Abstract:

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.

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

SECTION ONE. INTRODUCTION

Foreword
Helen Dawson

1. Introduction: Coastal Archaeology in Small Islands
Maaike S. de Waal

2. Island Archaeology: An Integrative Review from a Maritime Perspective
Veronica Walker Vadillo, & Kristin Ilves

SECTION TWO. MOBILITY, CONNECTEDNESS, AND INSULARITY

3. Connecting the Coastline. Visibility and Coastal Navigation in the Southern Coastline of Menorca during the Late Bronze Age
Alejandra Galmés-Alba, & Manuel Calvo Trias

4. Transporting Parian and Naxian Marble in the Cyclades
Judith Muñoz-Sogas

5. The Relevance of ‘Far-Flung’ Island Landscapes in Prehistoric Scotland: Loch Roag and the Complex of Calanais
Gail Higginbottom, Vincent Mom, & Mike Efstathiou

6. Challenging Concepts of Remoteness in the Outer Hebrides
Emily Gal, & Rebecca Rennell

7. Beachware as a Cultural Resource in Prehistoric Small Island Societies: Examples from the Western Isles, Scotland, and the Ryukyu Islands, Japan
Matt Law

SECTION THREE. METHODS

8. Project SENTINELA. Monitoring and Documenting the Erosive Processes on the Cultural Heritage of the Galician Atlantic Islands
Patricia Valle Abad, Alba Antía Rodríguez Novoa, Marta Lago Cerviño, & Adolfo Fernández Fernández

9. Three Eroding Shetland Sites: Community Monitoring and Targeted Investigation
Ellie Graham

10. Pre-colonial Indigenous Settlement in Eroding Coastal Landscapes. The Sites of Little Bay, Boscobelle Bay, and Skeetes Bay Plateau, Barbados
Maaike S. de Waal

SECTION FOUR. LANDSCAPE NARRATIVES

11. From Defense to Display: Bronze Age Hillforts on the Small Adriatic Island of Ist
Pio Domines Peter

12. What a Clam Can Reveal: Understanding Settlement Realignment c. 2500 cal yr BP in Southwestern Viti Levu, Fiji
Roselyn Kumar, Frank R. Thomas, and Amy Prendergast

13. Within the Stories of a Landscape – Archaeology and Folklore on The Blue Maiden, a Pristine Island in the Kalmar Strait
Kenneth Alexandersson & Anna-Karin Karlsson

SECTION FIVE. CONCLUSIONS

14. Epilogue: Looking Back and Looking Forwards
Maaike S. de Waal

Acknowledgements
Author Biographies