Every Archaeologist Should Have One!

The McMaster University coastal geologist is a rare professional bird. So rare and so much in demand that he is constantly on the move through different archaeological digs in Greece, Oman, Yemen, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt. In the normal run of things, coastal geologists study sediment, rocks and fossils and interpret the state of coastlines, particularly their suitability for man-made construction. As they do so, the coastlines’ history comes into view. Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods: all leave their signatures and dates in the geological record.

Over the last 12 years international archaeologists have been roping Reinhardt into their work. Archaeology is always asking questions about people and places long since gone. Coastal geology brings up answers that are otherwise beyond the reach of established archaeological techniques.

For example, history has an unhappy habit of losing ancient harbours. They frequently disappear into the sea as shorelines crumble and environments change under the impact of a whole array of natural phenomena ranging from sudden disasters to slow shoreline erosion.

“The sediment gives a more precise date than the harbour architecture” explains Reinhardt. “The layers of sediment are time-sandwiches and the artefacts contained in the layers tell us when it was laid down on the seafloor. The character of the sediments themselves tells us how it happened.”

Reinhardt offers a ready, biblical example: “King Herod built a harbour at Caesarea out away from the coastline, thereby significantly altering the environment. It was huge, the first structure of such magnitude to be seen in that part of the world. The sediment signature shows us that it suffered a major destruction from an earthquake around the end of the 1^st century A.D., and that a few attempts were made to repair it before it fell into disuse and finally disappeared from view.”

He can read what an environment used to be like with a geological expertise that complements the archeologist’s set of skills. “One archeologist misread the significance of shells he had found,” says Reinhardt. “What he had not realized was that they were, in fact, mangrove shells that had been brought inland to be eaten – you could see where they’d been forced open. We were able to locate the old shoreline some kilometres away from where his original calculations had placed it.”

Reinhardt is one of five or so pioneers who have brought these special skills to archaeology. In the process, he has adopted archaeological techniques to help him acquire the geological information needed. Geologists are traditionally dry-land creatures but Reinhardt learned to dive and excavate underwater, taking core samples and, in the process, bringing up artefacts as well as sediment.

For Reinhardt it’s a rich exchange: “This is geology with big added value for me because I continue to learn so much from working with archaeologists. I know I moan at them from time to time for keeping me so busy, but this is my passion and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Contact:

Dr. Eduard Reinhardt
Tel.: (905) 525-9140, ext. 27594
E-mail: ereinhar@mcmaster.ca