Using geoarchaeological deposit modelling as a framework for archaeological evaluation and mitigation in alluvial environments

Abstract

The pace of anthropogenic development on floodplains and adjacent valley floors is still increasing and in many countries this is accompanied by a requirement for heritage mitigation and management.The result is an increased demand for effective and efficient archaeological evaluation and mitigation strategies, which can only be achieved in alluvial environments through the application of geoarchaeological methods. This paper uses lidar data combined with deep geophysical survey (electrical resistivity), gouge coring and limited borehole data to derive a three dimensional geoarchaeological deposit model, which provided a vehicle for archaeological evaluation and mitigation. Significantly, the results of this deposit model are compared to the results from the subsequent archaeological evaluation trenching, a methodological next step that has not received sufficient attention within the (geo)archaeological literature. The deposit model is refined using radiocarbon dating and artefactual evidence derived from the archaeological evaluation trenching.The results demonstrate how geoarchaeological deposit modelling can be integrated with archaeological evaluation trenching and provides discussion of the importance and difficulties of integrating geoarchaeological sediment units (archives) with archaeological contextual excavation data, with conventional stratigraphic matrices.

Shaping pre-modern digital terrain models: The former topography at Charlemagne’s canal construction site

“…The modelling of the palaeo-surface is an important tool for archaeological evaluation and geoarchaeological site interpretation [ 47 ]. A palaeo-surface can be reconstructed by deductive, inductive, or combined approaches.…”

Deposit modeling for archaeological projects: Methods, practice, and future developments

“…As previously discussed, although deposit models are being increasingly utilized within archaeological investigations, the success of such approaches is rarely reviewed in the context of subsequently excavated sites. The publication of a deposit model tested against evaluation trenching at a quarry site on the valley floor of the River Lugg Herefordshire (C. Carey et al, ) provides one of the few examples before the Historic England funded project; now, additional case studies are provided by individual chapters within the accompanying technical monograph (C. Carey et al, ). However, the papers described above should be seen as the starting point for a developing critique of deposit models, which includes a greater assessment of both successes but also failures, so that confidence can be placed in their use and methodologies further refined.…”

“…In archaeological projects, the application of deposit modeling has been utilized within terrestrial (e.g., Champness, ), intertidal (e.g., Krawiec, ), and marine environments (e.g., Bicket & Tizzard, ). Within a UK context, the application of deposit modeling is increasing, especially associated with developer‐funded archaeological projects (see Burton, Corcoran, Halsey, Spurr, & Burton, ; C. Carey et al, , C. Carey, Howard, Jackson, & Brown, ; and articles therein). Likewise, there are multiple examples of deposit models published internationally often to provide the wider landscape context of significant archaeological sites (e.g., Ames & Cordova, ; Ayala et al, ; Pastre, et al, ), or to advance aspects of heritage management (Amato, Ciarcia, Rossi, & Santoriello, ; Mozzi et al, ), although they can be referred to as landscape evolution models or geological models, rather than deposit models per se.…”

“…In archaeological projects, the application of deposit modeling has been utilized within terrestrial (e.g., Champness, 2018), intertidal (e.g., Krawiec, 2018), and marine environments (e.g., Bicket & Tizzard, 2015). Within a UK context, the application of deposit modeling is increasing, especially associated with developer-funded archaeological projects (see Burton, Corcoran, Halsey, Spurr, & Burton, 2011;, C. Carey, Howard, Jackson, & Brown, 2017and articles therein).…”

Geoarchaeological Core Prospection as a Tool to Validate Archaeological Interpretation Based on Geophysical Data at the Roman Settlement of Auritz/Burguete and Aurizberri/Espinal (Navarre)

“…After the 1970s, it has also been extensively used in archaeological research [11]. A typical application is related to the reconstruction of the past landscape and its relationship to archaeological record (e.g., [13,14]). In some projects, sediment coring is used as a cost-effective archaeological evaluation tool to delineate archaeological sites, analyse sediment or soil sequences and built geoarchaeological site formation models, which can be used to support subsequent excavation work or further research (e.g., [11,15,16]).…”