Monday 17th November 2025 - Phil Stastney
Fenland landscapes, sediments and archaeology: the Fenscapes Project
Abstract: Fenland landscapes, sediments and archaeology: the Fenscapes Project
'This talk will give a whistle-stop tour through the rich history of archaeological and environmental research in the Fens, illustrating how the human history of the region is entwined with the sediments and peat that lie beneath the surface. After nearly a century of investigation, and more than 30 years since the last regional-scale research project, the region now faces significant future changes and challenges. As a result, there is now once again a pressing need to bring together existing knowledge of the archaeology and palaeo-ecology of the Fens. To that end, Phil will share some initial results from the Fenscapes Project, a new initiative hosted at the McDonald Institute.
Bio:
Phil Stastney is a Senior Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge, where he co-leads the Fenscapes project which aims to synthesise the archaeology and palaeoecology of the Fens of eastern England. On the way to the Fens, Phil’s career to date has taken him from the raised bogs of central Ireland, and the deep sediment sequences of the Lower Thames Valley, through stints in commercial excavations across southern and eastern England, giving him a background in geoarchaeology, wetland palaeoecology and landscape archaeology.
Fenland landscapes, sediments and archaeology: the Fenscapes Project
Abstract: Fenland landscapes, sediments and archaeology: the Fenscapes Project
'This talk will give a whistle-stop tour through the rich history of archaeological and environmental research in the Fens, illustrating how the human history of the region is entwined with the sediments and peat that lie beneath the surface. After nearly a century of investigation, and more than 30 years since the last regional-scale research project, the region now faces significant future changes and challenges. As a result, there is now once again a pressing need to bring together existing knowledge of the archaeology and palaeo-ecology of the Fens. To that end, Phil will share some initial results from the Fenscapes Project, a new initiative hosted at the McDonald Institute.
Bio:
Phil Stastney is a Senior Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge, where he co-leads the Fenscapes project which aims to synthesise the archaeology and palaeoecology of the Fens of eastern England. On the way to the Fens, Phil’s career to date has taken him from the raised bogs of central Ireland, and the deep sediment sequences of the Lower Thames Valley, through stints in commercial excavations across southern and eastern England, giving him a background in geoarchaeology, wetland palaeoecology and landscape archaeology.