Archaeology Research

While the doctoral research network AGRI-DRY explores dryland agriculture over time, one aspect of this work involves establishing the history of land use and land cover through studying peatlands as palaeoenvironmental archives. The fieldwork in South Africa, which took place this September, hence aimed at collecting a peat core for pollen analysis to gain insights into the land cover evolution of the region.

AGRI-DRY team members, PhD fellow Alexandra Vasilyeva (University of Glasgow) and Dr Bianca Cavazzin (University of Glasgow & Canterbury Christ Church University), travelled to Potchefstroom, South Africa, to collect a 4-metre-long sediment core.  The fieldwork was made possible through collaboration with North-West University, South Africa, and was especially supported by Prof. Frank Neumann and his students.

The team surveying the peatland before coring. Left to right: Prof. Frank Neumann, Dr. Bianca Cavazzin, students Tshiamo Mmatladi, and Thokozani Mahlangu. Photo credit: Alexandra Vasilyeva.

The METSI site, located in the Mooi River basin, is renowned for its peat deposits, thought to be over 10,000 years old. The pollen record could help us understand major vegetation changes over this period but also show evidence of human impact associated with both Early Iron Age societies and European settlers.

Alexandra’s research project within AGRI-DRY is supervised by Prof Nicki Whitehouse (University of Glasgow), Dr Bianca Cavazzin (University of Glasgow & Canterbury Christ Church University), Prof Frank Neumann (North-West University), and Prof Jasper Knight (University of the Witwatersrand) and is meant to summarise key paleoenvironmental records from southern Africa, with this core contributing to the existing database.

The team preparing the core for description and photography. Front, from left to right: Prof. Frank Neumann and Dr. Bianca Cavazzin. In the background: students Tshiamo Mmatladi and Thokozani Mahlangu. Photo credit: Alexandra Vasilyeva.

The METSI wetland as seen from the coring point. Photo credit: Alexandra Vasilyeva.

The overview of the wetland. Photo credit: Alexandra Vasilyeva.

 

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First published: 3 October 2025