Earth Surface Processes and LandformsEarth Surf. Process. Landforms 27, 909–910 (2002)

BOOK REVIEWS

THE RISING TIDE: ARCHAEOLOGY AND COASTALLANDSCAPES edited by Alan Aberg and CarenzaLewis, Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2000. No. of pages: 122.Price: £25.00. ISBN 1 84217 028 7.

This monograph presents 13 papers given at a jointconference of the Nautical Archaeological Society andthe Society for Landscape Studies. It concentrates on themethods and results of survey work from many sitesthroughout the UK with the overall aim of reviewing‘various aspects of and approaches to archaeologicalresearch in coastal landscapes’ (p. 1), emphasizing thebenefits of interdisciplinary research and providing aframework for future work. As such, the volume is timelybecause it provides an up-to-date insight into both coastalsurvey work (regional and local) and the challenges facedby those managing the coastal archaeological resource.

Only one of the 12 sites described is not in the UK:there are seven from England, three from Scotland, onefrom Northern Ireland and one from Germany. About halfof the papers deal with regional coastal surveys, mostundertaken by county councils and local authorities in col-laboration with various funding agencies (notably EnglishHeritage) and academics, and the other half with smallercase studies. Overall there is an emphasis on Roman andlater coastal landscapes and archaeology, with relativelylittle on prehistoric sites. The volume lacks any obvi-ous thematic structure, but the range of case study mate-rial presented (from twentieth-century coastal defencesto Roman coastal fish ponds and Mesolithic trackways)ensures that there will be something of interest both tospecialists and to more general readers interested in coa-stal archaeology.

Following an introduction there are papers detailingsurvey work in Essex (David Buckley), Cleveland (RobinDaniels), Fife (Ian Oxley), and the Isles of Scilly (JeanetteRatcliffe and Venessa Straker). More local studies arepresented from Lower Saxony, Germany (Erwin Strahl),east Fife (Colin Martin), the Firth of Clyde, Eriska andthe Beauly Firth (Alex Hale), Strangford Loch (BrianWilliams), Wooton Quarr on the Isle of Wight (DavidTomalin) and Langstone Harbour (Dominic Fontana, PeterCollier and Alastair Pearson). Thematic issues exploredinclude the history of reclamation and coastal land use insouthern Britain during the Roman and Medieval periods

(Stephen Rippon) and the sea ponds of the HampshireSolent (Christopher Currie). Several papers address coastalmanagement and funding issues, including Alan Abergand Carenza Lewis in their introduction, David Buckleyon the Essex coast, David Tomalin on the Isle of Wight,and Philip Claris, who reviews the National Trust and the‘Neptune’ Zone.

In reviewing the contents of these papers two issueshit me regarding future research direction. First, read-ers of Earth Surface Processes and Landforms will notethe almost total absence of process-based research in thismonograph. Thus, while the motivation for much of thework detailed is the threat of sea-level rise, coastal ero-sion and artefact destruction, there is almost no reference(other than in the most general sense) to the threats or tothe actual physical processes of site and artefact disinte-gration. While not wishing to downplay the importance ofsite survey, especially those which are currently erodingor threatened by other processes, nevertheless there is aneed to better comprehend what is out there, as well asthe nature of the processes likely to damage that resource.Second, although the varied case studies highlight the richdiversity of the UK’s coastal heritage, concentrating onthe regional or local scale makes assessing wider pro-cesses and trends difficult. Stephen Rippon’s contributionis an exception because it compares the Severn Estuaryand other British coastal wetlands from the Roman andmedieval periods.

In sum, this is a useful compilation of papers. Quite alot of the material here has been previously published insite reports, but these are often too dense or prohibitivelyexpensive for all but a minority of researchers. This mono-graph therefore helpfully provides bite-sized summaries ofrecent and ongoing research is a more accessible form. Itis a useful review of past and ongoing coastal archaeo-logical research in the UK, and gives food for thought asthe discipline of coastal archaeology looks to the future.

ANTONY LONG

Department of Geography,University of Durham

Published online in Wiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com).

DOI: 10.1002/esp.384

Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.