Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thought, and the Anthropocene. Sara A. Rich & Peter B. Campbell (eds). Leiden: Sidestone Press, 2023
Recent anthropogenic deposits at a landfill site next to the River Thames, near London, are being... more Recent anthropogenic deposits at a landfill site next to the River Thames, near London, are being eroded by tidal surges. As plastics and other formerly buried materials are washed away by the tides, the edge of the remaining mass of human-modified ground takes the form of a receding near-vertical face or ‘section’. This eroding section through a dynamic stratigraphy is emblematic of the Anthropocene in more ways than one.
Historical Archaeology and Environment by Marcos Andre Torres de Souza and Diogo Menezes Costa (Eds) , 2018
The totality of archaeological strata or humanly modified ground is taken here to comprise a glob... more The totality of archaeological strata or humanly modified ground is taken here to comprise a global-scale stratigraphic entity called 'the archaeosphere'. Normally characterized in relatively passive and static terms as a mere record or residue of past human action, the archaeosphere is shown to be an extremely vibrant and active set of deposits. The many interactions, influences and impacts of such ground on other parts of ecological systems are briefly examined. It is concluded that though the archaeosphere was partly created, transformed and extended by humans, it is now so substantial it can be regarded as having an independent existence in its own right. Forming part of the landscape, as the very ground itself, it has become an environmental entity, shaping other things as much as it is shaped by them. As the accumulation of a multiplicity of tiny effects, added together to make a global force, the archaeosphere will continue to have powers of distributed material agency and thus the capacity to generate ecological effects far into the future, even in a post-human world.
Edgeworth, M. 2017. Excavating a taskscape, flowscape and ceramiscene in the Black Country. In Rajala, U. Philip Mills (eds). Forms of Dwelling: 20 Years of Taskscapes in Archaeology. Oxford: Oxbow, 252-267.
This paper recounts the excavation of a pottery production site in terms of taskscapes, flowscap... more This paper recounts the excavation of a pottery production site in terms of taskscapes, flowscapes and ceramiscenes.
2013 The clearing: archaeology's way of opening the world. In Alfredo Gonzales Ruibal (ed.). Reclaiming Archaeology: Beyond the tropes of modernity. London: Routledge., 33-43
Archaeologists do not have to look to external theory to kick-start the interpretation of materia... more Archaeologists do not have to look to external theory to kick-start the interpretation of material remains. Greater confidence can be placed in the meanings which emerge from our most basic encounters with archaeological evidence, which impart a direction and trajectory to research from the very outset– realigning applied ideas and giving impetus to new intellectual currents. Such emergent meanings already have intrinsic movement and vibrancy, deriving from a strong grounding in an unfolding material world opened up through excavation and direct contact with things. This paper explores the ways in which
archaeologists follow the rhythms and flows of cuts, artefacts and other material entities.
In Carusi , A., Hoel, A.S., Webmoor, T. and S. Woolgar (eds). 2015. Visualization in the Age of Computerization. Routledge Studies in Science, Technology and Society (this is a pre-publication version)
This paper explores how the use of computers by archaeologists is transforming the profession and... more This paper explores how the use of computers by archaeologists is transforming the profession and bringing about new forms of archaeological discovery in digital space.
The philosophical movement known as speculative realism (SR) has much in common with archaeology.... more The philosophical movement known as speculative realism (SR) has much in common with archaeology. As well as a shared concern with objects and with time, both have orientations towards an external reality that exists (or existed) outside the domain of human knowledge. This paper explores overlaps and commonalities in these two very different types of investigation. Proceeding from an archaeological perspective, it critically assesses the relevance of some of the key ideas of SR for archaeology, while also looking at ways in which these can be challenged, honed, adapted and transformed through encounters with archaeological objects. It asks the question, what can archaeology usefully contribute to the SR project?
Keywords: arche-fossil; hyperobject; object-oriented ontology; speculative realism; time
Taking inspiration from the work of 19th century geologist Eduard Suess, this paper explores the ... more Taking inspiration from the work of 19th century geologist Eduard Suess, this paper explores the changing urban ground of Vienna, and the relevance of Suess's work on the Schuttdecke for contemporary debate on the anthropocene
Holt, Emily (ed) Water and Power in Past Societies, Albany: SUNY Press , 2018
The historic river heritage of England and Wales constitutes a vast material infrastructure, the... more The historic river heritage of England and Wales constitutes a vast material infrastructure, the structures and layouts of which - though inherited from the past - have potential to be re-used for small-scale hydro-power production in the present and into the future.
Kelly, J. et al (eds) Rivers of the Anthropocene, 2017
questions the validity of dictionary definitions of rivers in the contemporary world, and consid... more questions the validity of dictionary definitions of rivers in the contemporary world, and considers the Chicago River as a hyperobject.
Fluid Pasts outlines an archaeological approach to the study of rivers, challenging the view that... more Fluid Pasts outlines an archaeological approach to the study of rivers, challenging the view that rivers are somehow more natural, less cultural than other kinds of material evidence. In bringing archaeological perspectives to flowing water, as opposed to static and solid objects, the book follows water from rivers along numerous channels to the many archaeological sites where running water was utilised or built into designs and layouts, or where other kinds of flow have left material traces. A focus on flow changes our perception of otherwise ordinary sites and landscapes, its very nature prompting us to think about the material world differently, and to develop more dynamic and fluid forms of analysis.
Leary, J (ed). 2014. Past Mobilities: archaeological approaches to movement and mobility. Ashgate Press, Farnham pp 83-97.
explores the material flows running through landscapes, showing how these are deeply enmeshed wit... more explores the material flows running through landscapes, showing how these are deeply enmeshed with mobilities of people and animals.
The general proposition put forward in this introductory chapter is that rivers should be regarde... more The general proposition put forward in this introductory chapter is that rivers should be regarded as dynamic entanglements of nature and culture. If considered purely as natural systems, their cultural dimension gets excluded. If considered as cultural artefacts through and through, their wild aspect is neglected. It goes on to argue that those branches of archaeology which take ‘land’ as their subject (whether the ‘landscape’ or ‘wetland’ variety) should encompass dynamic liquid flows – including flows of solid material eroded, carried and deposited by water – within their remit.
Considerations of flow can transform interpretation of otherwise fragmented and disconnected land... more Considerations of flow can transform interpretation of otherwise fragmented and disconnected landscapes.
An unusual river feature visible in the form of a linear ‘underwater cropmark’ is identified as a... more An unusual river feature visible in the form of a linear ‘underwater cropmark’ is identified as a medieval weir. The probable relationship of the weir with a Late Saxon defensive ditch and bank running round the outer boundary of southern Bedford is discussed. Although the weir is not physically contiguous with the earthwork, the connection between them can be explored, it is argued, through patterns of flow.
An exploration of connections between apparently disparate features of an archaeological landscap... more An exploration of connections between apparently disparate features of an archaeological landscape. Provides an example of a town whose urban origins, layout and development were shaped around what seems to be a pre-existing broad droveway dating from the middle Saxon period.
Is archaeological investigation of objects and landscapes a kind of reverse engineering?
This pa... more Is archaeological investigation of objects and landscapes a kind of reverse engineering?
This paper is a response to an original paper on archaeology and reverse engineering by Gabriel Moshenska
There are three principal aspects of the archaeological object that urgently need to be reapprais... more There are three principal aspects of the archaeological object that urgently need to be reappraised: 1) temporal range, 2) spatial scale, and 3) ecological effectivity
It used to be the case that archaeological features and artifacts were principally on a human sca... more It used to be the case that archaeological features and artifacts were principally on a human scale. But that familiar world is changing fast. As archaeology extends its range of focus further forward in time its subject matter is moving beyond human proportions. Developments in macro- and micro-engineering mean that artifacts are no longer limited in size by physical limitations of the body. As scale and impact of material culture extends outwards and inwards in both macroscopic and microscopic directions, the perspectives of contemporary archaeology must change in order to keep track.
Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thought, and the Anthropocene. Sara A. Rich & Peter B. Campbell (eds). Leiden: Sidestone Press, 2023
Recent anthropogenic deposits at a landfill site next to the River Thames, near London, are being... more Recent anthropogenic deposits at a landfill site next to the River Thames, near London, are being eroded by tidal surges. As plastics and other formerly buried materials are washed away by the tides, the edge of the remaining mass of human-modified ground takes the form of a receding near-vertical face or ‘section’. This eroding section through a dynamic stratigraphy is emblematic of the Anthropocene in more ways than one.
Historical Archaeology and Environment by Marcos Andre Torres de Souza and Diogo Menezes Costa (Eds) , 2018
The totality of archaeological strata or humanly modified ground is taken here to comprise a glob... more The totality of archaeological strata or humanly modified ground is taken here to comprise a global-scale stratigraphic entity called 'the archaeosphere'. Normally characterized in relatively passive and static terms as a mere record or residue of past human action, the archaeosphere is shown to be an extremely vibrant and active set of deposits. The many interactions, influences and impacts of such ground on other parts of ecological systems are briefly examined. It is concluded that though the archaeosphere was partly created, transformed and extended by humans, it is now so substantial it can be regarded as having an independent existence in its own right. Forming part of the landscape, as the very ground itself, it has become an environmental entity, shaping other things as much as it is shaped by them. As the accumulation of a multiplicity of tiny effects, added together to make a global force, the archaeosphere will continue to have powers of distributed material agency and thus the capacity to generate ecological effects far into the future, even in a post-human world.
Edgeworth, M. 2017. Excavating a taskscape, flowscape and ceramiscene in the Black Country. In Rajala, U. Philip Mills (eds). Forms of Dwelling: 20 Years of Taskscapes in Archaeology. Oxford: Oxbow, 252-267.
This paper recounts the excavation of a pottery production site in terms of taskscapes, flowscap... more This paper recounts the excavation of a pottery production site in terms of taskscapes, flowscapes and ceramiscenes.
2013 The clearing: archaeology's way of opening the world. In Alfredo Gonzales Ruibal (ed.). Reclaiming Archaeology: Beyond the tropes of modernity. London: Routledge., 33-43
Archaeologists do not have to look to external theory to kick-start the interpretation of materia... more Archaeologists do not have to look to external theory to kick-start the interpretation of material remains. Greater confidence can be placed in the meanings which emerge from our most basic encounters with archaeological evidence, which impart a direction and trajectory to research from the very outset– realigning applied ideas and giving impetus to new intellectual currents. Such emergent meanings already have intrinsic movement and vibrancy, deriving from a strong grounding in an unfolding material world opened up through excavation and direct contact with things. This paper explores the ways in which
archaeologists follow the rhythms and flows of cuts, artefacts and other material entities.
In Carusi , A., Hoel, A.S., Webmoor, T. and S. Woolgar (eds). 2015. Visualization in the Age of Computerization. Routledge Studies in Science, Technology and Society (this is a pre-publication version)
This paper explores how the use of computers by archaeologists is transforming the profession and... more This paper explores how the use of computers by archaeologists is transforming the profession and bringing about new forms of archaeological discovery in digital space.
The philosophical movement known as speculative realism (SR) has much in common with archaeology.... more The philosophical movement known as speculative realism (SR) has much in common with archaeology. As well as a shared concern with objects and with time, both have orientations towards an external reality that exists (or existed) outside the domain of human knowledge. This paper explores overlaps and commonalities in these two very different types of investigation. Proceeding from an archaeological perspective, it critically assesses the relevance of some of the key ideas of SR for archaeology, while also looking at ways in which these can be challenged, honed, adapted and transformed through encounters with archaeological objects. It asks the question, what can archaeology usefully contribute to the SR project?
Keywords: arche-fossil; hyperobject; object-oriented ontology; speculative realism; time
Taking inspiration from the work of 19th century geologist Eduard Suess, this paper explores the ... more Taking inspiration from the work of 19th century geologist Eduard Suess, this paper explores the changing urban ground of Vienna, and the relevance of Suess's work on the Schuttdecke for contemporary debate on the anthropocene
Holt, Emily (ed) Water and Power in Past Societies, Albany: SUNY Press , 2018
The historic river heritage of England and Wales constitutes a vast material infrastructure, the... more The historic river heritage of England and Wales constitutes a vast material infrastructure, the structures and layouts of which - though inherited from the past - have potential to be re-used for small-scale hydro-power production in the present and into the future.
Kelly, J. et al (eds) Rivers of the Anthropocene, 2017
questions the validity of dictionary definitions of rivers in the contemporary world, and consid... more questions the validity of dictionary definitions of rivers in the contemporary world, and considers the Chicago River as a hyperobject.
Fluid Pasts outlines an archaeological approach to the study of rivers, challenging the view that... more Fluid Pasts outlines an archaeological approach to the study of rivers, challenging the view that rivers are somehow more natural, less cultural than other kinds of material evidence. In bringing archaeological perspectives to flowing water, as opposed to static and solid objects, the book follows water from rivers along numerous channels to the many archaeological sites where running water was utilised or built into designs and layouts, or where other kinds of flow have left material traces. A focus on flow changes our perception of otherwise ordinary sites and landscapes, its very nature prompting us to think about the material world differently, and to develop more dynamic and fluid forms of analysis.
Leary, J (ed). 2014. Past Mobilities: archaeological approaches to movement and mobility. Ashgate Press, Farnham pp 83-97.
explores the material flows running through landscapes, showing how these are deeply enmeshed wit... more explores the material flows running through landscapes, showing how these are deeply enmeshed with mobilities of people and animals.
The general proposition put forward in this introductory chapter is that rivers should be regarde... more The general proposition put forward in this introductory chapter is that rivers should be regarded as dynamic entanglements of nature and culture. If considered purely as natural systems, their cultural dimension gets excluded. If considered as cultural artefacts through and through, their wild aspect is neglected. It goes on to argue that those branches of archaeology which take ‘land’ as their subject (whether the ‘landscape’ or ‘wetland’ variety) should encompass dynamic liquid flows – including flows of solid material eroded, carried and deposited by water – within their remit.
Considerations of flow can transform interpretation of otherwise fragmented and disconnected land... more Considerations of flow can transform interpretation of otherwise fragmented and disconnected landscapes.
An unusual river feature visible in the form of a linear ‘underwater cropmark’ is identified as a... more An unusual river feature visible in the form of a linear ‘underwater cropmark’ is identified as a medieval weir. The probable relationship of the weir with a Late Saxon defensive ditch and bank running round the outer boundary of southern Bedford is discussed. Although the weir is not physically contiguous with the earthwork, the connection between them can be explored, it is argued, through patterns of flow.
An exploration of connections between apparently disparate features of an archaeological landscap... more An exploration of connections between apparently disparate features of an archaeological landscape. Provides an example of a town whose urban origins, layout and development were shaped around what seems to be a pre-existing broad droveway dating from the middle Saxon period.
Is archaeological investigation of objects and landscapes a kind of reverse engineering?
This pa... more Is archaeological investigation of objects and landscapes a kind of reverse engineering?
This paper is a response to an original paper on archaeology and reverse engineering by Gabriel Moshenska
There are three principal aspects of the archaeological object that urgently need to be reapprais... more There are three principal aspects of the archaeological object that urgently need to be reappraised: 1) temporal range, 2) spatial scale, and 3) ecological effectivity
It used to be the case that archaeological features and artifacts were principally on a human sca... more It used to be the case that archaeological features and artifacts were principally on a human scale. But that familiar world is changing fast. As archaeology extends its range of focus further forward in time its subject matter is moving beyond human proportions. Developments in macro- and micro-engineering mean that artifacts are no longer limited in size by physical limitations of the body. As scale and impact of material culture extends outwards and inwards in both macroscopic and microscopic directions, the perspectives of contemporary archaeology must change in order to keep track.
"This paper examines the extent to which spatial and temporal scales of investigation are transfo... more "This paper examines the extent to which spatial and temporal scales of investigation are transformed when the focus of archaeological study is shifted from the distant past to the recent past, present or future.
"
At the very cutting edges of science and technology, distinctive archaeological problems are to b... more At the very cutting edges of science and technology, distinctive archaeological problems are to be found. Even in thin sections of human muscle viewed through a microscope, artiificial features are encountered. These have been created by laboratory technicians in the selection of raw materials, the setting up of experimental situations, the cutting up and preparation of materials. The fundamental problem of disentangling the scientific artefact (material traces left by acts of observation and measurement) from the scientific object (that which is being observed and measured) is dealt with by all investigators of materials in one form or another, at whatever scale they operate. The perception of artefacts is just as crucial here as it is in the practice of archaeology itself. Might there be a role, then, for an archaeology of contemporary scientific discovery?
The time has come to move on from the idea of the Anthropocene as time interval with a precisely ... more The time has come to move on from the idea of the Anthropocene as time interval with a precisely defined start - to turn attention instead towards the material Anthropocene transformations unfolding all around us, changing the planet regardless of whether or not designated as a new epoch on the geological timescale.
This essay explores aspects of landscapes relevant to the study of the Anthropocene. Anthropogeni... more This essay explores aspects of landscapes relevant to the study of the Anthropocene. Anthropogenic landscapes, it suggests, are more than just palimpsests of marks, traces, and residues of human activity. Whatever happens to land - through the entangled actions of human and non-human forces - is inextricably interconnected with what happens to the whole Earth system.
The substantial and still-accumulating body of time-transgressive archaeological stratigraphic ev... more The substantial and still-accumulating body of time-transgressive archaeological stratigraphic evidence, properly taken into account, will radically alter the concept of the Anthropocene from the ground up.
The definition of the Anthropocene that makes full use of archaeological as well as geological st... more The definition of the Anthropocene that makes full use of archaeological as well as geological stratigraphic evidence, and the time depth it provides, while also recognizing recent rapid increases in Earth system change
This paper outlines the stratigraphic basis of a proposed Anthropocene Event. It considers a diac... more This paper outlines the stratigraphic basis of a proposed Anthropocene Event. It considers a diachronous event framework to be more appropriate for understanding the Anthropocene than treating it as a new geological series/epoch. Four general categories of material evidence are identified as of particular relevance: 'artificial' strata with natural constituents; humanly modified ground; legacy sediments; and 'natural' geo-deposits containing artefactual material. All these arise from the interaction and mixing of human, natural, and hybrid human-natural forces. Taken together, such stratigraphic evidence supports the case for recognising the Anthropocene as an unfolding event.
Episodes - International Journal of Geoscience, 2021
This paper summarizes the case for considering the Anthropocene as an unfolding geological event,... more This paper summarizes the case for considering the Anthropocene as an unfolding geological event, rather than an epoch on the geological timescale with a fixed date of start.
Full Abstract
The Anthropocene has yet to be defined in a way that is functional both to the international geological community and to the broader fields of environmental and social sciences. Formally defining the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch with a precise global start date would drastically reduce the Anthropocene’s utility across disciplines. Instead, we propose the Anthropocene be defined as a geological event, thereby facilitating a robust geological definition linked with a scholarly framework more useful to and congruent with the many disciplines engaging with human-environment interactions. Unlike formal epochal definitions, geological events can recognize the spatial and temporal heterogeneity and diverse social and environmental processes that interact to produce anthropogenic global environmental changes. Consequently, an Anthropocene Event would incorporate a far broader range of transformative human cultural practices and would be more readily applicable across academic fields than an Anthropocene Epoch, while still enabling a robust stratigraphic characterization.
Investigation of the formation process of anthropogenic ground, or archaeosphere, resulting from ... more Investigation of the formation process of anthropogenic ground, or archaeosphere, resulting from urbanization in the eastern portion of the State of São Paulo, from the 16th century until today [in Portugeuse]
Peloggia, A., Ortega, A.M., Edgeworth, M. and Luz, RA. 2017. A expansão do estrato geológico urbano (arqueosfera) no leste do Estado de São Paulo: a relação entre História, Geografia, Geologia e Arqueologia no Antropoceno. Revista Brasileira de Geographia 62:2, 25-52
Though plastic waste currently circulating on ocean gyres is highly visible and manifestly harmfu... more Though plastic waste currently circulating on ocean gyres is highly visible and manifestly harmful to forms of life, a much greater amount of un-recycled plastic waste is going into landfill. Sharon George and Matt Edgeworth discuss....
Edgeworth, M. 2018. Review of ‘Climate Without Nature: A Critical Anthropology of the Anthropocen... more Edgeworth, M. 2018. Review of ‘Climate Without Nature: A Critical Anthropology of the Anthropocene’ by Andrew Bauer and Mona Bhan (CUP 2018). American Antiquity 83:4, 758-9
In Dominick A. DellaSala, and Michael I. Goldstein (eds.) The Encyclopedia of the Anthropocene. Oxford: Elsevier, 157-161.
Humanly modified ground covers a large proportion of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the Eart... more Humanly modified ground covers a large proportion of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the Earth. It consists of settlement debris, dumped waste, landfill, reclaimed land, cut features, earthworks, cultivation soils, and other kinds of ground significantly modified by humans. Considered as a single entity, it is expanding at accelerating rates as human population increases, and is still in the process of formation and transformation. Technically part of the geosphere, it has aspects which are unprecedented in earlier geological strata. As well as bones of humans and domesticated animals, it contains an abundance of artifacts and novel materials.
Recasting existing notions of the anthropocene (with its emphasis on the overwhelming power of hu... more Recasting existing notions of the anthropocene (with its emphasis on the overwhelming power of human agency) in terms of dynamic assemblages or collectives (in which human agency has a prominent but not entirely distinct or absolute role) might lead to further understanding of human-environment interactions and processes at work in the proposed new geological epoch
Stratigraphy provides insights into the evolution and dynamics of the Earth System over its long ... more Stratigraphy provides insights into the evolution and dynamics of the Earth System over its long history. With recent developments in Earth System science, changes in Earth System dynamics can now be observed directly and projected into the near future. An integration of the two approaches provides powerful insights into the nature and significance of contemporary changes to Earth. From both perspectives, the Earth has been pushed out of the Holocene Epoch by human activities, with the mid-20th century a strong candidate for the start date of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch in Earth history. Here we explore two contrasting scenarios for the future of the Anthropocene, recognizing that the Earth System has already undergone a substantial transition away from the Holocene state. A rapid shift of societies toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals could stabilize the Earth System in a state with more intense interglacial conditions than in the late Quaternary climate regime and with little further biospheric change. In contrast, a continuation of the present Anthropocene trajectory of growing human pressures will likely lead to biotic impoverishment and a much warmer climate with a significant loss of polar ice.contemporary changes to Earth. From both perspectives, the Earth has been pushed out of the Holocene Epoch by human activities, with the mid-20th century a strong candidate for the start date of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch in Earth history. Here we explore two contrasting scenarios for the future of the Anthropocene, recognizing that the Earth System has already undergone a substantial transition away from the Holocene state. A rapid shift of societies toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals could stabilize the Earth System in a state with more intense interglacial conditions than in the late Quaternary climate regime and with little further biospheric change. In contrast, a continuation of the present Anthropocene trajectory of growing human pressures will likely lead to biotic impoverishment and a much warmer climate with a significant loss of polar ice.
Are we now living in a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene? Geo-scientists discuss wheth... more Are we now living in a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene? Geo-scientists discuss whether there is a need for a new concept covering the last 250 years' immense human impact on the earth. How are we going to understand and define 'heritage'and archaeology in a rapidly changing global environment? The 'linguistic turn'in humanities and social sciences has had a huge impact on both archaeology and heritage studies since c. 1980. A critique is raised against the anti-essentialist view that heritage is constructed, not ...
Edgeworth, Matt. 2014. Introduction. Archaeology of the Anthropocene (Forum). Journal of Contemporary Archaeology 1:1, 73-77, Aug. 2014. Available at: http://www.equinoxpub.com/journals/index.php/JCA/article/view/18358
Introduction to the Forum on Archaeology of the Anthropocene, with 13 papers by archaeologists an... more Introduction to the Forum on Archaeology of the Anthropocene, with 13 papers by archaeologists and others from various countries around the world, in the opening issue of Journal of Contemporary Archaeology. These papers try to get to grips with archaeology’s potential role in debate about the Anthropocene – the proposed new geological epoch marked by human impact on Earth systems. Includes contributions from Edward Harris, Alice Gorman, Mark Hudson, Zoe Crossland, Chris Witmore...
Waters, C. N., Zalasiewicz, J. A., Williams, M., Ellis, M. A. & Snelling, A. M. (eds), forthcoming, A Stratigraphical Basis for the Anthropocene (some papers of which are now available on Online First), Oct 25, 2013
"This paper investigates the relationship between archaeological stratigraphy (in archaeology) an... more "This paper investigates the relationship between archaeological stratigraphy (in archaeology) and artificial ground (in geology) and considers their wider application to the investigation and characterization of the Anthropocene.
.
This paper explores the lower bounding surface of humanly-modified deposits and asks – does it re... more This paper explores the lower bounding surface of humanly-modified deposits and asks – does it reflect the diachronous onset and development of the Anthropocene itself?
The second meeting of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) was held at the McDonald Institute for... more The second meeting of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) was held at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, on 24th and 25th November 2015. It took the form of a workshop with 12 members of the working group and numerous archaeologists from the Institute in lively discussion.
Human activity is leaving a pervasive and persistent signature on Earth. Vigorous debate
continue... more Human activity is leaving a pervasive and persistent signature on Earth. Vigorous debate continues about whether this warrants recognition as a new geologic time unit known as the Anthropocene. We review anthropogenic markers of functional changes in the Earth system through the stratigraphic record. The appearance of manufactured materials in sediments, including aluminum, plastics, and concrete, coincides with global spikes in fallout radionuclides and particulates from fossil fuel combustion. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles have been substantially modified over the past century. Rates of sea-level rise and the extent of human perturbation of the climate system exceed Late Holocene changes. Biotic changes include species invasions worldwide and accelerating rates of extinction. These combined signals render the Anthropocene stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene and earlier epochs.
The rise of plastics since the mid-20th century, both as a material element of modern life and as... more The rise of plastics since the mid-20th century, both as a material element of modern life and as a growing environmental pollutant, has been widely described. Their distribution in both the terrestrial and marine realms suggests that they are a key geological indicator of the Anthropocene, as a distinctive stratal component.
This is the only full length report of an ethnography of an archaeological dig to have been publi... more This is the only full length report of an ethnography of an archaeological dig to have been published. It describes the everyday events that take place on the excavation of a Bronze Age ring-ditch cemetery, situated in the east of England, from the viewpoint of an ethnographer. The author asks the question: what are the conditions - social, material, cognitive, practical - which make archaeological interpretation possible? His ethnography focuses on the acts of discovery through which archaeologists encounter and interpret material evidence of the past. An ‘act of discovery’ is defined as 'the (temporal) relation between (embodied) subjects and (emerging) objects, mediated through the use of tools'. This is where the cultural agency of archaeologists, in giving form to material patterns, comes into contact with the sheer ‘resistance’ of unfolding material evidence. It is in these practical encounters, the author argues, that knowledge of the past is ultimately produced and reproduced.
Ethnographic perspectives are often used by archaeologists to study cultures both past and presen... more Ethnographic perspectives are often used by archaeologists to study cultures both past and present, but rarely to focus on the cultural activities of archaeologists themselves. Turning the ethnographic gaze back toward archaeological practice raises interesting questions about the relationship between archaeology and anthropology.
This edited volume contains papers by Jonathan Bateman, Lisa Breglia, John Carman, Matt Edgeworth, Oguz Erdur, Denise,Maria Cavalcante Gomes, Anders Gustafsson, Cornelius Holtorf, Hakan Karlsson, Angela McClanahan, Timoteo Rodrigues, Blythe Roveland, David van Reybrouck, Michael Wilmore and Thomas Yarrow
(Original and unabridged) 1991 thesis on ethnography of archaeological practice.
Themes cover... more (Original and unabridged) 1991 thesis on ethnography of archaeological practice.
Themes covered include:
material resistance
fluidity of emerging materials
rhythms of work and tool-use
archaeological inference-in-action
acquisition and transmission of craft skills
embodied perception of artefacts
phenomenology of archaeological practices
The thesis gives detailed accounts of processes taking place "under the moving blade of the trowel", long before the well-known phrase ‘at the trowel’s edge’ was coined.
Introductory chapters are somewhat out of date, but the main ethnographic section is arguably as relevant as ever. This early work is rarely cited in the post-processual literature. In a recently published book, however, Gavin Lucas describes the thesis as:
“almost unrivalled, even today...a superb analysis of the archaeological operation from a material perspective ...quite ahead of its time... still offers one of the best and sustained analyses of how archaeological facts are produced in the field, from a participant-observer on an excavation of a Bronze Age site in Britain” (Lucas 2012, 'Understanding the archaeological record', p203).
This paper looks at artefacts as at once the product of human activity in the distant past and ar... more This paper looks at artefacts as at once the product of human activity in the distant past and archaeological or ethnographic practice in the present or recent past. Hence the phrase - 'double-artefacts'.
considers the implications of work in ethnography of archaeology for development of an archaeolog... more considers the implications of work in ethnography of archaeology for development of an archaeological anthropology
This is a published comment on the discussion paper 'The Temporality of the Landscape Revisited'... more This is a published comment on the discussion paper 'The Temporality of the Landscape Revisited' by Dan Hicks (2016) Norwegian Archaeological Review 49:1
The full discussion paper by Dan Hicks, comments by Ingold, Edgeworth and Olivier, and response to comments , is available for free download here:
Evidence of an extensive ditch of probable late 9th century date, running under the centre of the... more Evidence of an extensive ditch of probable late 9th century date, running under the centre of the historic core of northern Bedford, is argued here to mark an early urban boundary. A model of an evolving and growing town with shifting boundaries is outlined, as an alternative to the 'single plan' model.
Grain Island Firing Point, Yantlet Creek, Isle of Grain, Medway: Archaeological Desktop Assessment. English Heritage Research Report Series 39-2013, 2013
The site is unusual in that it is an element of a much larger firing range and line of fire cover... more The site is unusual in that it is an element of a much larger firing range and line of fire covering an area of coastline over 27kms long. Built at the end of the First World War and used up to the 1950s, the firing point was designed for the testing of artillery, firing long-range shells across the Thames Estuary into shallow water and mudflats along the Essex coast. As well as a large gun emplacement it had velocity screen masts, a wharf on nearby Yantlet Creek, internal railway system linked up to the national network, a railway firing point, a gantry path with travelling crane, mess buildings and related structures. This complex was overlaid onto a landscape of saltmarsh and winding creeks, concealing a rich archaeology of its own.
Discussion on artworks in the exhibition 'The wake the saint the sound the branch' at Project Gen... more Discussion on artworks in the exhibition 'The wake the saint the sound the branch' at Project Gentili, Prato, Italy in Spring 2008 - covering archaeology, sculpture, material, excavation and aesthetics
The paper argues the case that, while archaeological practice involves the application of multipl... more The paper argues the case that, while archaeological practice involves the application of multiple methods and techniques, excavation is historically rooted as the core method of the discipline, conditioning all the others. Excavation is to archaeology as ethnography is to social anthropology. It is not only a principal ground of archaeological knowledge production. In a fundamental sense, excavation is constitutive of what it is to be an archaeologist.
ABSTRACTOver the course of the last decade the concept of the Anthropocene has become widely esta... more ABSTRACTOver the course of the last decade the concept of the Anthropocene has become widely established within and beyond the geoscientific literature but its boundaries remain undefined. Formal definition of the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch following the Holocene, at a fixed horizon and with a precise global start date, has been proposed, but fails to account for the diachronic nature of human impacts on global environmental systems during the late Quaternary. By contrast, defining the Anthropocene as an ongoing geological event more closely reflects the reality of both historical and ongoing human–environment interactions, encapsulating spatial and temporal heterogeneity, as well as diverse social and environmental processes that characterize anthropogenic global changes. Thus, an Anthropocene Event incorporates a substantially wider range of anthropogenic environmental and cultural effects, while at the same time applying more readily...
Late Harappan periods created and reinforced unequal social identities. Writing about Bahamian pl... more Late Harappan periods created and reinforced unequal social identities. Writing about Bahamian plantations in the nineteenth century, Baxter argues that the cover of night did not merely allow enslaved people to resist the social and economic order imposed upon them. It also allowed them to actively create their own identity and keep it hidden in order to protect its integrity and sanctity. In sum, this is a deliciously rare book. It opens new paths of thought in a way that is both down-to-earth and fun. Among other things, readers learn about wick experiments in reconstructed Viking houses, sanitary workers in New York City, and Emperor Nero in disguise, roaming Rome’s streets at night, physically assaulting unsuspecting passersby for pleasure. As Moore writes in his foreword, the chapters provide “exploratory, eclectic, and initial steps” but do not deliver a “focused inquiry” (p. xxi). Nevertheless, a book like this makes archaeology exciting again by showing that there are still neglected realms to be found and explored.
This report describes the results of a desktop assessment of land south of Manor Farm at Lower Su... more This report describes the results of a desktop assessment of land south of Manor Farm at Lower Sundon, Bedfordshire, commonly known as Sundon Park. The Study Area formed part of the home park of the manor of Sundon during the medieval and post-medieval periods, before the house was demolished in the early 19th century. In medieval times this was joined on to a much larger deer park, the form of which can still be traced on early maps and to some extent observed on the ground. Surviving earthworks include hollow ways, ridge-and-furrow, close boundaries, large house platform, lake or pond, and a large polygonal feature of unknown date and function. Clues to the location of other parts of the manorial complex, such as windmill and dovecote, can be deduced from fieldname evidence. It is thought that in the early 17th century the landscape around the house was transformed into a formal landscape garden, while in the following century it was reworked again into a more natural-looking land...
Fluid Pasts outlines an innovative archaeological approach to the study of rivers and flowing wat... more Fluid Pasts outlines an innovative archaeological approach to the study of rivers and flowing water, challenging the view that rivers are somehow more natural, less cultural than other kinds of material evidence. In bringing archaeological perspectives to flowing water, as opposed to static and solid objects, the book follows water from rivers along numerous channels to the many archaeological sites where running water was utilised or built into designs and layouts, or where other kinds of flow have left material traces. A focus on flow changes our perception of otherwise ordinary sites and landscapes, its very nature prompting us to think about the material world differently, and to develop more dynamic and fluid forms of analysis.
Changing patterns of human resource use and food consumption have profoundly impacted the Earth&#... more Changing patterns of human resource use and food consumption have profoundly impacted the Earth's biosphere. Until now, no individual taxa have been suggested as distinct and characteristic new morphospecies representing this change. Here we show that the domestic broiler chicken is one such potential marker. Human-directed changes in breeding, diet and farming practices demonstrate at least a doubling in body size from the late medieval period to the present in domesticated chickens, and an up to fivefold increase in body mass since the mid-twentieth century. Moreover, the skeletal morphology, pathology, bone geochemistry and genetics of modern broilers are demonstrably different to those of their ancestors. Physical and numerical changes to chickens in the second half of the twentieth century, i.e. during the putative Anthropocene Epoch, have been the most dramatic, with large increases in individual bird growth rate and population sizes. Broiler chickens, now unable to surviv...
Help. Search. XML. Title : The act of discovery An ethnography of the subject-object relation in ... more Help. Search. XML. Title : The act of discovery An ethnography of the subject-object relation in archaeological practice. Author : Edgeworth, M ; University : Durham Univ. (United Kingdom) Copyright : 1991 Language : English ...
This paper investigates the relationship between archaeological stratigraphy (in archaeology) and... more This paper investigates the relationship between archaeological stratigraphy (in archaeology) and artificial ground (in geology) and considers their wider application to the investigation and characterization of the Anthropocene. Evidence from two archaeological case studies is used to illuminate key points. The first case study examines stratigraphic sequences from beneath the city of Leicester, UK; the second looks at stratified deposits within the prehistoric settlement mound of Abu Hureyra, Syria. Earthworks, riverworks and cultivation soils are also considered. Archaeological and geological perspectives are combined to develop a unified view of anthropogenic deposits that cover large parts of the surface of the Earth.
View all references). In describing aspects of British archaeological practices, I do not deny cu... more View all references). In describing aspects of British archaeological practices, I do not deny cultural diversity in archaeological practices worldwide although I assume commonalities too. Thus when Alfredo González-Ruibal describes immobile and solid features in Mediterranean archaeology he is actually talking about another aspect of the same material flows I refer to in this paper, and there is much we can agree on. His point about some materials going against the flow is a good one. But you have to have a flow for something to go against it. The archaeological record ...
Humans Make Nature, Landscapes of the Anthropocene, De Gruyter, Boston/Berlin, 2016
Reader with texts by Matt Edgeworth, Heather Davies, Gabriele Mackert, and Gloria Meynen. Focusin... more Reader with texts by Matt Edgeworth, Heather Davies, Gabriele Mackert, and Gloria Meynen. Focusing on landscape, art, and public space, the book discusses a new definition of the relationship between man and nature following the hypothesis of the Anthropocene, according to which we have changed our planet and its ecosystem in such an irreversible way that we ourselves have become a geological factor, and we not only have to worry about our survival in nature, but also about that of nature itself. New approaches to the relationship between the Anthropocene and artistic strategies.
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archaeologists follow the rhythms and flows of cuts, artefacts and other material entities.
Keywords: arche-fossil; hyperobject; object-oriented ontology; speculative realism; time
This paper is a response to an original paper on archaeology and reverse engineering by Gabriel Moshenska
archaeologists follow the rhythms and flows of cuts, artefacts and other material entities.
Keywords: arche-fossil; hyperobject; object-oriented ontology; speculative realism; time
This paper is a response to an original paper on archaeology and reverse engineering by Gabriel Moshenska
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Full Abstract
The Anthropocene has yet to be defined in a way that is functional both to the international geological community and to the broader fields of environmental and social sciences. Formally defining the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch with a precise global start date would drastically reduce the Anthropocene’s utility across disciplines. Instead, we propose the Anthropocene be defined as a geological event, thereby facilitating a robust geological definition linked with a scholarly framework more useful to and congruent with the many disciplines engaging with human-environment interactions. Unlike formal epochal definitions, geological events can recognize the spatial and temporal heterogeneity and diverse social and environmental processes that interact to produce anthropogenic global environmental changes. Consequently, an Anthropocene Event would incorporate a far broader range of transformative human cultural practices and would be more readily applicable across academic fields than an Anthropocene Epoch, while still enabling a robust stratigraphic characterization.
Peloggia, A., Ortega, A.M., Edgeworth, M. and Luz, RA. 2017. A expansão do estrato geológico urbano (arqueosfera) no leste do Estado de São Paulo: a relação entre História, Geografia, Geologia e Arqueologia no Antropoceno. Revista Brasileira de Geographia 62:2, 25-52
A rapid shift of societies toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals could stabilize the Earth System in a state with more intense interglacial conditions than in the late Quaternary climate regime and with little further biospheric change. In contrast, a continuation of the present Anthropocene trajectory of growing human pressures will likely lead to biotic impoverishment and a much warmer climate with a significant loss of polar ice.contemporary changes to Earth. From both perspectives, the Earth has been pushed out of the Holocene Epoch by human activities, with the mid-20th century a strong candidate for the start date of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch in Earth history. Here we explore two contrasting scenarios for the future of the Anthropocene, recognizing that the Earth System has already undergone a substantial transition away from the Holocene state. A rapid shift of societies toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals could stabilize the Earth System in a state with more intense interglacial conditions than in the late Quaternary climate regime and with little further biospheric change. In contrast, a continuation of the present Anthropocene trajectory of growing human pressures will likely lead to biotic impoverishment and a much warmer climate with a significant loss of polar ice.
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continues about whether this warrants recognition as a new geologic time unit known as
the Anthropocene. We review anthropogenic markers of functional changes in the Earth
system through the stratigraphic record. The appearance of manufactured materials in
sediments, including aluminum, plastics, and concrete, coincides with global spikes in
fallout radionuclides and particulates from fossil fuel combustion. Carbon, nitrogen, and
phosphorus cycles have been substantially modified over the past century. Rates of
sea-level rise and the extent of human perturbation of the climate system exceed Late
Holocene changes. Biotic changes include species invasions worldwide and accelerating
rates of extinction. These combined signals render the Anthropocene stratigraphically
distinct from the Holocene and earlier epochs.
This edited volume contains papers by Jonathan Bateman, Lisa Breglia, John Carman, Matt Edgeworth, Oguz Erdur, Denise,Maria Cavalcante Gomes, Anders Gustafsson, Cornelius Holtorf, Hakan Karlsson, Angela McClanahan, Timoteo Rodrigues, Blythe Roveland, David van Reybrouck, Michael Wilmore and Thomas Yarrow
Themes covered include:
material resistance
fluidity of emerging materials
rhythms of work and tool-use
archaeological inference-in-action
acquisition and transmission of craft skills
embodied perception of artefacts
phenomenology of archaeological practices
The thesis gives detailed accounts of processes taking place "under the moving blade of the trowel", long before the well-known phrase ‘at the trowel’s edge’ was coined.
Introductory chapters are somewhat out of date, but the main ethnographic section is arguably as relevant as ever. This early work is rarely cited in the post-processual literature. In a recently published book, however, Gavin Lucas describes the thesis as:
“almost unrivalled, even today...a superb analysis of the archaeological operation from a material perspective ...quite ahead of its time... still offers one of the best and sustained analyses of how archaeological facts are produced in the field, from a participant-observer on an excavation of a Bronze Age site in Britain” (Lucas 2012, 'Understanding the archaeological record', p203).
The full discussion paper by Dan Hicks, comments by Ingold, Edgeworth and Olivier, and response to comments , is available for free download here:
https://www.academia.edu/26234304/The_Temporality_of_the_Landscape_Revisited_with_replies_by_Ingold_Olivier_and_Edgeworth_