Taking the Hill: Archaeological Survey and Excavation of German Communication Trenches on the Summit of Mont St Quentin

The following presents the results of a limited programme of field investigation carried out on the site of German communication trenches running through woodland on the summit of Mont St Quentin, just outside the town of Péronne, in the Somme region of Picardy. The aim of the project was to assess the archaeological potential of features related to the Battle of Mont St Quentin, which took place in August/September 1918 and was co-directed by Tony Pollard and Iain Banks. The fieldwork, which consisted of topographic survey, metal detector survey and limited excavation, was carried out over ten days, between 29 August and 9 September 2011. The action, by men of the Australian Second Division, saw the Germans pushed off their strong position on the hill, and thereafter the recapture of Péronne. As a result, three Victoria Crosses were awarded, and General Rawlinson described the battle as the finest achievement of the war. Given its place in the history of Australian military endeavour on the Western Front, the Historial de la Grande Guerre in Péronne has taken out a fifty-year lease on an area of land within Mont St Quentin Wood, which is an initiative supported by the Australian government via the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. This ground includes a number of German communication trenches, along with other features such as shell holes. The intention is to include this area in a heritage trail (Australian Remembrance Trail), which will incorporate other sites of Australian activity, including Fromelles, Villers-Bretonneux and Hamel. In order to maximise the impact and educational value of the site it has been subject to archaeological investigation, an exercise that will add to our understanding of events there, and also provide information and material for a proposed interpretation centre.     

The Mesolithic Maritime Landscape on the North Coast of Ireland

A combination of reconstruction of the former coastline and field survey of previously unrecorded sites provides the basis for the study of the maritime landscape and maritime activities around Portrush on the north coast of Ireland during the Mesolithic period. Movements in relative sea‐level and geological events indicate significant change in environment and availability of resources, particularly flint, for the coastal community. Evidence suggests that most Early Mesolithic material, deposited close to the then shoreline, is presently under water. Remnants of the Late Mesolithic are fast disappearing as coastal erosion continues. © 2010 The Author     

Investigation of the ‘canopy effect’ in the isotope ecology of temperate woodlands

Anomalously ¹³C-depleted carbon stable isotope values from closed forest ecosystems have been termed the ‘canopy effect’. Originally this was ascribed to recycling of depleted carbon from forest floor decomposition of organic material, although others have suggested that it is equally likely to be due to variations in leaf-level processes in response to increased shade. This depletion in the heavier carbon isotope is passed on to woodland herbivores feeding within the forest environments. A similar isotopic depletion has also been reported in the archaeological literature from more open temperate woodland settings, but no measurements have been made on the plants at the base of the food chain in order to quantify the effect. In this study we attempt this by examining the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic values of different species of grasses from a range of open to closed habitat settings within Wytham Wood, Oxfordshire, UK. We find a strong relationship between carbon isotopic depletion of plant tissue and lowered light intensity with an up to 5‰ shift between grass grown in open and closed locations. In order to follow this up the food chain, we also report data on wool from sheep grazing in open pastures near the Wood, and on fallow deer living within the woodland, but which turn out not to show a strong canopy effect, probably related to their feeding strategies. We conclude that there is indeed a strong ‘canopy effect’ in temperate woodland, probably related to differential light levels, but that not all apparently woodland-dwelling mammals show such an effect. We also show considerable isotopic variation at the base of the food chain, which should counsel caution when attempting to interpret dietary isotopes using mixing models.     

Examining Land-Use through GIS-Based Kernel Density Estimation: A Re-Evaluation of Legacy Data from the Berbati-Limnes Survey

The use of archaeological survey data for evaluation of landscape dynamics has commonly been concerned with the distribution of settlements and changes in number of recorded sites over time. Here we present a new quantitative approach to survey-based legacy data, which allows further assessments of the spatial configuration of possible land-use areas. Utilizing data from an intensive archaeological survey in the Berbati-Limnes area, Greece, we demonstrate how GIS-based kernel density estimations (KDE) can be used to produce cluster-based density surfaces that may be linked to past land-use strategies. By relating density surfaces to elevation and slope, it is also possible to quantify shifts in the use of specific environments on a regional scale, allowing us to model and visualize land-use dynamics over time. In this respect, the approach provides more multifaceted information to be drawn from archaeological legacy data, providing an extended platform for research on human-environment interactions.     

Niels Bohr's Diplomatic Mission during and after World War Two

The Danish physicist Niels Bohr is best known for two major achievements: first, his model of the quantum atom, published in 1913, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1922; and second, the “Copenhagen interpretation” of quantum mechanics developed together with colleagues at his institute in the latter half of the twenties. Having turned his institute toward nuclear physics, making it a pioneer institution in this emerging field, Bohr escaped from Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943. Learning in England about the advanced state of the secret project to develop an atomic bomb, which Bohr had so far considered impracticable in a foreseeable future, he agreed to join the project. Bohr decided instantly that the prospect of such a weapon of mass destruction would require what he came to call an “open world” among nations, and he worked conscientiously toward this end until he died in 1962. In the process, statesmen, including Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as diplomats from several countries, came to encounter Bohr and his political mission. Although not as successful as his scientific achievements, his mission was considered by Bohr himself as equally important. Yet it constitutes a hitherto relatively neglected part of Bohr's career.¹