Soils and Micromorphology in Archaeology

Courty, Marie‐Agnès; Goldberg, Paul; Macphail, Richard I.

doi:10.1097/00010694-199012000-00014

Cited by 349 publications

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“…These two features were the primary focus of more detailed analysis using micromorphology , 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 12 the study of undisturbed sediment and soil samples under the microscope (Courty et al 1989). In this way each macroscopically defined facies were further refined under the microscope and analyzed to one or more microfacies (MF) ( Table 1).…”

Section: Micromorphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High resolution images of the entire thin sections were also produced and examined for mesoscopic features. Descriptive terminology of thin sections follows that of Bullock et al (1985;modified by Stoops, 2003) and Courty et al (1989) but standard sedimentary terminology is also used for non-pedogenic features.…”

Section: Micromorphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the excavated profiles a single macroscopically identified StratUnit consists of one microfacies, or a group of microfacies, at a spatial scale that produces a macroscopically homogenous deposit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 SubAggs that overall show a distinct lateral and vertical distribution of microfacies producing a deposit with a higher order of homogeneity. However, the concept of a stratum in addition to its content includes also the attributes of its geometry and particular the nature of its contacts (Courty et al, 1989;Goldberg and Berna, 2010).…”

Section: Stratigraphymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa

Karkanas

Brown

Fisher

et al. 2015

Journal of Human Evolution

146

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, C. W. (2015). Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution, 85 1-21.Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa AbstractUsing fine and coarse resolution geoarchaeological studies at the Middle Stone Age site of PP5-6 at Pinnacle Point, Mossel Bay, South Africa, we discovered different patterns of anthropogenic input and changes in behavior through time. Through the microfacies approach, we documented the various geogenic and anthropogenic processes that formed the deposits of the site. By deciphering large scale rate differences in the production of these microfacies we estimated anthropogenic input rates and therefore gained understanding of occupational duration and intensity.The PP5-6 sediments document occupations characterized by small groups and short visits during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. This part of the sequence is characterized by numerous single (and mostly intact) hearth structures in a roofspall-rich matrix. During this time the sea was very close to the site and the people were focused on exploiting the rocky shores. With the advent of the glacial conditions of MIS4, the occupation of the site became much more intense. The occurrence of thick palimpsests of burnt remains, sometimes disturbed by small-scale sedimentary gravity processes, supports this conclusion. As sea level dropped and the coastline retreated, the geogenic input shifted to predominately aeolian sediments, implying an exposed shelf probably associated with a rich but more distant coastal environment. The occupants of PP5-6 turned their preference to silcrete as a raw material and they began to make microlithic stone tools. Since sites dating to MIS4 are abundant in the Cape, we suggest that populations during MIS4 responded to glacial conditions with either demographic stability or growth as well as technological change. Abstract: Using simultaneously fine and coarse resolution geoarchaeological studies of the deposits of the Middle Stone Age site of PP5-6 at Pinnacle Point, Mossel Bay, South Africa, we were able to reveal different patterns of anthropogenic input and behavior and how these changed through time. Through the microfacies approach using micromorphology we documented the various geogenic and anthropogenic processes that formed the deposits of the site. By deciphering large scale rate differences in the production of these microfacies we estimated anthropogenic input rates and therefore gained understanding of occupational duration and intensity.The PP5-6 sediments document occupations characterized by small groups and short visits during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. This part of the sequence is characterized by numerous single and mostly intact hearth structures in a roofspall-rich matrix. During this time the sea was very close to the site and the peop...

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Section: Micromorphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Micromorphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stratigraphymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa

Karkanas

Brown

Fisher

et al. 2015

Journal of Human Evolution

146

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Thin sections were described using petrological microscopes (ϫ10-ϫ400 magnification with a range of light sources) following internationally accepted terminology (Bullock et al, 1985;Stoops, 2003), with descriptions recorded in semiquantitative tables. Interpretation of the observed features rests upon the evidence of a number of workers, notably Courty et al (1989) and FitzPatrick (1993), together with peat-ash reference materials collected in Caithness and Orkney.…”

Section: Laboratory Analysesmentioning

confidence: 89%

Interpreting the Viking Age to Medieval period transition in Norse Orkney through cultural soil and sediment analyses

2005

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The transition from the Viking Age (ca. A.D. 800-1050) to the Medieval period (ca. A.D. 1050-1500) saw the development of widening trade activities that incorporated peripheral North Atlantic polities into mainstream Europe and contributed to the intensification of marineresource exploitation and agricultural production in these localities. As yet, there is only limited understanding of these intensification processes and their interrelationships, particularly at a local, site-based level. Through the micromorphological analysis of cultural soils and sediments at Quoygrew, Westray, Orkney, we explore the characteristics of farming and fishing activity during the Viking Age-Medieval transition period and establish their chronological relationships. The study demonstrates: (1) that intensification took place from ca. A.D. 966-1162 on an already existing Viking Age settlement, (2) that intensification of fishing activity occurred prior to the intensification of arable agriculture, and (3) that the Quoygrew site continued throughout this period as an economically diverse permanent settlement. When viewed in a wider North Atlantic context, these findings indicate that intensification of different economic activities proceeded at different rates and that intensification of specialized economic activities during the transition from the Viking Age to the Medieval period was dependent on existing knowledge of local environments.

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“…Since the adoption of micromorphological techniques in the study of rockshelter sediment records (see Courty et al, 1989;Goldberg, 1992), greater emphasis has been placed on the paleoenvironmental significance of the fine sediment fraction. Many of the early approaches mentioned above relied heavily on the significance of the coarse sediment particles, and Laville's (1976) definition of "frost slabs" is a good example.…”

Section: Micromorphology and The Source Of The Fine Sediment Fractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sedimentary records in Mediterranean rockshelters and caves: Archives of environmental change

Woodward¹,

Goldberg²

2001

Geoarchaeology

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Soils and Micromorphology in Archaeology

Cited by 349 publications

References 0 publications

Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa

Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa

Interpreting the Viking Age to Medieval period transition in Norse Orkney through cultural soil and sediment analyses

The sedimentary records in Mediterranean rockshelters and caves: Archives of environmental change

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