Geoarchaeology and Karst: A New Perspective

Abstract

In the context of karst-related research, the multidisciplinary approach is necessary and the paradigms of the emerging field of geoarchaeology provide a new perspective for completing studies that contains the human-element. Research completed at the Cave of Letters (COL) and the Qumran Archaeological Site in Israel and on the Vaca Plateau in Belize, utilizes the multidisciplinary approach endemic to geoarchaeology. By creating a series of digital, updatable maps for the COL and Qumran, spatial trends in and relationships between the physical and cultural landscapes become apparent. Additionally, through the use of geophysics (ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electro-resistivity tomography (ERT)), an ancient living surface (the Bar Kokhba layer) was delineated in the COL, and potentially collapsed caves, that may contain archaeological remains, were located at Qumran. GPR also delineated possible grave sites at the cemeteries of Qumran. In Belize, petrographic analysis of rock samples determined that the physical landscape is dominated by limestone breccias, which are mostly depositional in origin. Comparison of these results, with data collected related to quarried and cut stones used to face structures at the Ix Chel Archaeological Site, suggested some stones were quarried locally but, due to the sheer number of stones required to build the site, dictates that other regional sources were required. The studies detailed in this chapter point to the need for continued karst-based research within the multidisciplinary realm of geoarchaeology, because this marriage only enhances the quest for new knowledge and understanding.