The landscape of the Netherlands has been changing constantly since the end of the last ice age, some 11,700 years ago. Where we walk today was once a polar desert, a river delta or a shallow sea. The end of the last ice age marked the beginning of a new geological period - the Holocene, the relatively warm geological epoch in which we are still living today. The Atlas of the Holocene Netherlands contains special maps, supplemented by archaeological and historical information. These maps show the geographical situation for thirteen different points in time since the last ice age, based on tens of thousands of drill samples and the latest geological, soil and archaeological research. This magnificent atlas also paints a surprising picture of the position we humans have occupied in the landscape. It addresses such questions as: How did we take advantage of the opportunities offered by the landscape? And how did we mould the landscape to suit our own purposes? The Atlas of the Holocene Netherlands will change once and for all the way you look at the Dutch landscape.

This timely study is concerned with the current record of sea-level changes during the past 10,000 years; their rates, and our ability to estimate these changes accurately. The author begins with an extensive introduction to the subject, covering the historical background and the possible causes of sea-level changes and the main methods used to reconstruct former sea-level positions. The second and main part of the Atlas provides a worldwide review of Holocene sea level changes by assembling some 800 local relative sea-level curves, deduced from field data from all parts of the world, and comparing these with over 100 curves predicted by geophysical models. This data is compiled in 77 regional plates, each containing 4-20 relative sea-level curves drawn to the same scale. These plates enable a visual assessment of geological trends in sea-level during the Holocene to be made.Comparing this data with trends deduced from tide gauges and near-future trends predicted by climate models, should enable more accurate assessment of near future sea-level changes on a local scale. The regional plates are fully annotated with locations, authors' names, year of publication and some indicative values of the spring tidal range in the region, as well as an accompanying text of comments.Finally, the author provides a state of the art review, proposes improvements in methodology and suggests directions for further study. An extensive bibliography of over 750 references, and two indexes complete the study. This comprehensive work contains data and interpretations of value to all those with an interest in regional geography, climatology, sea-level change, and environmental science.

The topic of this book is the Origin of the Dutch coastal landscape during the Holocene. ­ The landscape evolution is vizualized in series of palaeogeographical maps and the driving mechanisms behind the environmental changes are discussed. The practice to make palaeogeographical map reconstructions in the Netherlands developed after the Second World War when a lot of regional geological and soil scientific mapping programs were carried out by government institutions and universities. These maps show when and how the surveyed sediments were formed. The palaeogeographical map reconstructions are subsequently used for the understanding and modelling of the long-term coastal evolution, coastal-management issues, landscape-archaeological purposes and for education and public information reasons. Geoarchaeological investigations play an important role in this study. Geological and palaeo-environmental data from archaeological excavations (‘key sites') provided essential information for the palaeolandscape reconstructions. In the presented regional- and local-case studies of this book, examples of these sites are shown.

Peatlands are regarded as having exceptional archaeological value, due to the fact the waterlogged conditions of these wetlands can preserve organic remains that are almost entirely lost from the majority of dryland contexts. This is certainly true, although the remarkable preservation of sites and artifacts is just one aspect of their archaeological importance. Peatlands are ‘archives’ of past environmental changes: the palaeoenvironmental or palaeoecological record. The waterlogged conditions preserve pollen, plant remains, insects and other proxies that can be used to reconstruct past patterns and processes of environmental change, critical records of long term ecological processes for wetland and also adjacent dryland areas. The potential to integrate and combine records of cultural and environmental change, represents the distinguishing feature of peatland (and wetland) archaeology, what we might describe collectively as the ‘archaeo-environmental record’. When these records are analyzed in conjunction, exceptional interpretative synergy can be achieved; but this relies on the development and implementation of integrated excavation and analytical strategies and approaches. This new title in our highly successful Studying Scientific Archaeology series provides an accessible introduction to the ecology and formation processes of peatlands, and to the different archaeological and palaeoenvironmental techniques that have been developed and adapted for the study of these environments. It provides an outline of the major themes and methods and as a guide to other more detailed and technical literature concerning peatland archaeology. The case studies have been selected to illustrate, as far as possible, examples of 'best practice'. Processes such as drainage, agriculture, peat-cutting, afforestation, and climate change threaten peatlands and by extension, the survival of archaeological sites and deposits in situ. On the other side of this environmental coin, healthy, functioning peatlands are important for biodiversity, hydrology and as ‘carbon sinks’ with the potential to mitigate global heating. Recent years have thus seen increasing efforts to stop destruction and damage and rehabilitate peatlands with a view to restoring these 'ecosystem services'. The book considers these issues in terms of the past loss and damage of archaeological sites and the future protection of the resource in the Anthropocene.

This book explores the development and significance of an Earth-oriented progressive approach to fostering global wellbeing and inclusive societies in an era of climate change and uncertainty. Developing Earthly Attachments in the Anthropocene examines the ways in which the Earth has become a source of political, social, and cultural theory in times of global climate change. The book explains how the Earth contributes to the creation of a regenerative culture, drawing examples from the Netherlands and Iceland. These examples offer understandings of how legacies of non-respectful exploitative practices culminating in the rapid post-war growth of global consumption have resulted in impacts on the ecosystem, highlighting the challenges of living with planet Earth. The book familiarizes readers with the implied agencies of the Earth which become evident in our reliance on the carbon economy – a factor of modern-day globalized capitalism responsible for global environmental change and emergency. It also suggests ways to inspire and develop new ways of spatial sense making for those seeking earthly attachments. Offering novel theoretical and practical insights for politically active people, this book will appeal to those involved in local and national policy making processes. It will also be of interest to academics and students of geography, political science, and environmental sciences.

Quaternary Paleoenvironments examines the drowned landscapes exposed as extensive and attractive territory for prehistoric human settlement during the Ice Ages of the Pleistocene, when sea levels dropped to 120m-135m below their current levels. This volume provides an overview of the geological, geomorphological, climatic and sea-level history of the European continental shelf as a whole, as well as a series of detailed regional reviews for each of the major sea basins. The nature and variable attractions of the landscapes and resources available for human exploitation are examined, as are the conditions under which archaeological sites and landscape features are likely to have been preserved, destroyed or buried by sediment during sea-level rise. The authors also discuss the extent to which we can predict where to look for drowned landscapes with the greatest chance of success, with frequent reference to examples of preserved prehistoric sites in different submerged environments. Quaternary Paleoenvironments will be of interest to archaeologists, geologists, marine scientists, palaeoanthropologists, cultural heritage managers, geographers, and all those with an interest in the drowned landscapes of the continental shelf.

The Holocene provides students, researchers and lay-readers with the remarkable story of how the natural world has been transformed since the end of the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago. This period has witnessed a shift from environmental changes determined by natural forces to those dominated by human actions, including those of climate and greenhouse gases. Understanding the environmental changes - both natural and anthropogenic - that have occurred during the Holocene is of crucial importance if we are to achieve a sustainable environmental future. Revised and updated to take full account of the most recent advances, the third edition of this classic text includes substantial material on the scientific methods that are used to reconstruct and date past environments, as well as new concepts such as the Anthropocene. The book is fully-illustrated, global in coverage, and contains case studies, a glossary and more than 500 new references.