On the Edge

: Climate change impacts on Irish coastal promontory forts

Resumen

The coastal archaeological resource is being reshaped and eaten away by the sea at unprecedented rates due to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. We must act now to manage this rich coastal cultural heritage resource and to access the insights these assets hold of past societies before they are irrevocably lost. Coastal promontory forts are among the most severely impacted coastal sites, and are considered an understudied Irish site type.
This doctoral study uses the case study site, Ferriter’s promontory fort and castle as a means to understand climate impacts and the coastal archaeological resource. Research and data gathering initiatives are undertaken and utilised in the identification of climate hazards and the creation of archaeological site and change records. The adaptation measure of managing loss through the creation of the record and excavation is detailed within this study. The results of the excavation are detailed illustrating how this measure informs on a previously poorly understood archaeological resource and contributes to the reinterpretation of coastal promontory forts. This outlines how such work can be pivotal in the cultural heritage sector’s response to climate impacts on the archaeological resource. The data collected on climate change impacts and archaeology build the knowledge and foundations to create and pilot a climate change risk assessment approach for coastal cultural heritage. This study looks to the wider management issues and development of strategies and adaptation measures. This work creates the narratives of climate change impacts on archaeological resources that are pivotal to community and stakeholder engagement.

Fecha de lectura	7 may 2024
Idioma original	English
Institución de lectura	University of the Highlands and Islands
Patrocinadores	The Discovery Programme
Supervisor	Colin Richards (Supervisor) & Jane Downes (Supervisor)