HEAS Workshop

18th and 19th May 2026.

This workshop brings together specialists in a wide variety of geoarchaeological and aligned disciplines, with the purpose of discussing strategies to achieve more effective and integrated multi-scalar approaches to the study of prehistoric settlements.

Geoarchaeological approaches are key to understanding ancient settlements, being used in all research phases from locating and mapping sites, to reconstructing their environments and conducting detailed studies of communal life. The scale of settlement geoarchaeology extends from microns to hectares, with an immense variety of techniques employed: from non-invasive remote sensing methods and 3-D geophysical prospection to soil micromorphology, geochemistry and geochronology, potentially integrated with the study of micro-particles, organic residues and sediment aDNA, utilising palaeoenvironmental contextual data.

A wide array of research questions is addressed in settlement archaeology, most common and recurring. Intra-site settlement studies focus on the construction and organisation of buildings and open areas, and the use of these spaces for domestic and craft activities, storage, waste disposal, and access ways. These aspects are set within the reconstruction of site landscape settings, which provide site context about the nature of landscape change and land-use through time. Extracting maximal evidence from soils and sediments frequently requires utilising a multi-scalar approach incorporating macro- and micro-scale data and integrating different methods, both geoarchaeological and from other palaeoenvironmental and scientific archaeological disciplines.

Confronted with the rapidly expanding array of techniques applied in geoarchaeological studies of settlements, and a recurring list of research questions, this workshop is designed to provide a platform for discussing the most effective geoarchaeology-based strategies for investigating prehistoric settled life. Enriched with case studies from diverse time periods and geographic locations, we will address two main topics, each with detailed sub-themes and discussion questions: 1) establishing the footprint of prehistoric settlements and their landscape impacts; and 2) reconstructing ways of life and the use of space within settlements. Throughout, we will consider current challenges and future prospects for utilisation and integration of methods, and how to achieve an effective multi-scalar analytical approach.