Drowned villages of the Scheldt. A geoarchaeological study

This international collaborative research project between Ghent, Kiel and Vienna Universities focuses on the archaeological exploration of submerged medieval villages in the Eastern Scheldt estuary region of Belgium, in areas increasingly threatened by climate change. The projects main goals are to reconstruct the physical and social landscapes of these settlements from the late medieval to early modern periods, to identify the factors leading to their submergence, and to develop sustainable heritage management strategies under UNESCOs underwater cultural heritage protection guidelines. The research objectives are to reconstruct the morphology and social topography of the villages to better understand these settlement structures, to identify submergence triggers, such as peat extraction, and to develop monitoring methods and protocols adapted for intertidal and submerged settlement landscapes. The project employs an integrated methodology combining landscape-archaeological and geoarchaeological approaches, using aerial, nautical, and terrestrial survey methods to create detailed 3D surface and subsurface models of the area. This interdisciplinary approach ensures high data reliability through the mutual calibration of diverse survey techniques. Innovative aspects are the integration of advanced archaeological, environmental, and geological sciences, contributing significantly to the academic field in the study of submerged settlements and their preservation. The development of new monitoring tools that adapt to the impacts of climate change on underwater cultural heritage is a key feature of this approach. The project is led by an international team of experts in historical archaeology and near-surface geophysics, in close collaboration with local heritage management stakeholders. This partnership is crucial for the practical application of the research findings to conservation practices, reinforcing protective measures for submerged cultural landscapes. The Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) of the University of Vienna plays a crucial role in the project, employing state-of-the-art underwater acoustic technologies to detect and investigate submerged cultural features and sediment layers, with a focus on high-resolution 3D seismic data acquisition and analysis. VIAS will integrate, setup, and test the research infrastructure, including advanced sonar systems for high-resolution shallow underwater prospection applied to the case study sites. VIAS will contribute to the data integration and visualisation, developing comprehensive 3D models that merge all collected data, providing a detailed understanding of the submerged settlement remains and the environmental factors influencing their preservation. This project will not only enhance our understanding of submerged cultural landscapes but also sets new standards for the archaeological study of intertidal and underwater environments.