would have been flooded, so the site itself would have been an island at times, which is also fun to think about.

So wherever you next are in Britain, or the next time you journey down the M5, be sure to keep an eye out for some archaeology!

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[1] An interesting side note is that the Cornish word ‘carn’ is a place-name element that translates as ‘heap of stones’, and is found in other places names such as the hillfort of Carn Brea, ‘brea’ meaning hill. So the literal meaning of Carn Brea is ‘heap of stones on a hill’ = a hillfort! Magic. The word ‘dinas’ is also a Cornish word for hillfort, such as Treryn Dinas, a promontory fort.

[2] Images my own.

Aliens

So I’ve been writing this blog for three months now, just rambling about things in archaeology that I find interesting, or what I’ve been reading about recently in relation to my thesis. But now is time for a confession. I’ve been lying to you.

You see, the thing is, it’s all lies. Lies created to make us humans feel better about ourselves, and our intellectual evolution. You think ancient Egyptians built the pyramids? Think again! Of course a primitive society hundreds of years ago didn’t build something that we would struggle with today, even with machinery and computers to help with the heavy lifting and the thinking. Don’t be absurd.

Archaeology is what alien visitors have left on earth.

Obviously.

Some people call this view “pseudoarchaeology” and claims that it lacks any adherence to the scientific method – where is their evidence, what are their methods to test their theories?

But it’s common sense! We’re the underdogs here, we need to make people see sense.

Chariot of the Gods, by Erich von Daniken is one of the seminal works that discusses the truth about archaeology. The author discusses how archaeology represents a higher technological knowledge base than would have existed in prehistory.

How on earth would ancient people have moved the Stonehenge bluestones from Wales, without cars or trucks? There’s no way, of course. And so the only viable conclusion is that they were helped, by visitors from outer space.

This viewpoint is backed up by many clues – take the Nazca lines in Peru, for example. They are obviously made to be viewed from space – they are a form of landing strip – so the visitors knew where to land. The visitors to Peru would have been responsible for Machu Picchu, of course - a great civilisation built at the top of a mountain, the only explanation is aliens.

So next time someone tries to talk to you about ancient civilisations, feel free to ignore them. They clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s all common sense really, and everybody knows that common sense is universal and absolute, and can always be trusted.

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*Disclaimer: none of this is true. Happy April 1^st!

Pyramid image from Wikipedia
Stonehenge and Machu Picchu images my own.