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Soils and Archaeology

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The Soils of Ireland

Part of the book series: World Soils Book Series ((WSBS))

Abstract

Archaeology is the study of the human past from its material remains, most of which are made of or found within soils and sediments. Past human actions impact the soil record, as seen through relics of changes in soil characteristics and qualities, changes to sedimentation, and the presence of archaeological features and artefacts preserved within modern soils. Soil and sediment conditions control what survives in the burial environment, what decomposes, and consequently influence all archaeological sites, artefacts, and ecological remains. The study of these remains, through survey, excavation, and post-excavation analyses, informs our understanding of past cultures and environments, providing insight into how people have interacted with the soil, both directly, through settlement, land use, and monument construction, and indirectly, by altering local ecosystems over time. Soils can be considered repositories of traces of human action, and in turn the soils of Ireland have formed under the continuous influence of people, up to the present day, when most land in Ireland is actively managed for agriculture, forestry, extraction or construction. Consequently, all land managers are stewards of soil-bound heritage, and have the opportunity and responsibility to recognize the archaeological heritage value of land in their care, and to participate in conserving this value as a public good. This chapter reviews some of the soil evidence for Irish landscape history, the heritage content of soils, archaeological work that has helped discover that heritage, and issues surrounding the management of the cultural heritage in soils.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Thomas Cummins

  2. UCD School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Helen Lewis & Stephen Davis

  3. Devenish Nutrition, Belfast, Ireland

    Clíodhna Ní Lionáin

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  2. Helen Lewis
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Correspondence to Thomas Cummins .

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    Rachel Creamer

  2. Teagasc Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Johnstown Castle Environment Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland

    Lilian O’Sullivan

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Cummins, T., Lewis, H., Ní Lionáin, C., Davis, S. (2018). Soils and Archaeology. In: Creamer, R., O’Sullivan, L. (eds) The Soils of Ireland. World Soils Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71189-8_19

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