Exploring the impact of burial conditions and formation processes in intra-site contexts: a micromorphological comparison of waterlogged and well-drained Bronze Age deposits

Abstract

Burial conditions significantly impact archaeological deposits, possibly affecting our ability to reconstruct past human activities. This geoarchaeological study examines the informative potential of Bronze Age intra-site deposits by comparing two stratigraphic archives from a waterlogged and a well-drained context. The case studies – Oppeano 4D and La Muraiola di Povegliano – belong to the same archaeological culture, chronology, and geographical area. Both sites feature some of the best domestic evidence from the Italian Bronze Age, along with substantial anthropogenic stratifications, which are the focus of this study. Micromorphology, combined with micro-XRF mapping, reveals that in both sites domestic hearths and animal herding were the primary contributors to the formation of archaeological deposits. This study explores: (1) The formation processes of intra-site protohistoric stratigraphic sequences, which were found to be similar at both sites; (2) The role of different hydrological regimes in affecting the preservation of sedimentary evidence; (3) Practical implications for fieldwork when investigating domestic deposits in both well-drained and waterlogged contexts; (4) Suggestions for large-scale chemical mapping of intra-site deposits, using micromorphology to refine interpretations of chemical signatures. Finally, this study demonstrates that, when geoarchaeological analysis is closely integrated with field data, well-drained deposits can yield comparable insights into past human behaviours as waterlogged sites. The pristine preservation of evidence in waterlogged contexts provides a valuable reference for interpreting deposits with a lower degree of preservation, enhancing our understanding of formation processes.