Wetlands provide unparalleled opportunities for the study of the past, but also present significant challenges. The threats to wetlands, such as peat-cutting, de-watering and erosion, are matched by the concealed nature of past archaeological landscapes within them coupled with the invisibility of wet-preserved sites to traditional prospection techniques. These challenges have dramatic implications for both archaeological interpretation and wetland management. Addressing such complex dynamic environments requires the generation, integration and analysis of diverse and complex datasets of varying resolutions and certainty.
Through a series of case studies focusing on a variety of different types of wetland, this paper will explore how different digital technologies and approaches have been used to address some of these challenges. From environmental modelling and GIS to laser scanning, this paper will demonstrate the value of digital approaches for addressing some of the complexities of wetland archaeology, but will also highlight how digital data can be re-tasked to benefit both cultural interpretation and wetland heritage management.

Location

Norcroft Centre, University of Bradford