The Archaeology of Anthropogenic Soils in Ireland
Thomas Cummins
Supervisor: Professor Gabriel Cooney, Archaeology
Dr. James F. Collins, Crop Science, Horticulture and Forestry
Funded by:
Funded 2002–2003 by the: Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
Soil is anthropogenic wherever the physical evidence of human influences is necessary for describing that soil. Anthropogenic soils can be best identified by excavators or surveyors, using three strands of evidence together, from documentary, landscape and soil-morphology sources. This study investigates Irish anthropogenic soils through land-quality surveys, archaeological excavations, and macroscopic field-soil morphology, methods which have valuable explanatory power, even in the absence of further investigation.
Anthropogenic soils and methods for studying them are introduced, including urban and rural, industrial and agricultural, ancient and modern examples. Historical evidence for anthropogenic soils in Ireland is reviewed. Field and documentary evidence for interpreting the anthropogenic character of selected Irish soils are presented and catalogued. Four modes of presenting findings on anthropogenic soils are explored. Mapping approaches and social contexts of anthropogenic soils are discussed. Indicators for anthropogenic soils are established.
Soil surveys and archaeological excavation reports contain abundant macromorphological information on soil modification, and folklore on its origins. Re-reading these reports to identify the human determinants in soil formation has exposed the cultural characteristics in many soils’ morphologies. Integrating historical documentary evidence with empirical site data offers new insights into the social contexts of the human interaction with soils. Reinterpreting soils from anthropogenic perspectives offers heuristic potential, allowing indicator suites to be developed, drawn from multiple, independent media.
The thesis argues that human action in soil genesis can be discovered using field study techniques available to excavators and surveyors, underpinning archaeological interpretations, and establishing a firm basis for ongoing interdisciplinary investigation.
Thomas Cummins is now Lecturer in Soil Science at UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science