Living in a transformed landscape: environmental evidence for the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition in Cumbria
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Central Lancashire
Department Name: Sch of Forensic and Applied Sciences
Abstract
This project will provide a detailed understanding of social and cultural interactions with the Mesolithic and Neolithic environment. The research will draw on the analysis of fossil pollen from multiple cores, and plant macro-fossil samples, alongside an integrated analysis of waterlogged and carbonised plant remains, worked wood, insect remains and soil micromorphology.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Richard Peterson (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Nathaniel Welsby (Student) |
| Description | As part of this project the results have spun out a great deal of information and outreach that is being applied not only in outreach activities for the general public but also policy change around the approaches to prehistory within primary schools whilst working with local primary schools. The project has opened up firstly an outreach project surrounding consumption of prehistoric foods that can be broken down and taken to any event or be used within kitchens within educational establishments developed through the results of this project. Secondly through working with a headteacher of a primary school a new module that will be accessible to all primary schools nationally will address the deficit in knowledge surrounding prehistory within the national curriculum that will be accessible for all educational needs designed to help teachers not only understand the period but through using data from this project can aid their understanding of human interactions with the environment. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Initial meeting with Primary Headteacher discussing policy change surrounding Prehistory module |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Title | Pollen and Fungal spore diagrams for Beck Burn, Solway Plain & Stainton West |
| Description | The database contains the data of the analysed samples from both sites stored within Tilla outlining the raw data for the sites and the refined data after concentration calculations, the graphs produced are included within the PhD. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The database outlines the two sites within Cumbrian region as part of the project and the data is designed in a way that can be used to compare to other palynological sites within the region and broader UK context. |
| Description | Archaeology Badge (Brownies) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Worked with a local brownie group for them to achieve their archaeology badge this involved explaining my research and then doing practical archaeological work with them which included field-walking and creating a narrative report on the site. Afterwards the leaders told me that the girls had gained a better understanding and interest into archaeology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Lancashire Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Creation of Prehistoric Food Stand |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
| Description | Panel member at Theoretical Archaeology Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Created a power point based off the outreach part of the PhD which was received well by the group and then was part of panel discussing the topic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Ran a Prehistory Session at Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This was an event to provide an open space to discuss research on transitions within prehistory. I presented a poster and help run the session and tailor the abstracts for other presentations within the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Research School Poster presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A poster was presented detailing the changes of research from the first years poster to current changes at an event detailing the current research going on within the research school. this was an open event for anyone who attended the university and were left up for several days. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
| Description | Running Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Student Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | We ran the symposium for the 2017 symposium and produced both presentations and posters for the event to detail where the research was currently at. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk with college students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I presented at a couple of sixth forms within Manchester discussing how science can be utilised to help us understand the past by demonstrating various techniques incorporated within the research topic around the transition to the Neolithic. This included using microscopes to identify Pollen and Fungal spores from slides from the two sites of this study to try and get more college students interested in the science side of archaeology and the benefits it can bring. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |