an extract from a new book on the archaeology of rivers and other flows of materials. It argues that rivers are as susceptible to archaeological and historical analysis as more solid parts of landscapes are.
flow
Rivers as artifacts
This paper starts with the question: can rivers usefully be studied as artifacts? The question may raise an eyebrow or two. For the most part rivers tend to be regarded as more or less natural features of a landscape or townscape. Even in the midst of towns – bordered by buildings on both sides –…