Island Archaeology Field School - Jersey

Overview

Structure of the Island Archaeology Field School - Jersey at The University of Exeter

Week one will examine Approaches to Prehistoric Landscapes in Jersey with Dr Matt Pope and comprise classroom sessions, field trips and fieldwork. The classroom session will cover mapping, recording and interpretation of the prehistoric record through geoarchaeological approaches.  Outside of the classroom we will make use of Jersey diverse and dramatic landscape to explore different types of preservation context from Ice Age sediments of the foreshore to buried Neolithic landscapes. Parts of the fieldwork will help to support the Archaeological Map of Jersey project being run subsequently by Dr Helen Dawson and JICAS by providing geoarchaeological characterisation for parts of the island which have so far been uninvestigated.

Week two examines the Archaeological Map of Jersey with Dr Helen Dawson and comprise a pilot study with students conducting important preliminary ground work which will inform and shape future fieldwork. In order to achieve this, students involved in the field school will receive training in field survey techniques, landscape archaeology, and comparative island archaeology. The starting point for the survey comprises the known distribution of prehistoric sites from the Jersey Historic Environment Record and the new results of the recent LiDAR survey conducted on the island by Jersey Heritage. As a first step, the study will compare the two datasets using a GIS software: overlaying the datasets will lead to identifying areas of archaeological interest that require further investigation. The subsequent step will be to visit these locations in the field and carry out an initial assessment of the intensity and extent of human activity, using established field survey techniques.