Soils in the urban environment are distinctive in that they are modified through waste amendments. Consideration has been given to how urban soil properties reflect current human influence; however, recent studies highlight their potential as historical archives. The impact of waste disposal on the nature, properties and formation of urban soils is significant, especially in historic small towns where the extent and complexity of refuse management practices is only just emerging. This study uses a multi-method approach to characterise and understand modes of urban anthrosol formation in three Scottish burghs; Lauder, Pittenweem and Wigtown. The objectives of this study are threefold; to establish the nature and diversity of urban anthrosols in and near to historic small towns, to characterise and account for the multiplicity of urban anthrosols in and near to historic small towns, and to elucidate the processes associated with waste management and disposal in historic small towns. Physical, chemical and micromorphological analysis of topsoil deposits indicate sustained addition of past waste materials to soils within and near to historic small towns. Soil characteristics were heterogeneous across burghs; however, distinct patterns according to past functional zones were identified. The burgh core and burgh acres are important areas of interest at all three burghs. Soil modification was most pronounced within burgh cores resulting in the formation of hortic horizons. Soils within burgh cores are characterised by neutral pH, increased organic matter content, enhanced magnetic susceptibility and elevated elemental concentrations such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium. In comparison the nature and extent of soil modification within burgh acres is more varied. At Lauder hortic soils were identified in the burgh acres suggesting pronounced soil modification through cultivation. Deepened topsoil in the burgh acres at Pittenweem provided evidence for application of mineral rich waste materials in the past. Moreover, magnetic and elemental enhancement (barium, phosphorus, lead, zinc) within the burgh acres south of Wigtown revealed historic soils based anthropogenic signal. It is argued that changes in soil characteristics at Lauder, Pittenweem and Wigtown can be explained through processes of waste management and disposal in the past. Evidence from micromorphological analyses suggests that waste in burgh cores typically comprised domestic waste, animal waste, building materials and fuel residues. These materials were also identified within burgh acres, although it is noted that their abundances were significantly lower. Variation in urban anthrosol characteristics between burghs is attributed to differing industries and patterns of resource exploitation, for example marine waste associated with fishing was only identified in coastal burghs. The sustained addition of waste materials to soils within and near to historic small towns was an effective waste management strategy. Waste disposal in burgh cores was likely to be a combination of direct application and midden spreading in back gardens. This led to enhanced soil fertility which was important in the development of urban horticulture; particularly for poorer inhabitants who did not have access to arable farm land adjacent to the burgh. Dunghills acted as temporary stores of waste in the main thoroughfares of Lauder, Pittenweem and Wigtown. These dunghills were systematically transported to the burgh acres for further use as a fertiliser; hence, an early form of urban composting. Processes of waste disposal could not be deduced from soil characteristics alone; however, likely methods include direct waste deposition, storage and redistribution of midden waste, and storage and redistribution of dunghills. The limitations of soil classification systems and mapping are highlighted, for example urban soils are either omitted from soil maps or are misclassified. It is recommended that urban soils in historic towns should be incorporated into future regional soil maps. Urban soils represent a complex archive of past human behaviour not necessarily reflected in archaeological excavation or documentary analysis. It is argued that soil and artefacts are equally important, hence soil should be a consideration in urban heritage and conservation strategies.

The present work was developed during the Masters Course in the Vocational Graduation Program in Cultural Heritage at the Federal University of Santa. This research aimed at investigating the reality of the Heritage Education in the Elementary School system in Santa Maria/RS to, after knowing this reality, propose subsides of guidelines focusing educator so that they can bring children and teenagers closer to the local heritage, especially the documental heritage in custody of the Municipal Historical Archive. The dialogue between Archive and School is critical to make students understand the importance to preserve their local heritage which is their own heritage. Starting from this and, considering the fact that the Municipal Historical Archive is visited by just a few students from elementary school, we tried to investigate the causes of this detachment. Our study is a descriptive field research with a quantitative and qualitative approach. To investigate the Heritage Education scenario in the city of Santa Maria we used a questionnaire that was sent to fifty-eight private, State and Municipal schools of the administrative urban center region and its neighboring regions but only twenty-one schools returned with some feedback. With the analysis of the collected data we can infer that the Heritage Education is present at school but is not worked from the Municipal Historical Archive documental heap because the educators do not know the services and research possibilities offered by the information unit. In this way, as educators are actions multipliers at school, the Heritage Education Program from the Santa Maria Municipal Historical Archive began with actions directe to the educators, such as the Meeting and the Orientation Guide for Educators. / O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido durante o Curso de Mestrado do Programa de Pós-Graduação Profissionalizante em Patrimônio Cultural da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar o cenário da Educação Patrimonial na rede de ensino fundamental de Santa Maria/RS para a partir dessa realidade, propor subsídios de orientação direcionados aos educadores para que aproximem as crianças e adolescentes do patrimônio local, mais precisamente do patrimônio documental do Arquivo Histórico do Município. O diálogo entre arquivo e escola é fundamental para despertar nos estudantes a importância de preservar o patrimônio de sua localidade, que não deixa de ser o seu próprio patrimônio. Partindo dessa premissa e do fato do Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Santa Maria ser frequentado por um número reduzido de estudantes do ensino fundamental, procurou-se investigar as causas desse distanciamento. O estudo constitui-se numa pesquisa de campo do tipo descritiva com uma abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa. Para investigar o cenário da Educação Patrimonial no município de Santa Maria utilizou-se do questionário, que foi encaminhado para cinquenta e oito escolas particulares, estaduais e municipais da região administrativa centro urbano e regiões limítrofes, mas apenas obteve-se retorno de vinte e uma escolas. Com a análise dos dados infere-se que a Educação Patrimonial está presente dentro da escola, mas que não é trabalhada a partir do acervo documental do Arquivo Histórico Municipal por desconhecimento dos educadores acerca dos serviços e possibilidades de pesquisa oferecidas pela unidade de informação. Desta forma, como os educadores são os multiplicadores de ações nas escolas, o Programa de Educação Patrimonial do Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Santa Maria partiu de ações direcionadas a eles, como o Encontro e o Guia de Orientação para Educadores.