IAP-24-071

Landscapes of resilience? Archaeobotanical and stable isotope analysis of archival material from the First Millennium CE in the Anglo-Scottish borders

The First Millennium CE in the Anglo-Scottish borders was a time of profound societal and environmental change. A number of key periods of landscape re-organisation were driven by anthropogenic and environmental impacts, including the collapse of Roman occupation south of the frontier, a mid-6th century volcanic eruption impacting vast areas of northern Europe, climate shifts, and the Justinian plague. This is a time-period that also witnessed the emergence of kingdoms that provided a foundation for later nation states and significant religious change (Naismith 2021). Agriculture was a key component of the many and varied landscapes in the region and was key to societal success for precarious communities experiencing these environmental, health and social impacts. Research to date in this region has concentrated on the importance of pastoralism and animal husbandry, with comparatively little research on the nature and resilience of arable agriculture, despite recent publications in western Britain and Wales that suggest these events had significant impacts on agricultural practice (Comeau et al 2023).

In response, this project will reconstruct and assess the varied arable agricultural systems employed in northern England and southern Scotland, across the different climatic and environmental ecotones in the region. Of critical interest is how these developed across the late Iron Age/Roman to Medieval eras in relation to the broader societal impacts. Research questions include the nature of arable husbandry and the degree to which agricultural intensification, extensification and diversification were drivers for societal resilience. This is important to consider both for archaeological and historical insights into the past, and to enable reconstruction of long-term trajectories of environmental change, for example, assessing soil health over a multi-millennial scale (cf. Gron et al. 2021).

We will employ an interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeobotany, stable isotope analysis, vitrinite reflectance and landscape-scale archaeological remains to reconstruct arable agriculture. The first stage is to review and analyse the hundreds of previously published and unpublished technical archaeobotanical reports for the region, combining these with vegetation and landscape reconstructions afforded by pollen and archaeological evidence of field systems. The second phase involves the analysis and selective sampling of archived archaeobotanical assemblages from previous excavations, many of which have been retrieved, identified and curated by colleagues in commercial archaeological units. The successful candidate will work with these units and museums that hold the majority of the excavated material to analyse the carbonised crop remains through: a) targeted archaeobotanical analysis on key samples rich in grain, for example, estimating Thousand Grain Weight (Blanz et al. 2024); b) stable isotope (C, N and S) analysis of cereal and pulse grains to assess different husbandry, amendment and drainage strategies employed over space and time; and c) develop a new and innovative application of vitrinite reflectance to estimate carbonisation temperature to assess preservation and stable isotope fractionation. This will be undertaken at the Biostratigraphy and Palaeontology Laboratories of the British Geological Survey, building on innovation in approach and instrumentation (e.g. Hennissen et al. 2024).

The resulting dissertation will be structured as four scientific papers as the main body that are topped and tailed with an introduction and conclusion. Each chapter will be a targeted submission to an international archaeological and environmental science journal. Full training and support in paper production will be given by the supervisorial team. The research will also be presented by the candidate at UK-based conferences each year and regional stakeholder engagement, through workshops and presentations, will be undertaken as part of the visits to commercial units and museums throughout the region.

The interdisciplinary approach for this project is underpinned by the following methodologies (training and supervision will be provided by the supervisorial team):
– Archaeobotanical data meta-analysis from published and grey literature technical reports (see Treasure et al. 2019 as an example of a national review by members of the supervisorial team).
– Integrated archaeobotanical biomass recording and stable isotope analysis of selected archive assemblages (see Bishop et al. 2022 as an example by members of the supervisorial team).
– Vitrinite reflectance of charcoal fragments to establish their thermal maturity (level of coalification), summarised by Hennissen et al (2024).
– Review of archaeological traces of agricultural features (via survey, excavated materials and grey literature) to compile a regional GIS database (Semple et al 2017; Semple et al datasets from People and Place Leverhulme-funded project 2015-19 www.mappingnorthumbria.com)

Year 1

– Compilation of archaeobotanical database of published and unpublished (grey literature) technical reports from library sources, Archaeological Data Service and commercial unit archives.
– Compilation of GIS-enabled database of landscape-scale agricultural evidence from First Millennium CE in study area.
– Initial biomass and stable isotope analysis from selected archaeobotanical assemblages at Durham University.
– Poster presentation of initial findings at conference.

Year 2

– Continued biomass and stable isotope analysis.
– Reflectance experimentation and application to carbonised material from selected archaeobotanical assemblages at BGS.
– Presentation of assemblage findings at conference.

Year 3

– Complete biomass and stable isotope analysis.
– Combine analysis from regional archaeobotanical meta-analysis, biomass and stable isotope results, landscape evidence and reflectance experimentation.
– Exploration of data visualisation and analysis.
– Drafting of background, methods, results and discussion chapters and submit to supervisors.
– Presentation of overall findings at conference.

Year 3.5

– Revise main chapters following feedback and submit full draft for review.
– Submit thesis and prepare for viva.

The candidate will have a background in archaeobotany and/or stable isotope analysis of modern or archaeological plant material. Training will be given in sampling strategies, site and case study selection and identification, and how to prepare archaeobotanical samples for isotope analysis and measurement by IRMS. Training will also be provided for GIS-enabled landscape methods and reflectance analysis. The candidate will undertake data visualization and analysis training to enable them to use various statistical packages and produce high quality academic and public-facing outputs. The candidate will also be encouraged to apply for research and conference funding to supplement the RTSG.