Geoarchaeology

Las terrazas del curso medio del río Montsant (Priorato, Tarragona) y su relación con los asentamietos prehistoricos

by Pilar Garcia-Argüelles Andreu

co-authored with: D. Serrat and Mª.M. Bergadà
Published in:El Cuaternario en España y Portugal. Vol. 1. Madrid 1993

Das Problem der „Schwarzerden“ im Rheinland im archäologischen Kontext – Ein Resümee

by Eileen Eckmeier

Gerlach, R. & Eckmeier, E. (2012): Das Problem der „Schwarzerden“ im Rheinland im archäologischen Kontext – Ein Resümee. In: Stobbe, A., Tegtmeier, U. (eds.): Verzweigungen. Eine Würdigung für A.J. Kalis und J. Meurers-Balke. Frankfurter Archäologische Schriften 18: 105-124.

Caracterización geoarqueológica de los depósitos cuaternarios del arroyo de La Gavia (Cuenca del río Manzanares - Madrid -)

by Mario Lopez Recio

López Recio, M.; Manzano, I.; Romero, H.; Escalante, S.; Pérez-González, A.; Conde, C.; Velázquez, R.; Baena, J.; Carrión, E., published in M. Santonja, A. Pérez-González, M.J. Machado (eds.), Geoarqueología y Patrimonio en la Península Ibérica y el entorno mediterráneo, 2005. ADEMA, Soria, 261-272.

Abstract

The archaeological works realized before the construction of the Residual Waters od La Gavia... more Abstract

The archaeological works realized before the construction of the Residual Waters od La Gavia (Madrid) filter Station system, with the geomorphological study and the numerical datings realized by luminescence (O.S.L.), have documented the existence of two important moments of alluvial deposits formations previous to the Holocene. One of them corresponds to the terrace +10m dated about 85000 years BP, in which some elements of mousterian lithic industry whith acheulean testimonies (deposit Gavia III) have been found. Another fluvial deposit fitted into the previous one has been dated as 1800 BP. From this deposit more than 5000 lithic objects have been recovered. The most recent deposits are represented by fluvial sands facies, with a chronology of 6000 years BP and by deposits that represent the current terms of alluvial plain.

Keywords: Geomorphology, Pleistocene, Luminescence (OSL), Palaeolithic, Madrid

Abusir Drill Core survey 2001

by Serena Love

The Geoarchaeology of Mudbricks from Catalhoyuk

by Serena Love

This article provides a methodology for extracting social information through an analysis of mudbrick compositions,... more This article provides a methodology for extracting social information through an analysis of mudbrick compositions, using a case study from Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Particle size analysis, loss on ignition and magnetic susceptibility were used to examine variability in mudbrick recipe. The analysis revealed that neither magnetic susceptibility nor CaCO3 were significantly altered through tempering. The results suggest that the greatest degree of compositional variability was a result of the manufacture process and not raw materials used in production. Mudbricks are products of deliberate human actions, similar to any other artifact assemblage, but have been long overlooked. Examining the technology involved with mudbrick manufacture highlights aspects of Neolithic social life through shared resources, production choices, and organization of labor. The analysis of mudbrick compositions considers how raw materials were used within and between groups of houses, represented in 1,000 years of uninterrupted occupation at Çatalhöyük.

Petrography and Chemical Analyses of Prehistoric Amphibolite Artefacts from Portugal and Possible Source Rocks from Western Iberia (1997)

by Katina Lillios

Co-authored with Caroline Read and Rodney Grapes, published in Analytical Facility Publications, No. 19. Victoria University of Wellington. Wellington, New Zealand

La Carta dei Beni Culturali, Archeologia e geoarcheologia

by Marina Marcelli

with R. Matteucci and R. Sebastiani,  in Capitolium, II, marzo 2004, pp. 29-31

Ibouhouten_etal_2009_Geoarchaeology_Moulouya

by Jörg Linstädter

L’étude géoarchéologique des dépôts fluviatiles de la Basse Moulouya en vue de la reconstitution... more L’étude géoarchéologique des dépôts fluviatiles de la Basse Moulouya en vue de la reconstitution despaléoenvironnements de l'Homme préhistorique durant l’Holocène est effectuée sur un profil de 15 mètres dehauteur de la rive gauche de la rivière Moulouya de la région de Sidi Er’hama. Le lit majeur, dans cette région,est encaissé dans une seule terrasse fluviale holocène, et rarement dans une deuxième terrasse historique.Le faciès de la plaine d’inondation est à dominance limono-argileuse à litage subhorizontal, rythmés parl’alternance régulière de lamines centimétriques de différentes couleurs. Les dépôts sont constitués d’une série deplusieurs séquences de crue, épaisses de 2 à 25 cm.L’intercalation des paléosols dans les alluvions traduit des périodes d’arrêt assez prolongées de sédimentation. Laprésence aussi de plusieurs bandes noires riches en charbon de bois traduisent des incendies locales ou sur lebassin versant.Certains niveaux, riches en structures de combustion renfermant du matériel archéologique (céramique, silex,etc.) et parfois faunique témoignent de l’occupation par l’Homme des sols de la région étudiée.
Mots clés
: Géoarchéologie, Basse Moulouya, Holocène, Paléoenvironnement, Terrasse fluviale, plaine d’inondation.

Linstädter&Kröpelin_2004_Wadi Bakht

by Jörg Linstädter

Geoarchaeological and chronological evidence from the remote Gilf Kebir Plateau in southwestEgypt suggests a new model... more Geoarchaeological and chronological evidence from the remote Gilf Kebir Plateau in southwestEgypt suggests a new model for the influence of early and mid-Holocene precipitation regimeson land-use strategies of prehistoric settlers in what is now the center of the largest hyperaridarea on earth. We hypothesize that the quantitatively higher, daytime, monsoon summer rain-fall characteristic of the early Holocene (9300–5400) 14C yr B.P./8400–4300 yr B.C.) resulted inless grass growth on the plateau compared to the winter rains that presumably fell in the coolnights during the terminal phase of the Holocene pluvial (5400–4500 yr B.P./4300–3300 yr B.C.).The unparalleled climatic transition at 5400 yr B.P. (4300 yr B.C.) caused a fundamental envi-ronmental change that resulted in different patterns of human behavior, economy, and land usein the canyon-like valleys and on the plains surrounding the plateau. The model emphasizesthe crucial impact of seasonal rainfall distribution on cultural landscapes in arid regions andthe lower significance of annual precipitation rates, with implications for future numeric cli-mate models. It also serves as an example of how past climate changes have affected humansocieties.

Zielhofer_etal_2007_Ouaternary International

by Jörg Linstädter

Cohesive floodplains from the semiarid Southwestern Mediterranean (Morocco, Tunisia) exhibit excellent preservation... more Cohesive floodplains from the semiarid Southwestern Mediterranean (Morocco, Tunisia) exhibit excellent preservation toward lateralerosion and present a continuous record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene flood dynamics. Holocene mean sedimentation rates and14C cumulative probability plots from cohesive Tunisian floodplain sequences reveal a coupling with North Atlantic Bond events. Short-termperiods of fluvial activity match well with North Atlantic coolings. The findings indicate a strong climatic link from 4.8ka until today.Unlike fluvial archives from the humid mid-latitudes, semiarid Southwest Mediterranean alluvial archives exhibit phases of increasedfluvial dynamics under generally drier conditions.The 14C cumulative probability plot of archeological sites in Mediterranean North Africa indicates correlations with alluvial records.Therefore, prehistoric societies seemed to be very sensitive to past shifts in landscape dynamics.

Zielhofer&Linstädter_2006_ZFG_short term changes

by Jörg Linstädter

Los ambientes de la Prehistoria. Génesis de modelos dinámicos del medio ambiente del Pleistoceno

by Fernando Colino

JIA 2008

El interés por el medio ambiente en el que vivió la humanidad ha constituido uno de los temas fundamentales de la... more El interés por el medio ambiente en el que vivió la humanidad ha constituido uno de los temas fundamentales de la investigación prehistórica, fundamentalmente la centrada en el mundo del Pleistoceno. La Paleoecología, ciencia encargada de las relaciones entre los seres vivos y el medio, había jugado tradicionalmente un papel secundario. Los cambios a los que esta parte de la investigación prehistórica se vio abocada a partir de la década de los ’80 parecen haber situado a la Paleoecología en una situación privilegiada. Por otro lado, el tradicional desarrollo de la investigación en esta disciplina ha limitado en buena medida su aportación, hecho que parece estar cambiando en los últimos años. Para concluir, se realizan algunas reflexiones sobre ese cambio además de algunas aportaciones.

(The interest by the environment on which the humanity lived has constituted one of the fundamental subjects of the prehistoric investigation, essentially the centered one in the world of the Pleistocene. The Paleoecology, science in charge of the relations of the alive beings and the environment, had played a secondary role traditionally. The changes which this part of the prehistoric investigation was led as of the decade of the '80 seem to have located to the Paleoecology in a privileged situation. On the other hand, the traditional development of the investigation in this discipline has limited largely its contribution, fact that seems to be changing in the last years. In order to conclude, some reflections are realised on that change besides some contributions.)

Il Sistema Informativo Territoriale per la gestione del patrimonio storico-archeologico del quartiere Ostiense-Marconi. Uno strumento di ricerca e programmazione urbana

by Marina Marcelli

Co-authored with Renato Matteucci, Renato Sebastiani, published in R. Volpe (a cura di), Suburbium II. Il suburbio di Roma dalla fine dell’età monarchica alla nascita del sistema delle ville (V-II secolo a.C.), Collection de l'École française de Rome 419, Rome 2009, pp. 105-122

Díaz, J. J., Sáez Romero, A. M., y Sáez, A., (2012): “Evidencias de un taller alfarero inédito en el territorium insular de Gades. El alfar de Playa de Camposoto”. Boletín Ex Officina Hispana 3 (octubre 2011). Madrid, pp. 26-29.

by Antonio Saez Romero

Recent Holocene paleo-environmental evolution and coastline changes of Kition, Larnaca, Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea

by Christophe Morhange

Marine Geology, 2000

Sedimentological, paleontological analysis and 14C dating of 17 cores obtained in the vicinity of the Phoenician... more Sedimentological, paleontological analysis and 14C dating of 17 cores obtained in the vicinity of the Phoenician military
harbor (VIII±IV BC) of Kition Bamboula (Cyprus) provide new paleo-environmental information for the reconstruction of
shoreline changes for Kition and Larnaca Bay over the last 4000 years. We propose that a communication existed between the
inner harbor of Bamboula (presently 400 m inland) and the northern district of Lichines, which was a marine embayment. Our core data led us to revisit the previous hypothesis of a direct east±west channel between the harbor and the open sea (Nicolaou, 1976 ; Gifford, 1978). We propose instead that a spit of coarse material isolated the lagoon from the open sea from 2600 to1600 years BP.

Erosion and accumulation processes in the late holocene of Bohemia, in relation to prehistoric and mediaeval landscape occupation

by Jaromír Beneš

(1995) M.Kuna - N.Venclová (eds.): Wither archaeology ? Papers in honour Evžen Neustupný, Praha., 133-144

Paper from 1995 outlines several examples of the past soil accumulation and erosion evidence in western part of Czech... more Paper from 1995 outlines several examples of the past soil accumulation and erosion evidence in western part of Czech Republic. Chronology of processes shows several erosional "waves" throughout the Late Holocene, related to different periods of landscape occupation.

Charred organic matter and phosphorus in black soils in the Lower Rhine Basin (Northwest Germany) indicate prehistoric agricultural burning

by Eileen Eckmeier

Eckmeier, E., Gerlach, R., Tegtmeier, U. & Schmidt, M.W.I. (2008): Charred organic matter and phosphorus in black soils in the Lower Rhine Basin (Northwest Germany) indicate prehistoric agricultural burning. In: Fiorentino, G. & Magri, D. (Editors): Charcoals from the Past: Cultural and Palaeoenvironmental Implications. British Archaeological Reports International Series 1807: 93-103.

Buried dark soil horizons and archaeological features in the Neolithic settlement region of the Lower Rhine Area, NW Germany: Formation, geochemistry and chronostratigraphy

by Eileen Eckmeier

Gerlach, R., Fischer, P., Eckmeier, E. & Hilgers, A. (in press): Buried dark soil horizons and archaeological features in the Neolithic settlement region of the Lower Rhine Area, NW Germany: Formation, geochemistry and chronostratigraphy. Quaternary International: doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.10.007.

Dynamique d'occupation anthropique et dynamique alluviale du Rhin au cours de l'Holocène: géoarchéologie du site d'Oedenburg (Haut-Rhin, France)

by Vincent Ollive

Human settlement dynamics and alluvial dynamics of the Rhine River during the Holocene: Geoarchaeology of the site of Oedenburg (Haut-Rhin, France).

Author: V. Ollive
PhD Thesis in Earth Sciences, University of Dijon (2007). 305p.
Thèse de Doctorat de Sciences de la Terre, Université de Dijon. 305p.

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A segment of the Upper Rhine River presenting both anastomosed and braided was investigated. This area gives us the... more A segment of the Upper Rhine River presenting both anastomosed and braided was investigated. This area gives us the opportunity to study settlement dynamics during two key periods of the Holocene. The Roman Period characterised by a first major anthropogenic impact on the environment and poorly documented climatic changes. The Little Ice Age, when human settlement and climate may be well documented with high reliability.
A wide methodological approach has been completed to combine results from geomorphology, stratigraphy, geophysics, G.I.S., palynology, dendrochronology and archaeology. This dataset shows:
1/ documentary flood frequency variations of the Rhine River during the last 800 years. These chronological variations show some dissimilarity with other French rivers reconstructed documentary flood series. That attests a primary control of catchment’s characteristics and regime type on long term hydrological dynamics.
2/ changes in the Rhine River and floodplain dynamics during Little Ice Age before major anthropogenic river management of 19th century. Planform changes, riverine forest, land use evolution, and anthropological settlement processes are described and quantified. These results allow the identification of major stratigraphic agent factors role responsible of these changes.
3/ the alluvial landscape character where the Oedenburg site settled, together with the evolution of the riverine forest influenced by the Rhine River hydrodynamics.
4/ settlement dynamics during Antiquity. Four major settlement phases have been evidenced by spatial distribution analysis of roman coins found by pedestrian prospecting during the last twenty years. Settlement dynamics may have been influenced by either historical or environmental impacts.
5/ variations in alluvial dynamics of the Rhine River during Antiquity such as high water table or flooding events.

Eine Datenbank für geoarchäologische Bohrungen, Beispiel: Prospektion in Meerbusch-Strümp

by Irmela Herzog

Co-authored with: Renate Gerlach. Archäologie im Rheinland 1993, 1994, 187-189.