WAERC: Commercial Services

WAERC provides timely and professional archaeological and palaeoenvironmental services to a broad range of clients in heritage management, industry, large and small scale building developers.

We are an established fieldwork and consultancy organisation supporting the excavation, identification and understanding of archaeology and palaeoenvironments, primarily but not exclusively from wetland contexts.

Core staff at WAERC are members of the Institute of Field Archaeologists and comply with its Code of Conduct and Standards.

WAERC provides a range of specialist archaeological and palaeoenvironmental services, including desk-based assessment, borehole surveys and field evaluations, watching briefs and excavations, preservation assessments and detailed palaeoenvironmental studies.

Services include:

• Field methods
• Laboratory methods
• Data analysis and presentation
• Training and communication

Field Methods

• Archaeological Evaluation, excavation and watching briefs.
• Desk-based assessment.
• Field survey.
• Stratigraphy: locating, recording and reporting on buried minerogenic and bio-genic deposits, using a wide range of hand and powered coring systems.
• Sample collection: collection of samples for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction via coring or sampling of exposed faces or archaeological features.
• GPS survey: High-precision location of points, supported by our collaboration with other colleagues in the Geography Department.

Laboratory Methods

Palaeoenvironmental potential assessment: assessing the presence and preservation of a range of palaeoenvironmental indicators (e.g. pollen, diatoms, macrofossils, insects, testate amoebae, fungal spores, mollusca, charcoal...) in organic-rich deposits (and other sediments as required), and reporting on the potential of the material for more detailed environmental reconstruction.

Chronology: collecting samples and arranging for radiocarbon dating, carrying out pollen analysis and estimating the age of the material from comparison with regional frameworks (biostratigraphy).

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction: detailed analyses of sediments and sediment samples from any suitable context to provide detailed reconstruction of past environments. Indicators include pollen, charcoal and diatom analysis, and we can use our long-standing collaborative agreements to arrange for plant macrofossil analysis, Coleopteran analysis and wood identification.

Analysis of on-site contexts: single-sample analyses from a wide range of on-site archaeological contexts can provide useful insights to support site interpretation. For example, pollen assemblages can be recovered from buried soils (e.g. beneath a bank), turf banks, ditch fills, and other occupation surfaces such as grave floors. We can advise on the development of an appropriate sampling strategy, carry out fieldwork if necessary, and assess, analyse and interpret samples.

Preparation of samples for other analysts: a sample preparation service for microfossil analysts without easy access to appropriate laboratory facilities, e.g. preparation of pollen and diatom slides, thin sections.

Data Analysis and Presentation

Palaeoenvironmental data: all standard statistical analyses. GIS data presentation: data compilation and computer-generated maps and visualisations, supported by the cutting-edge expertise available within the Geography Department. Report-writing: data synthesis and report writing, in an appropriate format.

Training and Communication

Training: we can provide input to staff training customised to your needs, from short presentations to week-long intensive courses or longer-term study; several of our staff are fully qualified and experienced university lecturers. We also run student training excavations [ARCHAEOLOGY AT HULL].

Talks and demonstrations: We are always happy to talk to local groups about our work in the region, or more generally about wetlands, wetland archaeology, and reconstructing past environments.

For opportunities to take your own studies further via a higher degree or accredited research project see ARCHAEOLOGY AT HULL, or if you would be interested in collaborative work to seek grant funding to develop a research idea or carry out a one-off project in our areas of expertise, please contact one of us.

If you have any queries, please contact us:

Dr Malcolm Lillie FSA MIFA
Email: m.c.lillie@hull.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1482 465325