Caring about Sediments

Abstract

Geoarchaeology and, in particular, the way in which it is exploited in the Mediterranean, emphasises the study of human and climate impact on the geomorphic system. This paper assesses some of the problems with this approach, as well as some of the more recent uses of Mediterranean geoarchaeology, where authors tend to underplay the importance of geoarchaeological processes in the past. Case studies from two different environment types in Provence (south of France) are presented. These are used to demonstrate how we might employ geoarchaeological information in discourses that emphasise human appreciation and perception of natural processes and geomorphological features in the past.

Geoarchaeological approaches to the environmental history of Cyprus: explication and critical evaluation

“…For an increasing number of geoarchaeologists the focus has turned to an environmental history that emphasizes the same themes of nature and society addressed in contemporary environmental studies (see Walsh, 2004;also Butzer, 1964, p. vii). Such an approach would be interdisciplinary in spirit (for example, Butzer, 1982;Rapp and Hill, 2006), in distinction to the preoccupation with analytical methods of an 'archaeological geology' (for example, Goldberg and Macphail, 2006).…”

“…That dictates a shifting selection of methodologies, and the resulting questions or answers are now commonly addressed to social scientists, rather than mainstream geoscientists (see Van Andel et al, 1990;Butzer, 2005;Walsh, 2004).…”

Mediterranean Landscape Archaeology: Marginality and the Culture–Nature ‘Divide’

“…During the excavation of the lower part of the mill, a geoarchaeological section was dug, recorded and sampled. The details of the sedimentary units have been published elsewhere (Leveau et al, 2000;Walsh, 2004). The most important result of this work was the discovery that the earliest units in this geomorphological section (Figure 3) were in fact Roman, followed by medieval and post-medieval units.…”

Mid‐ to late Holocene environmental changes and human‐environment interactions in the surroundings of La Silla del Papa, SW Spain

“…In general, romanization involves the introduction of new cultural, political, and economic values and processes that include long‐distance market relationships, complex economic systems and exploitation of local resources, that is, agriculture, pasture, mining, water, and forestry (Currás et al, 2012; Hermon, 2008). Therefore, this period is regarded a crucial phase in Holocene landscape changes as activities like deforestation, cropping and intensive agricultural land use, resulted in accelerated soil erosion and, hence, is considered to have had profound environmental impacts (Currás et al, 2012; Walsh, 2004).…”