Project Details
Projekt
Reconstructing coastal geographies and deciphering medieval human-environment interactions from North Frisia’s sedimentary archives
Applicants
Dr. Hanna Hadler; Professor Dr. Andreas Vött
Subject Area
Physical Geography
Prehistory and World Archaeology
Prehistory and World Archaeology
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541064351
Within the RU 5837 (TORF), sub-project SP3 Geoarchaeology focuses on soils and sediments used as valuable geoarchives to reconstruct coastal geographies, investigate and decipher complex medieval human-environment interactions in North Frisia’s Wadden Sea region and their relation to major land losses during storm surges. Across different work areas and analysing different types of geo-archives (tidal flats, Halligen islands, marshes), we seek to synthesize a complete sedimentary record of North Frisia as a base for the palaeogeographical reconstruction of the coastal landscape. Special focus is laid on the quasi-natural coastal development from the onset of fenland formation (c. 1500 BC) to the rise of medieval cultivation and subsequent failure by the drowning in 1362 AD to (early) modern times. Sub-project SP3 will first decipher (pre-)medieval natural conditions and dynamics met by the Frisian settlers at the onset of cultivation in order to assess both the potential and limitations for land use. Second, human-environment interactions during medieval land reclamation and their impact on soils and sediments will be examined by multi-proxy analyses of relevant sedimentary, geochemical and microfossil signatures. Third, detailed chronostratigraphies will be established to assess these human impacts and their changes in space and time. By integrating major settlement and land use structures such as different types of settlements, dykes and land parcels, we reconstruct the overall geographical landscape character. Beyond this, SP3 is highly relevant to provide ground truthing for archaeological and geophysical prospection results as well as for the analysis of remote sensing data. Sediment core data are also required to establish, evaluate and calibrate geophysical models and sea level reconstructions. SP3 will also contribute to evaluate the spatial extent and effects of medieval human influence on the coastal vulnerability, for example by extensive peat extraction below sea level. We will investigate sedimentary evidence for storm surges in natural and archaeological contexts, entangle their consequences and create DGM-based flooding scenarios to reconstruct sea level extremes. Specific focus will be laid on the 1st and also the 2nd Grote Mandränke in 1362 AD and 1634 AD, respectively. Stratigraphic and geomorphological data will be used to geographically differentiate storm flood effects and to evaluate the influence of natural and/or human factors. SP3 results strongly contributes to the overall TORF objective to better comprehend the repeated rise and failure of human efforts to secure resources, expand settlement activities or fight against land loss. Also, the knowledge on the cultural and natural heritage of the Wadden Sea region and public awareness against coastal risks will be enlarged.
DFG Programme
Research Units
