Hidden Dimensions: The Cultural Significance of Wetland Archaeology

Wet landscapes have figured significantly in the development of human societies and in the lives of many people through the ages. The water-saturated, low-oxygen conditions in these sites help preserve wood and other plant remains for thousands of years, thus saving fragile material evidence that would otherwise be absent from the archaeological record. Hidden Dimensions is a collection of essays drawn from papers presented at an international conference in Vancouver, British Columbia in April 1995. Scholars from around the globe examine several aspects of wetland archaeology in North America, Mexico, Europe, eastern Siberia, and New Zealand. Some of the essays in this volume explore environmental and historical contexts of wet-sites as well as past human adaptation to wetland environments. Others concentrate on the contributions of wetland archaeology to reconstructions of cultural history and the interpretation of unique perishable materials. In addition to discussions on the dynamic nature of wetlands and concern about the future of the cultural resources they contain, the authors look at practical issues of land management and object conservation. In Hidden Dimensions the authors seek to raise awareness of the significance of wetland archaeology issues at a time when wetlands around the globe are rapidly shrinking and their cultural contents are at risk of disappearing.

Table of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction / Kathryn Bernick Part 1: Wetland World-Views Wetland Worlds and the Past Preserved / J.M. Coles Prehistoric Wetland Sites in Sweden / Lars Larsson Wetland Archaeological Sites in Aotearoa (New Zealand) Prehistory / Cathryn Barr Wetlands-Associated Sites on the Russian Far East: A Review of Environment, Chronology, and Paleoeconomy / Yaroslav V. Kuzmin Wetlands and Hunter-Gatherer Land Use in North America / George P. Nicholas Part 2: Wet-Site Perspectives, Past and Present The Importance of the Biskupin Wet Site for Twentieth-Century Polish Archaeology / Wojciech Piotrowski Ancient Maya Use of Wetlands in Northern Quintana Roo, Mexico / Scott L. Fedick The Death of the Wildwood and the Birth of Woodmanship in Southeast England / D.M. Goodburn Stylistic Characteristics of Basketry from Coast Salish Area Wet Sites / Kathryn Bernick The Boston Back Bay Fish Weirs / Elena B. Décima and Dena F. Dincauze Part 3: Fishing Technologies on the Northwest Coast A Comparative Chronology of Northwest Coast Fishing Features / Madonna L. Moss and Jon M. Erlandson Fishing Weirs in Oregon Coast Estuaries / Scott Byram Wet-Site Contributions to Developmental Models of Fraser River Fishing Technology / Ann Stevenson The Montana Creek Fish Trap I: Archaeological Investigations in Southeast Alaska / Robert C. Betts The Montana Creek Fish Trap II: Stratigraphic Interpretation in the Context of Southeast Alaska Geomorphology / Greg Chaney Part 4: Preservation and Conservation in Practice Essex Fish Traps and Fisheries: An Integrated Approach to Survey, Recording, and Management / Paul J. Gilman The Humber Wetlands Survey: An Integrated Approach to Wetland Research and Management / Robert Van de Noort The Role of Monitoring in the Assessment and Management of Archaeological Sites / Mike Corfield Observations Resulting from Treatment of Waterlogged Bowls in Aotearoa, New Zealand / Dilys A. Johns Supercritical Drying of Waterlogged Archaeological Wood / Barry Kaye and David J. Cole-Hamilton Footing the Bill: Conservation Costs in the Private Sector / Katherine Singley