Hidden secrets of coastline are revealed by archaeologists in South Downs
August 15, 2022
Fascinating evidence of people living in an Iron Age hill fort and the construction of a Bronze Age barrow have been revealed following a pioneering archaeology project.
The pilot study has involved researchers from Archaeology South-East (ASE), part of UCL Institute of Archaeology, and investigated how an archaeological site at risk of coastal erosion can be rapidly recorded before it’s lost. The study came after a section of cliff collapsed in March 2021, revealing possible archaeology.
The project has been funded by Historic England, with contributions from the South Downs National Park Authority.
Seaford Head has seen significant cliff collapses in recent years and erosion is expected to increase with climate change intensifying weather events.
The team identified several “anomalies” in the area, which researchers say could be archaeological features related to human habitation within the Iron Age hill fort, as well as the remains of a Bronze Age barrow. The site was excavated in the 19th century by the pioneering archaeologist Augustus Lane Fox (later known as Augustus Pitt-Rivers).
To establish their findings, researchers used a number of techniques, including a geophysical survey and a drone survey. The drones enabled the researchers to photograph and record otherwise inaccessible places, allowing the team to identify the potential archaeological features in the roughly 80m high cliff section. The drone images were also used to create a 3D topographic model of the site, which will help with future monitoring as the coastline changes.
Anooshka Rawden, who leads cultural heritage for the National Park, said: “This project has trialled what a rapid response to loss of coastal heritage might look like. We know that the area of the site excavated by Augustus Pitt-Rivers in 1876 has since been lost to the sea, and the trenches explored by Owen Bedwin in the 1980s now sit at the cliff edge. Most people know Seaford Head for the coastal path or the golf course, but the archaeological traces have faded into the landscape. It’s a site that has always been in a tussle with the sea, but what we felt needed to be done now is remind people of this site and its stories before more is lost.”
Artist and writer Alinah Azadeh created an enchanting spoken-word performance called ‘If You Can Imagine’, reflecting on the archaeological findings and the wider issue of landscape change and heritage loss.