Session: #143

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
5. Climate Change and Socioenvironmental Perspectives
Session format:
Regular session

Title & Content

Title:
The Evolution of Coastal Archaeological Sites: Submerged, Preserved, in Flux
Content:
There is little doubt that climate change will continue to threaten many coastal archaeological sites globally, and it is equally known that humans have always thrived and depended on this boundary between land and sea. Some of archaeologists’ most precious information about past interaction and trade comes from these sites found on the coast, such as harbours, trade settlements, and sites of production and ship construction. Changing coastlines have always affected archaeological sites, although today climate change threatens coasts on a larger scale and more rapidly. Submergence and coastal change take many forms, whether from purposeful water manipulation (to our benefit or detriment), to settlements that have been changed by erosion or sea-level rise. In addition to rising sea levels, coastal sites can be affected by an increase in sedimentation and extension of the coast line.

This session welcomes papers that discuss the significance of preserving and learning from coastal sites and that examine the effects of coastal change from societal adaptation in the past, to plans for managing change in the future. How have past societies purposely manipulated the coast? How have perspectives towards maritime landscapes fluctuated throughout time? What (and how much) can we learn from submerged archaeological sites? How do we bridge the gap between terrestrial and underwater features of a single settlement to approach it holistically? What approaches are being employed today to preserve and document sites threatened by coastal change, and what role do underwater archaeologists have?

Coastal communities are an incredibly rich study area to discern interactions between cultures, economic systems, and social structure beyond the readily visible elite. Coastal sites can be viewed as catalysts for cultural and social change, but also areas of rapid physical change, and therefore, deserve our immediate attention.
Keywords:
Underwater Archaeology, Sedimentation, Submerged Sites, Trade, Adaptation, Preservation
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:

Organisers

Main organiser:
Sheri Kapahnke (Canada) 1
Co-organisers:
Claire Zak (United States) 2
Affiliations:
1. Independent researcher
2. Texas A&M University