The power of archaeology to address interpretation biases in modern geomorphology

Abstract

It is common practice to apply and adapt characteristics from the present to the interpretation of the ecological setting of archaeological landscapes, but this approach can generate misleading conclusions and introduce erroneous assumptions. Landscape reconstruction is central for environmental archaeologists and for the study of past human dynamics. In the same manner, the study of geomorphological features and physical hazards in the present requires understanding of past human activity given the intensity of anthropogenic impact over landforms. It has been argued that archaeological perspectives have the potential to contribute to the study coastal hazards and risks in the present. In this article we examine and test this hypothesis. The study focuses the site of Punta Candelero (Puerto Rico, ca. 480 to 1100 calAD) as case study. The analysis revealed that the surface geomorphological interpretation of the study location is not supported by the stratigraphic and sedimentological data. The history of site formation linked to alluvial rather than marine processes at least during the Late Holocene and possibly since the end of the Pleistocene explains the erosion hazards the site is facing in the present. Decreased sediment input into the basin together with rising sea level, and increased magnitude and frequency of tropical storms as overwhelming drivers of geomorphological change are expected to continue transforming the coastal landscape. These factors, together with human activity, in the present can be expected to further threaten the coastal foreland and the archaeological site within it. The reinterpretation allows also for a more nuanced understanding of the role of the site within its contemporary social context, stimulating new interpretations and further research questions. The article demonstrates that archaeological research can help geomorphological understanding by identifying ancient landforms and providing the deep-time perspective of human use of spaces. This knowledge has the potential to contribute to the study of landforms and the understanding of possible physical hazards in the present.