Applied Soils and Micromorphology in Archaeology

Macphail, Richard I.; Goldberg, Paul

doi:10.1017/9780511895562

Cited by 80 publications

(93 citation statements)

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“…The pedogenic processes most widely attested in the urban archaeological soils of Belgium include bioturbation, oxido‐reduction, humification, decarbonation, alkalinization, and slaking or the mechanical down‐profile translocation of fine particles (De Ploey & Mücher, ). The latter is mostly related to topsoil disturbance induced by agricultural practices, which are typical not only of the rural but also—importantly—of urban and protourban contexts (see Goldberg & Macphail, ; Macphail & Goldberg, ). Activities such as tillage, cultivation, manuring, and liming interact with pedogenesis, and thus have a significant impact on soil evolution.…”

Section: The Present: Key Issues and Current Debatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, Holliday (2004); (2017) 1981). The latter is mostly related to topsoil disturbance induced by agricultural practices, which are typical not only of the rural but alsoimportantly-of urban and protourban contexts (see Goldberg & Macphail, 2006;Macphail & Goldberg, 2018). Activities such as tillage, cultivation, manuring, and liming interact with pedogenesis, and thus have a significant impact on soil evolution.…”

Section: The Impact Of Urbanization On Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are often related to ancient occupation surfaces and roads. Micromorphology has fruitfully been applied to study them (Cammas, 2010;Charbonnier, Cammas, Bak, Cavé, & Neaud, 2016;Gé, Courty, Matthews, & Wattez, 1993;Macphail & Goldberg, 2018;Milek, 1997;Milek & French, 2007;Shillito & Ryan, 2013). The study of a series of such microstratified deposits in Brussels and Flanders demonstrates their importance to the understanding of the use of space within towns.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Urban geoarchaeology in Belgium: Experiences and innovations

2019

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Geoarchaeological research in urban contexts is a relatively recent development in Belgian geoarchaeology, with pioneering studies dating back to the 1990s. In the beginning of the 21st century, a specific research protocol was developed in Brussels, and in the last years, there have been several attempts to apply a similar approach to urban contexts in Flanders and occasionally in Wallonia. Current debates in urban geoarchaeology mainly focus on: The study of site stratigraphy (microstratified layers and Dark Earths) The impact of urbanization on the soil Rivers in towns Reconstruction of the ancient relief and its modifications through time Soil erosion and soil protection Ancient soil pollution The integration of geoarchaeology with other archaeo‐environmental studies (archaeobotany, archaeozoology, etc.) Key themes for the future development of Belgian urban geoarchaeology include the in situ preservation of sites; a further integration with other methods and method development; systematic studies producing topographical insight and mapping; and synthesis work on critical issues.

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Section: The Present: Key Issues and Current Debatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Impact Of Urbanization On Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Urban geoarchaeology in Belgium: Experiences and innovations

2019

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“…Many authors agree that the sedimentary records in the rock shelters and caves of the Mediterranean region constitute important paleoenvironmental and sedimentological archives [19]. Several Mediterranean sites showed almost the same characteristics related to abrupt climate changes, corresponding to periods of exceptional environmental change [17,[19][20][21]. All these works have (tentatively) associated these drastic cooling shifts to the cold stages of the full and late glacial (∼42-18 ka BP) [17,[19][20][21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Microstratigraphic Records as Tools for the Detection of Climatic Changes in Tana di Badalucco Cave (Liguria, NW Italy)

Sessa

Rellini

Traverso³

et al. 2019

Geosciences

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Tana di Badalucco cave is located in Imperia (Liguria, Italy), not far from the French border. This site is scarcely known and it has never been studied accurately, even though different archaeological excavations have returned really important elements, both in the archaeological and the paleoenvironmental aspects. Its stratigraphy ranges from Middle Paleolithic to Metal Ages, thus it has registered important climate and environmental variations specific to the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene. From 2012, the Soprintendenza Archeologia della Liguria, the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and DiSTAV (University of Genova) have been collaborating in order to finally study this promising and complex stratigraphy, trying to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental context of the region. In this work, we present what we were able to assess thanks to the use of micromorphology, the study of undisturbed thin soil sections. This technique has proven useful in recognizing the alternating of cold and warmer conditions during the Quaternary, as well as in identifying primitive signs of human and animal occupation.

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“…During the excavation of the Bibracte ditch, we applied different methods to obtain complex information alongside the relatively common archaeobotany, anthracology and palynology analyses. Besides macroscopical observations, methods such as microstratigraphical description [21][22][23], geochemistry [24,25] and proxies, including diatoms [26,27] and parasitology [28] contribute valuable information. Radiocarbon dating also provided useful evidence, despite the relatively short period over which the ditch was filled in.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the complex story of one ditch—A multidisciplinary study of ditch infill provides insight into the spatial organisation within the oppidum of Bibracte (Burgundy, France)

et al. 2020

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Seemingly empty spaces in various archaeological settings have left many unanswered questions. This paper focuses on the appearance, maintenance and possible function of a large empty area situated at the summit plateau of the Iron Age oppidum Bibracte in France. Multidisciplinary research of the infill of the ditch that delimited this area in the 1 st century BC has provided evidence on the primary function and the formation processes of the structure itself, and for the reconstruction of the appearance, maintenance and function of the area it enclosed. The results allow us to gain insight into a variety of topics, including the role of trees, hygiene measures and waste management strategies at this urbanised hilltop centre. This paper demonstrates that multi-proxy analyses provide detailed insight into the function of archaeological features in a local environmental context and the potential of such approaches in archaeology.

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Applied Soils and Micromorphology in Archaeology

Cited by 80 publications

References 0 publications

Urban geoarchaeology in Belgium: Experiences and innovations

Urban geoarchaeology in Belgium: Experiences and innovations

Microstratigraphic Records as Tools for the Detection of Climatic Changes in Tana di Badalucco Cave (Liguria, NW Italy)

Investigating the complex story of one ditch—A multidisciplinary study of ditch infill provides insight into the spatial organisation within the oppidum of Bibracte (Burgundy, France)

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