The Iron Age in the Plastic Age: Anthropocene signatures at Castell Henllys

• Autores: Harold Mytum, James Meek
• Localización: Antiquity, ISSN 0003-598X, Vol. 95, Nº 379, 2021, págs. 198-214
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Plastic entering the archaeological and geological record may be the defining signature of the Anthropocene. Amidst the growing awareness of the role of plastic in marine pollution, this study demonstrates its terrestrial ubiquity. The excavation of two experimentally reconstructed roundhouses built on their original sites at Castell Henllys Iron Age fort, Wales, reveals evidence of 30 years of heritage interpretation and visitor activity. The nature and extent of the cultural material recovered accurately reflects known activities at this heritage site, but also reveals an unexpected amount of plastic debris in archaeological contexts, indicating how, even in well-managed contexts, plastic is entering terrestrial deposits.