ArCHe moves towards its innovative goals, so far disseminated to diverse scientific communities through 15 talks at international conferences, one publication, and three public scientific deliverables addressed at a broad range of stakeholders.
Through work in the individual research projects archaeological coastal heritage research is developed by addressing long-standing fragmentation in research and management practices, overcoming regional boundaries which hitherto have limited systematic comparison.
The shared framework links diverse coastal regions, allowing for systematic comparison of regional case studies and advancing a more holistic understanding of prehistoric human–coastal interactions. This marks an important methodological development, also by comparing strengths and weaknesses of existing data and applicable methods in the different regions.
Overall, ArCHe’s long-term perspective and its interdisciplinary structure connects the study of past lifeways with present perspectives and future heritage management challenges, supporting a comprehensive understanding of archaeological sites as elements of dynamic landscapes. The involvement of non-academic partners brings practical expertise and strengthens the translation of research into professional practice.
ArCHe has an encompassing outreach strategy, by mass media and dialogic communication. This includes the innovative communication measure The Classroom of Europe, providing teaching material addressed at school children and their teachers across Europe.
Professionally, ArCHe trains early-career researchers as skilled future ambassadors to support capacity building for research, heritage management, the green and blue sector and communication. By establishing shared frameworks and strengthening professional networks, ArCHe work for a solid foundation for future research and practice.
Building on this ArCHe is expected to deliver scientific, professional and societal benefits which will have considerable social, economic/technological and societal impact. Scientifically the project will impact on the relevance of international, interdisciplinary and comparative projects and their applied perspective. In economic and technological terms, it will impact through the proposition of heritage and management tools, coastal engineering solutions, communication measures and the conveyance of past technologies to a variety of stakeholders in coastal regions. Socially it will integrate Stone Age HFG heritage into lived coastal landscapes and communities, and as such magnify cultural awareness, identity and well-being in coastal areas across Europe.
