Geoarchaeological perspectives on paleolandscapes and regional subsurface archaeology

Stafford, C. Russell

doi:10.1007/bf02228435

Cited by 55 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In recent years, biases introduced by geomorphic processes into archaeological survey results have been increasingly recognized (e.g., Mandel, 1995;Stafford, 1995;Tankersly et al, 1996;Waters and Kuehn, 1996;Wilkinson, 2000;Bettis and Mandel, 2002;Stafford and Creasman, 2002). Upland landforms in the Southeast and elsewhere are often considered to be geomorphologically "stable" except for Historicperiod erosion.…”

Section: Conclusion and Regional Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Biomantle formation and artifact translocation in upland sandy soils: An example from the Holly Springs National Forest, north‐central Mississippi, U.S.A.

Peacock

Fant

2002

Geoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Test excavations at prehistoric site 22MR539 in the North Central Hills uplands of Mississippi have provided evidence of the effects of bioturbation on artifacts within the soil. Artifact distribution and size data are compared to soil particle size and organic content to determine the soil developmental pathway. Progressive soil formation factors have formed a biomantle over a currently forming artifact stone line, while regressive factors have moved artifacts to a depth of more than 50 cm below surface over approximately 2000 years. The single-component, short-term nature of 22MR539 and many similar sites recorded in the area provide an ideal situation to further explore biological and mechanical factors in site formation in an upland setting. ᭧

show abstract

Section: Conclusion and Regional Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, a survey using subsurface testing would have to be modified in an area where artifact depth was suspected to be greater than in surrounding areas (cf. Stafford, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomantle formation and artifact translocation in upland sandy soils: An example from the Holly Springs National Forest, north‐central Mississippi, U.S.A.

Peacock

Fant

2002

Geoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Climate and vegetation changes produce hydrologic changes that act upon soils and geologic materials in a context of evolving landforms. A partial record of these changes is preserved in regional alluvial and soil stratigraphic records, which are important for deciphering the behavior of the landscape system and for interpreting the archaeological record (Ferring, 1992;Stafford, 1995;. Alluvial stratigraphies are well developed for this region, and available in- VOL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of temporal and spatial patterns of Holocene erosion and alluviation on the archaeological record of the Central and Eastern Great Plains, U.S.A.

Bettis

Mandel

2002

Geoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Patterns of erosion and deposition act as a filter that strongly influences the disposition of the archaeological record of the Central and Eastern Plains of the North American Midcontinent. Detailed studies of alluvial valley stratigraphy in four drainage basins in the region reveal temporal and spatial patterns of fluvial system behavior that control the preservation and visibility of past human activity. These basins are located on a 600‐km‐long longitudinal gradient extending from semiarid southwestern Kansas to moist‐subhumid central Iowa. Despite significant environmental variability along this transect, basin‐wide patterns of Holocene erosion and deposition are similar across the study area. From ca. 11,000 to 8000 yr B.P., aggradation, punctuated by slow alluviation and/or stability around 10,000 yr B.P., was the dominant process in large and some small valleys. The early and middle Holocene (ca. 8000–5000 yr B.P.) was a period of net erosion and sediment movement in small valleys, sediment storage in large valleys, and episodic aggradation on alluvial fans. During the late Holocene (post‐5000 yr B.P.), alluvial fans stabilized, small valleys became zones of net sediment storage, and aggradation slowed in large valleys. Basin‐wide aggradation followed by entrenchment and channel migration characterizes fluvial activity during the Historic period. Consideration of the effects of these temporal and spatial patterns of Holocene erosion and alluviation on the archaeological record is crucial for developing efficient cultural resource sampling strategies and for accurately interpreting the archaeological record. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

show abstract

“…In such contexts, artifact accumulations (including their density, diversity, location, and morphology) are likely to be the result of a complex mix of a variable suite of cultural and natural processes that differentially affect the landscape (Dunnell, 1992;Stafford and Hajic, 1992;Stafford, 1995;Waters, 2000;Zvelebil et al, 1992). Integrating information about the effects of these processes on artifact assemblages is similar to incorporating taphonomic information (such as evidence for accumulating agents, differential element loss, and morphological alteration) into interpretations of faunal assemblages.…”

Section: Formation Processes At Regional Scales Artifact Taphonomy Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, we think it useful to employ the concept of artifact taphonomy in inferring past human activities from modern artifact distributions at landscape scales, especially when dealing with behavioral residues from residentially mobile foragers and simple agriculturalists. Employing the perspective of artifact taphonomy, we seek not simply to identify gaps or distortions in the archaeological record but to match inferences to the appropriate resolution for the available data and use an understanding of formation processes to gain additional information about past human behavior (see Padddayya and Petraglia [1993], Stafford [1995], and Zvelebil et al [1992] for examples of similar endeavors). We discuss below our attempts to apply a taphonomic approach to artifact accumulations in the Polop Alto valley in order to better understand changes in human landuse.…”

Section: Formation Processes At Regional Scales Artifact Taphonomy Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic landscapes, artifact taphonomy, and landuse modeling in the western Mediterranean

et al. 2002

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Polop Alto valley, in eastern Spain, is characteristic of many Mediterranean landscapes. It has been sporadically reoccupied over the course of at least 80 kyr. Its landforms have undergone various geomorphic processes resulting from late Quaternary environmental fluctuations. During the Holocene, the valley has been modified by millennia of extensive land clearance, cultivation, and terracing. As a result, the evidence for human activity and landuse is a cumulative, but discontiguous palimpsest of the most durable behavioral residuesprimarily stone and ceramic artifacts-whose distributions have been affected by diverse natural and cultural formation processes. Human occupation of the Polop Alto spans the evolution of morphologically modern humans and the replacement of foraging economies by farming, arguably the two most significant biobehavioral transitions for human life today. To better understand the changes in human landuse that accompanied these important transitions, we have employed an integrated suite of techniques aimed at unmixing the diverse formation processes that have affected Polop Alto landscapes and material culture. These include patch-based survey methods, photogrammetry, GIS-based spatial analysis, and using artifact morphology and distribution to assess artifact taphonomy. This has permitted us to develop a diachronic settlement model for the 80 kyr of human occupation in the Polop Alto.

show abstract

Geoarchaeological perspectives on paleolandscapes and regional subsurface archaeology

Cited by 55 publications

References 71 publications

Biomantle formation and artifact translocation in upland sandy soils: An example from the Holly Springs National Forest, north‐central Mississippi, U.S.A.

Biomantle formation and artifact translocation in upland sandy soils: An example from the Holly Springs National Forest, north‐central Mississippi, U.S.A.

The effects of temporal and spatial patterns of Holocene erosion and alluviation on the archaeological record of the Central and Eastern Great Plains, U.S.A.

Dynamic landscapes, artifact taphonomy, and landuse modeling in the western Mediterranean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About