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Mike Church

Durham University, Archaeology, Faculty Member

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My key research theme analyses the interaction between humans and the environment in the North Atlantic islands (including the Atlantic Scottish islands, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland) through reconstructing and analyzing: 1) trajectories of environmental change, 2) the impact of human settlement on palaeoenvironments, 3) palaeoeconomies in different island settings and 4) cultural adjustments to environmental marginality. This research theme provides time-depth for understanding human societal response to rapid environmental change that represents one of the global challenges of the 21st century.

My inter-disciplinary research expertise spans archaeology and geosciences and much of my research is driven by international collaboration. I have published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in 17 journals and my field and laboratory research is funded by a number of grant bodies from the UK, Scandinavia and North America including Leverhulme Trust, NERC, Historic Scotland, National Geographic and National Science Foundation of America.

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Stephanie Blankshein

University of Southampton

Seren Griffiths

University of Leeds

Steinar Solheim

University of Oslo

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

University of Edinburgh

Richard Tipping

University of St Andrews

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Papers by Mike Church

Deforestation and Human Agency in the North Atlantic Region: Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Evidence from the Western Isles of Scotland

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2018

This paper considers the timing and mechanisms of deforestation in the Western Isles of Scotland,... more This paper considers the timing and mechanisms of deforestation in the Western Isles of Scotland, focusing in particular on the landscape around the Calanais stone circles, one of the best preserved late Neolithic/early Bronze Age monumental landscapes in north-west Europe. We present new archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence from a soil and peat sequence at the site of Aird Calanais, which spans the main period of use of the Calanais circles. We then draw on a new synthesis of archaeobotanical and palynological evidence from across the Western Isles and a review of comparable data from the wider North Atlantic zone, before assessing the role of early farming communities in clearing the wooded landscapes of the region. Pollen and radiocarbon dating at the site of Aird Calanais reveal that a layer of birch branches, dating to the late Neolithic (2912–2881 cal bc), was contemporaneous with a decline in woodland at the site, as well as with the major phase of Neolithic activi...

Charcoal production during the Norse and early medieval periods in Eyjafjallahreppur

ABSTRACT. Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open la... more ABSTRACT. Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open landscapes of the Norse and Medieval periods in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of woodland use and deforestation in an area of southern Iceland, which is tracked through the mapping and analysis of charcoal production pits. Precise dating of the use of these charcoal production pits within a Bayesian framework is demonstrated through the combination of tephrochronology, sediment accumulation rates, and multiple radiocarbon dates on the archaeo-logical charcoal. Two phases of charcoal production and woodland exploitation have been demonstrated, the first within the first 2 centuries of settlement (cal AD 870–1050) and the second phase over 100 yr later (cal AD 1185–1295). The implica-tions for using charcoal as a medium for 14C dating in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic are then explored. Archaeobotan-ical analysis of the charcoal ...

pedogenesis, or human impact? Running title: Peat initiation in the Faroe Islands

Peat initiation in the Faroe Islands: climate change,

Expensive errors or rational choices: the pioneer fringe in Late Viking Age Iceland

Just as the colonies established on the North Atlantic islands in the Viking Age were peripheral ... more Just as the colonies established on the North Atlantic islands in the Viking Age were peripheral to Europe, so these islands had their own peripheral areas. In Iceland the highland margins have long been a focus of archaeological research and the prevailing view has been that highland settlement failed because people had made unrealistic assessments of carrying capacity. This paper presents a case study of the northern highland valley of Krokdalur and argues that the dating and pattern of settlement in that valley indicates that its settlers were keenly aware of its limitations. It also suggests explanatory frameworks that can make sense of this marginal settlement without resorting to environmental determinism.

An Dunan (Uig Parish)

Tràigh na Beirigh, Uig

Excavation of a burnt mound and associated structures at Ceann nan Clachan, North Uist

The excavations at Ceann nan Clachan were the first undertaken on a burnt mound in the Western Is... more The excavations at Ceann nan Clachan were the first undertaken on a burnt mound in the Western Isles. The burnt mound was found to have formed around a small, boulder-footed, sub-oval structure which lacks the usual indicators of domestic activity. This building was subsequently replaced by a cellular structure which, while having some evidence for occupation, was seemingly designed for some specific, non-domestic purpose. The excavated structures appear to date to around 770-400 cal BC, a period which is otherwise poorly represented archaeologically in the Hebrides. They differ significantly from structures found associated with burnt mounds elsewhere in Scotland, notably Orkney. Yet the cellular building is closely paralleled by a recently excavated building at Cladh Hallan in South Uist, suggesting that it represents a recurrent Hebridean form. Various possible functions for the site are considered, such as cooking place, sweat-lodge or smoke-house, and its significance for our w...

Uig Sands to Aird Uig, Isle of Lewis (Uig Parish)

Small-scale sampling at Tràigh an Teampuill (Temple Bay), Toe Head Peninsula, Northton, Harris, 2012; data structure report

The third Mesolithic site in the Western Isles of Scotland at Traigh an Teampuill (Temple Bay), T... more The third Mesolithic site in the Western Isles of Scotland at Traigh an Teampuill (Temple Bay), Toe Head peninsula, Harris (NGR NF9734 9132) was identified in 2011 as part of a wider research project into the Mesolithic of this region, led by Mike Church and a team from Durham University. The preliminary investigation indicated this site had excellent preservation and the team returned to conduct further sampling and assessment of the site in 2012, in advance of on-going coastal erosion (Blake et al. 2012a:6; Church et al. 2011a). The deposits consist of several buried ground surfaces mixed with anthropogenic midden material, which probably form part of the early to mid-Holocene buried landscape identified through coring in 2001 and during the excavation of Northton in 2010 (Bishop et al. 2010; 2011a; 2011b; Gregory et al. 2005; Simpson et al. 2006). A scoop was cut through the buried ground surface deposits and was subsequently filled with shell-rich midden deposits and an ash spre...

Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Perspectives

Carbonized plant macrofossils and charcoal

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.

Excavations at Northton, Western Isles of Scotland, 2010 ; data structure report

A Mesolithic human presence in the Outer Hebrides has long been postulated by palynologists but a... more A Mesolithic human presence in the Outer Hebrides has long been postulated by palynologists but archaeological evidence for this period has, until recently, eluded discovery by archaeologists. The discovery of the first radiocarbon-dated Mesolithic deposits in the Western Isles at Northton, Harris in 2001 was therefore of considerable international research significance. Unfortunately, the site is rapidly being destroyed by coastal erosion. Consequently, a small-scale excavation of the Mesolithic horizon was undertaken in 2010 to establish the nature of the deposits and to undertake detailed environmental sampling before the site is destroyed. The excavated area of the Mesolithic deposit was 100% sampled and flotation for plant and animal remains was undertaken. No archaeological features were detected, but a sizeable assemblage of Mesolithic lithics, charcoal, carbonised plant macrofossils and fish bones was uncovered. It is proposed that this layer is a buried land surface that in...

The Palaeoenvironment of Myvatnssveit During the Viking Age and Early Medieval Period

Investigation of Hearth Fuel Sources on Lewis Using Mineral Magnetism

Sedimentary analysis of soil samples

Domestic , industrial , ( en ) closed ? Survey and excavation of a Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age promontory enclosure at Gob Eirer , Lewis , Western Isles

Over the last 30 years, discussions on the later prehistoric periods in Atlantic Scotland have co... more Over the last 30 years, discussions on the later prehistoric periods in Atlantic Scotland have concentrated on the monumental remains that still dominate the landscape, including brochs, duns, wheelhouses and crannogs, but have also emphasised the need to consider the wider landscape and its more subtle, or at least less visible, archaeological sites (Barrett 1981; Armit 1990, 1996; Rennel 2008). However, despite these calls for a more balanced approach to the archaeology of the region, there is still a dearth of excavation on later prehistoric sites that are not monumental. The Uig Landscape Project challenged this

Data structure report of small-scale sampling at Mealasta, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

The area of Mealasta is known to be the location of medieval settlement, with a possible nunnery ... more The area of Mealasta is known to be the location of medieval settlement, with a possible nunnery on the headland. A sampling exercise was undertaken in September 2011 by a team from Durham University and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, led by Dr Mike Church and Dr Simon Gilmour, to record a section of the shoreline which was becoming eroded. The strategy was to take soil samples and coring samples from the immediate area of the erosion to ascertain the date of the archaeology that is evident there and perhaps define the nature of the site. The sampling strategy involved removing 14 soil samples for analysis in the laboratory and 6 core samples that were taken at various points behind the eroding edge for sediment analysis. The post-fieldwork analysis is still on-going; this document presents the stratigraphy of the recorded section together with survey data and section drawings. The fieldwork was commissioned by Dr David Caldwell of National Museums Scotland and was funded by th...

Data structure report of small-scale sampling of the Mesolithic site at Bàgh an Teampaill, Toe Head Peninsula, Northton, Harris, 2011

The wider research project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles of Scotland (the ‘Ou... more The wider research project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles of Scotland (the ‘Outer Hebrides’) undertaken by Durham University has identified the third Mesolithic site in this region, at Bagh an Teampaill, Toe Head Peninsula, Northton, Harris. Due to the international research significance of the site and its imminent destruction by coastal erosion, a full coastal erosion assessment of the site was undertaken in September 2011 by a team from Durham University led by Dr. Mike Church. No archaeological structural features were identified, but initial results have shown that the deposits contain abundant archaeological remains. Radiocarbon dating of a small number of carbonised hazel nutshell fragments has produced calibrated dates, as yet unpublished, of 5715 to 5386 cal BC. The site is currently interpreted as a series of buried old ground surfaces overlain by shell and/or ash-rich midden deposits, which forms part of the same early to mid-Holocene buried landscape t...

Seeds, fruits and nuts in the Scottish Mesolithic

Over the past few decades, the potential importance of plants within European Mesolithic economie... more Over the past few decades, the potential importance of plants within European Mesolithic economies has frequently been discussed, but there has been little systematic consideration of the archaeobotanical evidence for Mesolithic plant consumption in Scotland. This paper assesses the use of plants in the Scottish Mesolithic economy using the archaeobotanical evidence from 48 sites. It is argued that plants were systematically, and, in some cases, intensively, exploited in Mesolithic Scotland. Though plan remains were extremely sparse at most sites, it is suggested that uneven archaeological sampling and taphonomic factors, together with the relatively short duration of occupation of many sites, may be responsible for the restricted range and frequency of edible tax in most assemblages.

Carbonised plant macrofossils, in Cameron, K. The excavation of Neolithic pits and Iron Age souterrains at Dubton Farm, Brechin, Angus

Deforestation and Human Agency in the North Atlantic Region: Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Evidence from the Western Isles of Scotland

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2018

This paper considers the timing and mechanisms of deforestation in the Western Isles of Scotland,... more This paper considers the timing and mechanisms of deforestation in the Western Isles of Scotland, focusing in particular on the landscape around the Calanais stone circles, one of the best preserved late Neolithic/early Bronze Age monumental landscapes in north-west Europe. We present new archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence from a soil and peat sequence at the site of Aird Calanais, which spans the main period of use of the Calanais circles. We then draw on a new synthesis of archaeobotanical and palynological evidence from across the Western Isles and a review of comparable data from the wider North Atlantic zone, before assessing the role of early farming communities in clearing the wooded landscapes of the region. Pollen and radiocarbon dating at the site of Aird Calanais reveal that a layer of birch branches, dating to the late Neolithic (2912–2881 cal bc), was contemporaneous with a decline in woodland at the site, as well as with the major phase of Neolithic activi...

Charcoal production during the Norse and early medieval periods in Eyjafjallahreppur

ABSTRACT. Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open la... more ABSTRACT. Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open landscapes of the Norse and Medieval periods in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of woodland use and deforestation in an area of southern Iceland, which is tracked through the mapping and analysis of charcoal production pits. Precise dating of the use of these charcoal production pits within a Bayesian framework is demonstrated through the combination of tephrochronology, sediment accumulation rates, and multiple radiocarbon dates on the archaeo-logical charcoal. Two phases of charcoal production and woodland exploitation have been demonstrated, the first within the first 2 centuries of settlement (cal AD 870–1050) and the second phase over 100 yr later (cal AD 1185–1295). The implica-tions for using charcoal as a medium for 14C dating in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic are then explored. Archaeobotan-ical analysis of the charcoal ...

pedogenesis, or human impact? Running title: Peat initiation in the Faroe Islands

Peat initiation in the Faroe Islands: climate change,

Expensive errors or rational choices: the pioneer fringe in Late Viking Age Iceland

Just as the colonies established on the North Atlantic islands in the Viking Age were peripheral ... more Just as the colonies established on the North Atlantic islands in the Viking Age were peripheral to Europe, so these islands had their own peripheral areas. In Iceland the highland margins have long been a focus of archaeological research and the prevailing view has been that highland settlement failed because people had made unrealistic assessments of carrying capacity. This paper presents a case study of the northern highland valley of Krokdalur and argues that the dating and pattern of settlement in that valley indicates that its settlers were keenly aware of its limitations. It also suggests explanatory frameworks that can make sense of this marginal settlement without resorting to environmental determinism.

An Dunan (Uig Parish)

Tràigh na Beirigh, Uig

Excavation of a burnt mound and associated structures at Ceann nan Clachan, North Uist

The excavations at Ceann nan Clachan were the first undertaken on a burnt mound in the Western Is... more The excavations at Ceann nan Clachan were the first undertaken on a burnt mound in the Western Isles. The burnt mound was found to have formed around a small, boulder-footed, sub-oval structure which lacks the usual indicators of domestic activity. This building was subsequently replaced by a cellular structure which, while having some evidence for occupation, was seemingly designed for some specific, non-domestic purpose. The excavated structures appear to date to around 770-400 cal BC, a period which is otherwise poorly represented archaeologically in the Hebrides. They differ significantly from structures found associated with burnt mounds elsewhere in Scotland, notably Orkney. Yet the cellular building is closely paralleled by a recently excavated building at Cladh Hallan in South Uist, suggesting that it represents a recurrent Hebridean form. Various possible functions for the site are considered, such as cooking place, sweat-lodge or smoke-house, and its significance for our w...

Uig Sands to Aird Uig, Isle of Lewis (Uig Parish)

Small-scale sampling at Tràigh an Teampuill (Temple Bay), Toe Head Peninsula, Northton, Harris, 2012; data structure report

The third Mesolithic site in the Western Isles of Scotland at Traigh an Teampuill (Temple Bay), T... more The third Mesolithic site in the Western Isles of Scotland at Traigh an Teampuill (Temple Bay), Toe Head peninsula, Harris (NGR NF9734 9132) was identified in 2011 as part of a wider research project into the Mesolithic of this region, led by Mike Church and a team from Durham University. The preliminary investigation indicated this site had excellent preservation and the team returned to conduct further sampling and assessment of the site in 2012, in advance of on-going coastal erosion (Blake et al. 2012a:6; Church et al. 2011a). The deposits consist of several buried ground surfaces mixed with anthropogenic midden material, which probably form part of the early to mid-Holocene buried landscape identified through coring in 2001 and during the excavation of Northton in 2010 (Bishop et al. 2010; 2011a; 2011b; Gregory et al. 2005; Simpson et al. 2006). A scoop was cut through the buried ground surface deposits and was subsequently filled with shell-rich midden deposits and an ash spre...

Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Perspectives

Carbonized plant macrofossils and charcoal

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.

Excavations at Northton, Western Isles of Scotland, 2010 ; data structure report

A Mesolithic human presence in the Outer Hebrides has long been postulated by palynologists but a... more A Mesolithic human presence in the Outer Hebrides has long been postulated by palynologists but archaeological evidence for this period has, until recently, eluded discovery by archaeologists. The discovery of the first radiocarbon-dated Mesolithic deposits in the Western Isles at Northton, Harris in 2001 was therefore of considerable international research significance. Unfortunately, the site is rapidly being destroyed by coastal erosion. Consequently, a small-scale excavation of the Mesolithic horizon was undertaken in 2010 to establish the nature of the deposits and to undertake detailed environmental sampling before the site is destroyed. The excavated area of the Mesolithic deposit was 100% sampled and flotation for plant and animal remains was undertaken. No archaeological features were detected, but a sizeable assemblage of Mesolithic lithics, charcoal, carbonised plant macrofossils and fish bones was uncovered. It is proposed that this layer is a buried land surface that in...

The Palaeoenvironment of Myvatnssveit During the Viking Age and Early Medieval Period

Investigation of Hearth Fuel Sources on Lewis Using Mineral Magnetism

Sedimentary analysis of soil samples

Domestic , industrial , ( en ) closed ? Survey and excavation of a Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age promontory enclosure at Gob Eirer , Lewis , Western Isles

Over the last 30 years, discussions on the later prehistoric periods in Atlantic Scotland have co... more Over the last 30 years, discussions on the later prehistoric periods in Atlantic Scotland have concentrated on the monumental remains that still dominate the landscape, including brochs, duns, wheelhouses and crannogs, but have also emphasised the need to consider the wider landscape and its more subtle, or at least less visible, archaeological sites (Barrett 1981; Armit 1990, 1996; Rennel 2008). However, despite these calls for a more balanced approach to the archaeology of the region, there is still a dearth of excavation on later prehistoric sites that are not monumental. The Uig Landscape Project challenged this

Data structure report of small-scale sampling at Mealasta, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland

The area of Mealasta is known to be the location of medieval settlement, with a possible nunnery ... more The area of Mealasta is known to be the location of medieval settlement, with a possible nunnery on the headland. A sampling exercise was undertaken in September 2011 by a team from Durham University and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, led by Dr Mike Church and Dr Simon Gilmour, to record a section of the shoreline which was becoming eroded. The strategy was to take soil samples and coring samples from the immediate area of the erosion to ascertain the date of the archaeology that is evident there and perhaps define the nature of the site. The sampling strategy involved removing 14 soil samples for analysis in the laboratory and 6 core samples that were taken at various points behind the eroding edge for sediment analysis. The post-fieldwork analysis is still on-going; this document presents the stratigraphy of the recorded section together with survey data and section drawings. The fieldwork was commissioned by Dr David Caldwell of National Museums Scotland and was funded by th...

Data structure report of small-scale sampling of the Mesolithic site at Bàgh an Teampaill, Toe Head Peninsula, Northton, Harris, 2011

The wider research project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles of Scotland (the ‘Ou... more The wider research project investigating the Mesolithic of the Western Isles of Scotland (the ‘Outer Hebrides’) undertaken by Durham University has identified the third Mesolithic site in this region, at Bagh an Teampaill, Toe Head Peninsula, Northton, Harris. Due to the international research significance of the site and its imminent destruction by coastal erosion, a full coastal erosion assessment of the site was undertaken in September 2011 by a team from Durham University led by Dr. Mike Church. No archaeological structural features were identified, but initial results have shown that the deposits contain abundant archaeological remains. Radiocarbon dating of a small number of carbonised hazel nutshell fragments has produced calibrated dates, as yet unpublished, of 5715 to 5386 cal BC. The site is currently interpreted as a series of buried old ground surfaces overlain by shell and/or ash-rich midden deposits, which forms part of the same early to mid-Holocene buried landscape t...

Seeds, fruits and nuts in the Scottish Mesolithic

Over the past few decades, the potential importance of plants within European Mesolithic economie... more Over the past few decades, the potential importance of plants within European Mesolithic economies has frequently been discussed, but there has been little systematic consideration of the archaeobotanical evidence for Mesolithic plant consumption in Scotland. This paper assesses the use of plants in the Scottish Mesolithic economy using the archaeobotanical evidence from 48 sites. It is argued that plants were systematically, and, in some cases, intensively, exploited in Mesolithic Scotland. Though plan remains were extremely sparse at most sites, it is suggested that uneven archaeological sampling and taphonomic factors, together with the relatively short duration of occupation of many sites, may be responsible for the restricted range and frequency of edible tax in most assemblages.

Carbonised plant macrofossils, in Cameron, K. The excavation of Neolithic pits and Iron Age souterrains at Dubton Farm, Brechin, Angus