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Archaeology
Coastal archaeologist joins 51社区黑料to advance study of ancient shorelines and earliest settlements of the Northwest
This fall, archaeologist Bryn Letham brings his expertise in northwest coastal archaeology to 51社区黑料 as an assistant professor in the Department of Archaeology.
Focused mainly on British Columbia, Letham studies the geological and archaeological records of coastlines to answer questions about human history and relationships with the land, how the landscape has changed over time, how humans have impacted landscapes and more.
In one of Letham鈥檚 current projects, he works to locate and identify B.C.鈥檚 earliest archaeological sites to pinpoint when and where the first peopling of the coast took place.
Letham explains that having a good understanding of what the shores looked like during these time periods is essential to locating exceptionally old archaeological sites.
To do this, he works with coastal First Nations and colleagues to reconstruct ancient shorelines, ancient environments and sea level change through time.
鈥淚n a place like northern North America鈥檚 coast that was covered by glaciers during the last ice age, there's been very dramatic physical transformations to the landscape,鈥� says Letham. 鈥淪o, if we're looking for very early evidence of people living in that region, we need to know, for example, where the shoreline was because it isn't necessarily where it is located today. In some cases, the position of the shores has shifted by tens, or even hundreds of vertical meters.鈥�
As an archaeologist, Letham鈥檚 work often takes him deep into the past, but his interests span much broader than ancient human settlements.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in the entire duration of human history on the west coast, straight from the last ice age all the way up into today,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 study shoreline and coastal change from the last ice age, 3000 years ago, 200 years ago and even 200 years into the future to see how people experience those changes, and how those changes may impact archaeological sites.鈥�
As Letham begins teaching at SFU, he鈥檚 excited to bring his local research to a department whose members have diverse research backgrounds and projects all around the world.
鈥淪omething that I really cherish and appreciate is having colleagues that do such dramatically different things in such dramatically different places,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or me, as a researcher, it's really cool, but also for graduate and undergraduate students.鈥�
For students who are keen to learn more about B.C.'s archaeological record and are interested in gaining field experience, Letham will likely be a familiar face.
Next summer, he鈥檒l be leading the Department鈥檚 local field school where students will have the opportunity to apply classroom concepts and gain experience close to home.
Teaching an archaeology field school in coastal B.C. is a full circle moment for Letham, who was introduced to the field of Canadian coastal archaeology through a field school during his undergraduate degree.
鈥淚t was an absolutely transformative period in my life. I was completely blown away by the rich and deep history and the incredible archaeology of western Canada and the coast in particular,鈥� says Letham. 鈥淚 would be thrilled if I could have just a fragment of that effect on 51社区黑料students.鈥�
Learn more about Letham and his research