Seminar and Book Launch (hybrid event)
Coastal Archaeology in Small Islands
- Date
- Wednesday 28 October 2026
- Time
- Address
-
Van Steenis
Einsteinweg 2
2333 CC Leiden - Room
- Corrie Bakelszaal (A2.02a) / Online via MS Teams
On October 28, the book Coastal Archaeology in Small Islands. Prehistoric Lifeways, Research Perceptions, Biases, Methods and Approaches, edited by Leiden archaeologist Maaike de Waal, sees its official launch. In honor of this momentous occasion, there will be a seminar and a book launch.
- Seminar: 9:00 - 16:00
- Book launch: 16:00 - 17:00
- Drinks: 17:00 - 18:00
Please register for the event through this form.
Abstract publication
The potential of investigating archaeology on small islands has long been underestimated. Non-local archaeologists often regard such islands as offering (too) few opportunities for prehistoric use and habitation due to limited resources and isolation, whereas prehistoric communities saw them as resource-rich and well-connected. Accessibility and logistical challenges further affect research on small or remote islands, reflecting modern biases shaped by reliance on cars and (digital) infrastructure.
This volume brings together research projects on prehistoric coastal archaeology in islands now perceived as ‘small’ or ‘remote’. Divided into five sections, it includes 14 chapters by 23 contributors, covering case studies from the Cyclades (Greece), Adriatic (Croatia), Mediterranean, Galician Atlantic (Spain), Kalmarsund (Sweden), Scotland, Fiji, Japan, and the Caribbean.
The contributions address themes such as insularity, interaction, and connectivity, as well as biases linked to ideas of remoteness and isolation. By examining what islands offered to prehistoric communities and tracing the continuous use of coastal locations, the volume shows that these were not marginal areas but activity hotspots. It also considers coastal erosion, threatened heritage, island ecology, and prehistoric resource use and adaptation.
It is hoped that this volume will inspire local and non-local archaeologists and archaeology enthusiasts to collaborate in documenting, investigating, and protecting coastal heritage in small islands.
Seminar programme
Taking place before the book launch is a seminar on the same topic.
09:00 – 09:30 Walk-in and coffee
09:30 – 09:40 Opening and welcome by Maaike de Waal
Methods and approaches
09.40 – 09:55 Patricia Valle Abad, Adolfo Fernández Fernández, & Nerea Ruanova Álvarez: Project Sentinela: the use of digital twins to assess endangered cultural heritage
09:55 – 10:00 Q&A
10:00 – 10:15 Jitte Waagen: Integrating UAV LiDAR, Shallow-Water Photogrammetry and Beyond-Visible Remote Sensing at Keros
10:15 – 10:20 Q&A
10:20 – 10:35 Jason Laffoon: Investigating the Diversity of Indigenous Lifeways in Small Island Contexts: A case study from Amboina, Bonaire
10:35 – 10:40 Q&A
10:40 – 11:00 Coffee break
Community archaeology
11:00 – 11:15 Ellie Graham: Community stewardship of small island archaeology.
11:15 – 11:20 Q&A
11:20 – 11:35 Gert Jan van Wijngaarden: Stories from the Island. Local ideas about Archaeology on Zakynthos, Greece
11:35 – 11:40 Q&A
11:40 – 11:55 Heleen van Londen & Josje van Leeuwen: tba
11:55 – 12:00 Q&A
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch (not included)
Regional case-studies (perceptions, biases, challenges and successes)
13:00 – 13:15 Ruth Blankenfeldt: Of Swamp and Sand: Coastal and Island Archaeology in North Frisia, Germany
13:15 – 13:20 Q&A
13:20 – 13:35 Màiri McLean: Suas gu Deas: Perceptions & Prehistoric Population Mobility amongst the Hebrides
13:35 – 13:40 Q&A
13:40 – 13:55 Mirre van der Velden: An Archeozoological reassessment the Pleistocene Faunal Assemblage of Liko Cave, Crete
13:55 – 14:00 Q&A
14:00 – 14:30 Tea break
Regional case-studies (perceptions, biases, challenges and successes)
14:30 – 14:45 Manuela Ritondale: Dangerous or Scary? Risk Perception and Shipwreck Probability in Coastal Navigation
14:45 – 14:50 Q&A
14:50 – 15:05 Marie Kolbenstetter: Microregional mobility and community-building in the precolonial Gulf of Fonseca, Pacific Central America: a view from El Tigre Island (AD 600-1520)
15:05 – 15:10 Q&A
15:10 – 15:25 Matt Law: Beachware as a cultural resource in prehistoric small island societies: convergence and divergence in the Western Isles and Ryūkyū Islands
15:25 – 15:30 Q&A
15:30 – 16:00 Wrap up by Maaike de Waal and short break
Book launch
16:00 – 17:00 Introduction and reflections on the volume and presentation of the book
17:00 – 18:00 Drinks/bites