SAIR48 Aeolian Archaeology: the Archaeology of Sand Landscapes in Scotland
Selected case-studies, originally given as spoken papers at a Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Specialist Seminar, hosted by Historic Scotland, Edinburgh, May 2004

edited by David Griffiths and Patrick Ashmore

ISBN 978 0 903903 684

Published in May 2011 by The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in association with The Council for British Archaeology and Historic Scotland, in Adobe Acrobat format. Available free of charge (see Terms & Conditions of Use).

Introduction

Landscapes characterised by a substantial presence of aeolian (wind-blown) sand are predominantly coastal, and range from active dunefields with high and unstable relief, to smoother and more stable grassed surfaces which may be subject to some degree of agricultural use. Some are remote and inaccessible, but others exist in closer proximity to conurbations and tourist areas, and the impact of visitors is therefore comparatively great. In addition to the ever-present scouring and redistributing forces of sea and wind, other pressures on the stability of these landscapes include aggregates quarrying, development and the ubiquitous presence of wild burrowing fauna, most obviously the rabbit. Sand creates dynamic 'soft' landforms which are subject to continuing change, to the extent that photographs or maps of just 100 years ago often present very different topographies from those visible today. The encroachment of the sea and continual process of wind-induced change can transform a sand landscape almost overnight. In depositional strata, long periods of stasis may be represented by comparatively shallow soil horizons, which are frequently separated by much deeper bands of sand which may result from wind-blow episodes of far shorter timescale. Dune systems frequently occupy zones of extensive past settlement attraction with numerous environmental advantages, and therefore occur in areas of generally high archaeological potential. Yet their complexity and extreme vulnerability present us with serious problems in terms of balancing an understanding of the archaeology with conservation strategies.

Right click to download the entire report as a single PDF file (3.7MB). To view these files, you will need the Adobe Reader software (version 6 or later) or similar (suggestions below). On a PC, the easiest way to download the file is to click the right hand button on your mouse when the mouse pointer is over the above link and then use the 'Save Target As..' or 'Save Link As...' option to save the file to your local hard disk before opening it using the Reader software.

Report content