Geoarchaeological Investigations Research Articles

Geomorphology, Geoarchaeology and their multiscalar approaches

This paper discusses the importance of the multiscale approach in geoarchaeological investigations, highlighting the contribution of Geomorphology to this purpose. Although Geoarchaeology does not have a single definition, due to its inter and transdisciplinary nature, in most definitions it uses methods from Geosciences, and in particular from Geomorphology. It deals with everything from archaeological sites to the analysis of the landscape inhabited by human groups, although few studies integrate the various spatial and temporal scales which are essential to understand the complexity of the phenomena. The multiscale approach offers the potential to enrich geoarchaeological analysis by considering the physical elements of the landscape, such as rocks, terrain, soils, and sediments at different temporalities and levels of spatial organization. This broadens the understanding of human interaction with the environment. The widely disseminated model in Geomorphology, which considers forms, materials, and processes at different hierarchical levels of topographic compartmentalization, surface structure, and landscape physiology, coupled with long, medium, and short-term dynamics, represents a promising methodological approach for archaeological site studies. The multiscale approach, therefore, can complement all stages of analysis and has extensive applicability in Geoarchaeology.

Medieval Overexploitation of Peat Triggered Large-Scale Drowning and Permanent Land Loss in Coastal North Frisia (Wadden Sea Region, Germany)

Along the southern North Sea coast from the Netherlands to Denmark, human cultivation efforts have created a unique cultural landscape. Since the Middle Ages, these interactions between humans and natural forces have induced major coastal changes. In North Frisia (Germany), storm floods in 1362 AD and 1634 AD turned wide areas of embanked cultural land into tidal flats. Systematic geoarchaeological investigations between Nordstrand and Hallig Südfall comprise coring, trenching, sedimentary, geochemical and microfaunal palaeoenvironmental parameter analyses and radiocarbon dating. Together with geophysical prospection results and archaeological surveys, they give insights into the landscape’s development and causes for land losses. Results reveal that fens and bogs dominated from c. 800 BC to 1000 AD but are mostly missing in the stratigraphy. Instead, we found 12th to 14th cent. AD settlement remains directly on top of a pre-800 BC fossil marsh. This hiatus of c. 2000 years combined with local ‘Hufen’ settlements implies an extensive removal of peat during cultivation eventually resulting in the use of underlying marshland for agricultural purposes. Fifteenth cent. AD tidal flat deposits on top of the cultivated marsh prove that human impact lowered the ground surface below the mean high water of that time, clearly increasing the coastal vulnerability. We consider these intensive human–environment interactions as a decisive trigger for the massive loss of land and establishment of the tidal flats in North Frisia that are currently part of the UNESCO World Heritage “Wadden Sea”.

Underwater Paleotopographic and Geoarchaeological Investigations at Le Castella (Crotone, Italy): New Data on the Late Holocene Coastline Changes and the Presence of Two Disappeared Islets

Underwater Paleotopographic and Geoarchaeological Investigations at Le Castella (Crotone, Italy): New Data on the Late Holocene Coastline Changes and the Presence of Two Disappeared Islets

Geoarchaeological investigation at Pangani Bay, Tanzania: Insights into climate and environmental changes, and the related human responses from 600–1750 CE

Geoarchaeological investigation at Pangani Bay, Tanzania: Insights into climate and environmental changes, and the related human responses from 600–1750 CE

The Roman burgus at Trebur-Astheim and its relation to the Schwarzbach/Landgraben watercourse (Hessisches Ried, Germany) based on geophysical and geoarchaeological investigations

The Roman burgus at Trebur-Astheim and its relation to the Schwarzbach/Landgraben watercourse (Hessisches Ried, Germany) based on geophysical and geoarchaeological investigations

Classification of geologic materials used in the Sukhothai Historical Park of Thailand using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer and petrographic analysis

The Sukhothai Historical Park, designated as a world heritage site in Thailand, encompasses the remnants of the Sukhothai Kingdom and serves as a valuable locus for geological and geoarchaeological investigations. Situated in the Sukhothai province, the region is characterized by diverse lithologies, including slate, phyllite, and laterite, as well as red bricks (synthetic materials), utilized in the construction of various ancient structures. Petrographic analysis using polarized light microscopy reveals the phyllites as the primary dimension stones, exhibiting foliated and mylonitic textures with small quartz augen. A portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer was employed for geochemical analysis and the analysis of major oxides and trace elements. The resulting data facilitated the classification of protoliths and comparison with rocks from an abandoned quarry near Saritphong Dam in the western part of the historical park. Notably, phyllites utilized in several prominent structures within the park; Wat Saphan Hin, Wat Pa Daeng 2, Wat Thap Sakae, Wat Chetuphon, Wat Sri Chum, and Wat Mangkorn Temples, exhibited similar characteristics to those in the Wat Khao Noi old quarry, as confirmed by Rubidium (Rb) and Strontium (Sr) values. The SiO2/Al2O3 and FeO/K2O ratios were pivotal in identifying the protoliths of the studied phyllites as shales. In summary, the primary dimension stones for Sukhothai Historical Park originated from the western mountain within the park, with laterites sourced from foothill areas. The presence of quartz pebbles in red bricks suggests local sediment utilization, and quartz additions were employed to enhance structural strength. This comprehensive geoarchaeological study sheds light on the geological composition of the Sukhothai Historical Park, providing valuable insights into the selection and utilization of construction materials in this historically significant site.

The medieval croft plužina field system in a mountain region of central Europe: The interdisciplinary record of the earthen field boundaries in Debrné, Czechia

AbstractThe integration of archaeological, historical and geoarchaeological records represents a significant contribution to research into the medieval landscape. This study focuses on the medieval field system in the deserted village of Debrné, located in northeastern Bohemia, Czechia. The village features a well‐preserved croft plužina field system, a typical historical landscape of central Europe. The main and most visible elements of the field system are the earthen field boundaries, which were the focus of the geoarchaeological investigations. Archaeological excavations in trench S1 revealed a collection of larger stones at a depth of 1 m, potentially serving a drainage function akin to the observed plužina. Additionally, a boulder paving, identified as a remnant of a path between fields, provided insights into the historical use of the area. In trench S2, positioned closer to the village's core, layers with increasing stone content were recorded at a depth of 130 cm. However, the drainage structure observed in trench S1 was not replicated. The dating of earthen field boundaries indicated the creation of the terrace in the second half of the 16th century in trench S1. In trench S2, radiocarbon dating at a depth of 70 to 80 cm ranged from 1025 to 1175 A.D., predating the first written source about Debrné. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating in trench S2 suggested exposure to sunlight during the third century A.D. Archaeobotanical analysis of charred macroremains from trench S1 revealed 236 plant macroremains belonging to approximately 20 taxa, showcasing wild‐growing, collected useful species such as raspberry, blackberry and elderberry. Trench S2 yielded 23 plant macroremains belonging to 11 taxa, with similar species as trench S1. Pedological and micromorphological examinations displayed distinct layering in both trenches, showing up to six layers. Micromorphological analysis unveiled vuggy microstructures, varying grain sizes and elemental patterns, shedding light on different periods of occupation. Multidisciplinary investigations of the buried soils forming the earthen field boundaries discovered that the original soil cover comprised automorphic lixisols and cambisols, which also form under present conditions. These results underscore the importance of integrating pedological, geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical and physical data to comprehend the intricate nature of anthropogenic landscape changes.

Ritual Practice at Late Iron-Age and Viking-Age Cemeteries in Norway: The Mortuary Houses From Skeiet, Vinjeøra

THREE PROPOSED LATE IRON- AND VIKING-AGE MORTUARY HOUSES were recently excavated in Central Norway. Excavations and geoarchaeological investigations imply underground wooden buildings resembling domestic houses with doors. Radiocarbon dating indicates three succeeding buildings dating c AD 500–950. The finds included animal and food sacrifices. With their funerary context, the buildings provided an opportunity to frequently visit and interact with mortuary remains, as part of the rituals practised at cemeteries. They provided a ritualised space between the living and their dead relations.

Cannae Battlefield: a geomorphic-geoarchaeologic perspective

The Cannae Battlefield (216 BC), a pivotal engagement during the Second Punic War, led to the destruction of one of the largest consular armies ever raised by the Republic. Historians have for centuries paid the utmost attention to unitby- unit dispositions and tactical maneuvers without studying the local geology and particularly the geomorphology of the battle site. A brief traverse over the battle site, adjacent to the museum in 2004, led to a hidden defile, heretofore not mentioned in the literature, one which may have helped turn the tide for the Carthaginians, and offering prospect of further geoarchaeological investigation.

지질고고학적 분석을 통해 본 신석기시대 주거지와 취락의 공간 이용상

Geoarchaeological investigation is useful for reconstructing domestic activities within an architectural structure based on analysis of physical and chemical components in the soil. Addressing research cases of the use of space in the Middle and Near East during the Neolithic times that successfully demonstrated the utility of geoarchaeological methodologies and introducing relevant and representative geoarchaeological works, this paper aims to provide the background research for promoting prospective studies on the use of space in Korean Neolithic culture. This paper summarizes the study cases following the categories of settlement morphology model (individual structures, intrasettlement and surrounding landscapes) along with the temporal changes of living floor construction. This article surveys previous studies on (i) functionally differentiated spaces (e.g., food processing and cooking, resting and sleeping, livestock rearing, ritual practices) within the living floors of structures, (ii) roads and middens that were spaces for various activities in the vicinity of settlements and (iii) landscapes around settlements in terms of agricultural and pastoral fields. Whereas these studies provide empirical evidence of habitation and use of space, they also extend to theoretical approaches that address how the materiality of a group's prehistoric culture has shaped its character. Reviewing previous studies in the Middle and Near Eastern regions, this paper intends to offer analytical frameworks and references to guide geoarchaeological research applications to the future Korean Neolithic studies primarily through presenting the two notable pilot studies from Gosanri and Hajungdong that have exhibited the methodological potentials.

ON THE COLONISATION OF THE CENTRAL RUSSIAN PLAIN IN LATE GLACIAL AND EARLY HOLOCENE ACCORDING TO GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA

Until recently, interpreting archaeological data on the colonisation of the Central Russian Plain during the last glacial epoch (Late Valdai, Vistulian) had been hampered by the prevailing view that vast areas along the ice sheet boundary were submerged by large proglacial lakes. Under the hypothesis that the Tver proglacial lake was covering Upper Volga lowlands and the Dubna depression, these territories would not be habitable until the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary when they finally dried up in the process of deglaciation. In 2018-2021, geoarchaeological investigations were carried out in Zabolotsky peatland (Moscow Region) to test this hypothesis. It was found that during the whole Late Valdai (Vistulian) glacial epoch, the prevailing environmental conditions in the Dubna Lowland were fluvial, rather than lacustrine. Thus, it is entirely plausible that large parts of the Zabolotsky area could already start to become populated at that time. AMS-dating of resin samples from the grooves of bone and hornbeam artefacts attributed to Epigravettian Resseta culture pinpoint the potential timing of this event to circa 15,500 cal BP. During Early Holocene, Zadnepilevo industry was the successor to Resseta tradition. Other populations known to exist in Central Russian Plain during late Pleistocene – early Holocene are attested from Bromme, Ahrensburg, Kultino and Purgasovo culture complexes. The identification of Elin-Bor, Butovo and Ienevo cultures in the Volga-Oka basin during the Mesolithic had been made by tampering with primary data. Therefore, any further allusion to these cultures would be unethical Seasonal migration patterns of both Resseta and Zadnepilevo populations are evidenced not only by data from the Russian Plain, but also from the Scandinavian Peninsula. Here, they are represented by the so-called "eastern pulse" industry. To piece together the cultural and historical development of Eastern and Northern Europe, a substantial increase in field research is needed.

Geoarchaeological investigations in Artanish Peninsula, Armenia: Testing a new geochemical prospecting method for archaeology

AbstractWithin the framework of an Armenian–German research project, taking place between 2019 and 2021 on the Artanish Peninsula at Lake Sevan (Armenia), in addition to numerous (geo‐) archaeological investigations, methods of geochemical prospection have been carried out. The ancient burial grounds of Artanish 23 and Artanish 29 have served as model sites to successfully test the well‐known method of geochemical prospection and evaluation of metal deposits in geology (mineral sector). As a result, a new experimental archaeo‐geochemical prospecting and evaluation method has been developed, which has been adapted for the exploration of archaeological monuments. It is planned to use this experimental method (which we consider new and important in archaeogeochemical investigation, but not a conclusive and comprehensive work per se), which has already proven its work capacity, in archaeological research, in the prospective areas of Armenia and other countries. In addition to these investigations, research on the transformations in the landscape of the ancient tombs related to Lake Sevan fluctuations has also been carried out. The anthropogenic impact of humans on the environment (geochemical halos formed in the soil on the surface of the tombs) has been studied, as well as the problem of the impact of geological environment on human life activities, that is, the relocation of the burial grounds to more elevated areas due to the rise in the lake level. Based on the results of geochemical sampling and high‐resolution magnetometer surveys, excavations have been performed at the site. Here, we present the results of an experimental study exploring the potential of combined magnetometer prospection and chemical soil analyses to locate and characterize the burial ground of Artanish on Lake Sevan, Armenia. The results have demonstrated the capability of these analyses to detect the sites, outline hotspots and interpret the features identified in the magnetometer results.

Critical Geoarchaeology: From Depositional Processes to the Sociopolitics of Earthen Life

In the last several decades, geoarchaeological research and practice have moved well beyond their foundational concerns for site formation processes and the stratigraphic integrity of artifact associations, developing significant orientations toward archaeological and social theory. This review focuses on four overlapping research emphases that have explicitly extended the reach of geoarchaeological research within the broader social sciences and humanities, including ( a) interpretive, symbolic, and social approaches in geoarchaeological research; ( b) articulations with recent developments in posthumanist and new materialist scholarship; ( c) the application of geoarchaeological investigations to historical ecology and political ecology research programs; and ( d), building on the latter, critical engagements with ongoing transdisciplinary scholarship on the Anthropocene. Taken together, these different orientations offer new possibilities for geoarchaeological research to inform anthropological concerns for social and environmental production and the ways that archaeological and geological fields of practice and discourse contribute to shaping social, political, and environmental conditions today.

Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations of Fumane Cave (Italy): a geoarchaeological investigation of the anthropogenic features.

Here we present the results of a microcontextual analysis of purported combustion features recovered from Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations at the cave site of Fumane, Italy. Our analyses, which integrate micromorphology with organic petrology, show that only a few of the features represent primary, intact hearths; some of them show evidence for various phases of anthropogenic reworking, either through trampling or sweeping and dumping. Several of the features are multi-layered and reflect a complex formation history of various activities related to combustion and site maintenance. Many appear to be the remnants of occupation horizons only partially preserved and peripherally related to combustion. Within several of the intact hearths from the Mousterian, we were able to identify variable fuel sources in different features, implying a degree of flexibility in the fuel-selection strategies of the Neanderthal occupants of Fumane. In this study we design a classification system of the anthropogenic features and also conduct a spatial analysis, through which we can infer diachronic patterns in the frequency and intensity of site occupation and the spatial distribution of activities. We note a decrease in frequency of combustion features throughout the Mousterian which continues into the Uluzzian. The features associated with the Protoaurignacian occupation, in contrast with those from the Mousterian, are multi-layered and well-defined. We argue that these trends, which correspond with other trends in artefact frequency, imply changes in the settlement dynamics of the site during the transition from the last Neanderthal occupation of the cave to the arrival of modern humans.

Harbour geoarchaeology of Lechaion (Corinth area, Greece) sheds new light on economics during the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age transition

Lechaion in Corinth, Greece, is the largest ancient port in Greece. Harbour geoarchaeological investigations, based on 14C-dated palaeoenvironmental archives taken from a well-studied inner basin (Basin 3) and a still unknown outer basin (Basin 4), revealed anthropogenic lead excesses starting from the 12th century BCE, associated with brown coal fragments, for the first time discovered in such an ancient archaeological context. Given that historical sources trace the foundation of the port back to the 7th century BCE, these results attest to protohistoric industrial use of the site and push back its chronology by over five centuries. The existence of such ancient port activity not only extends the chronological horizon for harbour activity in the Corinthian area, but also provides new insights for the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (LBA/EIA) transition, including potential trading routes that may have transited through Lechaion, likely spanning across the Gulf of Corinth and possibly even beyond, to western Mediterranean urban centers.

A Hidden Landscape: Interpreting Buried Archaeological Site Potential in the White River Valley, Indiana

Abstract A model for buried site potential has been developed and presented here following extensive geoarchaeological investigations conducted along the White River valley in Indiana. Backhoe-trenching efforts identified 35 buried archaeological sites dating from the Late Archaic through postcontact periods. Buried archaeological sites were found primarily in soils classified as inceptisols, with fewer found in soils classified as mollisols and entisols. Geochronological dating and artifact analysis suggest that after 3000 BP the White River valley transitioned from lateral to vertical accretion, providing landforms suitable for precontact occupation.

A multiscalar and multiproxy geoarchaeological approach to site formation processes at the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of La Roche-à-Pierrot, Saint-Césaire, France

The site of La Roche-à-Pierrot in Saint-Césaire (Charente-Maritime, France) produced a succession of Mousterian, Châtelperronian and Aurignacian occupations, and continues to play a central role in debates concerning the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition. The source of controversy surrounding the site relates to ambiguities concerning the overall archaeological sequence, the cultural association of the human remains found at the site and the limited number of robust absolute dates. Here, we present the results of a multiscalar, multiproxy geoarchaeological investigation of the site's sedimentary sequence. Our study integrates geomorphology, field lithostratigraphy, microstratigraphy, geochemistry and absolute dating methods (radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence) designed to characterize site formation processes. We propose a site formation model involving the evolution of a karstified limestone cliff from a semi-closed system to an exposed slope deposit, with sediments at the base of the cliff accumulating under periglacial conditions of MIS3, broadly between ca. 59.9 ± 3.9 ka and ca. 37.7 ka. The lowermost Mousterian occupations took place in a semi-closed, sheltered space in which sedimentary rates were low, involving mainly cryoclastic roof spall and episodic percolation of fine-grained sediment. This depositional environment generated a Mousterian archaeological palimpsest in the proximal area and translocated downslope. Subsequent Mousterian, Châtelperronian and Aurignacian remains embedded within diamictons were deposited in an open-air context, on a sloping surface at the apex of a palaeotalus, and possibly above the site, at the top of the cliff. The resulting diachronous surfaces and immature deposits were subject to solifluction and slopewash, with low sedimentary rates. Our geoarchaeological study sheds new light on previously noted spatial inconsistencies in the archaeological sequence and constitutes a rigorous framework for further archaeological research at the site, highlighting the potential of a multiscalar, multiproxy site formation research to improve stratigraphic investigation of Palaeolithic sites in similar geomorphological contexts.

Geoarchaeological investigation of a prehistoric tell in a coastal environment: the lowest levels at Kirrha (Plain of Delphi, Phocis, Greece)

Located downstream of the deltaic plain of Delphi and close to the present-day coastline, the tell of Kirrha is the largest Bronze Age site (Middle to Late Helladic I) in Phocis (Greece), covering an area of around 6 ha. The deepest, and therefore oldest, archaeological levels of the tell have never been reached. A multidisciplinary investigation combining geophysics (ARP and ERT surveys), coring, sedimentological and geochemical analysis (grain-size, CaCO3 content, magnetic susceptibility), observation of the microfaunal remains and radiocarbon dating provided for the first-time capital information about the internal structure of the tell of Kirrha as well as the date of the earliest occupation phase. The results indicate a thickness of occupation layers ranging from 7 to 9 m (until 2 m b.s.l.). While some archaeological indicators found in the cores (such as very isolated pottery fragments) suggest a probable Neolithic occupation, the radiocarbon dating results presented here indicate a first occupation at the very beginning of the Bronze Age (Early Helladic II). Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction reveals that the first inhabitants of Kirrha settled in a coastal-marsh-type environment that was being filled in by fine-grained alluvial deposits from the Pleistos and Hylaithos rivers. Geophysical surveys also revealed that parts of the tell have been eroded by a palaeochannel or buried under alluvial sediments.

Holocene landscape evolution, palaeoclimate and human impact in the Fotsch Valley, Stubai Alps, Austria: Interrogating biomarkers, stable isotopes, macrofossils and palynological indicators from a subalpine mire archive

Peatlands are receiving increasing attention in palaeoenvironmental research and represent very useful terrestrial archives for reconstructing vegetation, climate and human history. Previous palaeoenvironmental studies in the Fotsch Valley, Stubai Alps, Austria, focused on geoarchaeological investigations on the Ullafelsen representing a very important prehistorical encampment site used by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (10.9–9.5 cal. kyr BP). In order to contribute to a better understanding of the landscape evolution of the Fotsch Valley, we here studied the close-by subalpine ‘Potsdamer Hütte Mire’ by applying radiocarbon dating as well as elemental, biomarker, compound-specific stable isotope, palynological and macrofossil analyses on bulk peat samples. The calculated age-depth model using R Bacon indicates the beginning of peat formation during the Early Holocene and shows a strongly reduced peat accumulation rate (PAR) from 170 to 121 cm depth (8.5–2.1 cal. kyr BP) and/or a striking hiatus. Results of leaf wax-derived n-alkane biomarkers as well as macrofossils and palynological indicators reflect the local presence of coniferous trees and the synchronous expansion of deciduous trees during the Early Holocene. The above-mentioned strongly reduced PAR and/or hiatus coincides with the Neolithic, the Bronze and the Iron Age, and goes hand in hand with strong changes in vegetation and an increase of micro-charcoal and black carbon. Despite age uncertainties, these changes can be explained with strongly increasing human and livestock activities in form of deforestation, domestic fires and the beginning of Alpine pastoralism. The latter is confirmed by the finding of pasture and cultural indicator pollen (Cerealia-type, Rumex, Plantago lanceolata, Poaceae) occurring since the Middle to Late Bronze Age. The oxygen isotope composition of sugar biomarkers (δ18Osugars) likely reflects the dry versus humid climatic variability associated with the Holocene climatic optimum during the Mesolithic, the Roman Age, the Late Antique Little Ice Age, the Middle Ages and the Little Ice Age.

Geomorphological assessment of the preservation of archaeological tell sites

Tells are multi-layered, archaeological mounds representing anthropogenic landforms common in arid regions. In such contexts, the preservation of the archaeological record is mined by ongoing climate changes, shift in land use, and intense human overgrazing. Such natural and human-driven factors tune the response of archaeological soils and sediments to erosion. Geomorphology offers a plethora of tools for mapping natural and anthropogenic landforms and evaluating their response to unremitting weathering, erosional and depositional processes. Here, we present a geomorphological investigation on two anthropogenic mounds in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a special focus on the ongoing erosional processes mining their slope stability and threatening the preservation of the local archaeological landscape. Applying the revised universal soil loss equation model for soil loess derived from UAV imagery and implemented with geoarchaeological investigation, we assess the erosion rate along anthropogenic mounds and estimate the risk of losing archaeological deposits. We argue that a large-scale application of our approach in arid and semi-arid regions may improve our ability to (i) estimate the rate of soil and/or archaeological sediments loss, (ii) propose mitigation strategies to prevent the dismantling of the archaeological record, and (iii) schedule archaeological operations in areas of moderate to extreme erosion risk.