Tracing Archaeology through Geochemistry: an Example of a Disturbed Prehistoric Hilltop Settlement Site in South-Eastern Lithuania

Abstract

The geoarchaeological research summarized in this paper followed the excavation of a heavily-disturbed Bėčionys hilltop settlement site in south-eastern Lithuania. The archaeological excavation revealed a distribution of subsurface features holding few or no artefacts. According to what was left of them – stains forms, profiles, fillings and artefacts (or absence of them) – all these were registered as sunken features, without any attempt of further interpretation of possible function (midden, posthole, hearth, etc.). The features with artefacts were doubtless worthy of documentation, at least regarding the archaeological value of their infill, whereas objects holding no artefacts lacked any such reason. The overall task, therefore, was to determine any culture-related criteria for these features. Recent studies indicate that an analysis of geochemical and geophysical properties of sediments can contribute towards the detection of human occupation beyond the archaeological remains. This is because anthropogenic activity, including food preparation, fireplaces, middenning or craft-working, alters the natural sediments in recognizable ways, forming new soil characteristics that can be traced and measured through multi-analytical methodologies. To date, elevated levels of Ca, P, Cu, Fe, Mg, K, Na, Zn, etc., have been commonly found in archaeological soils and associated with specific inputs (Dirix et al. 2013; Entwistle et al. 2000; Hjulstrom, Isaksson 2009; Linderholm 2007; Linderholm, Lundberg 1994; Marwick 2005; Middleton, Price 1996; Middleton 2004; Parnell et al. 2002; Wells 2004; Wilson et al. 2008). However, the establishment of relationships between soil properties and past human activities is by no means straightforward. Ancient soil signatures are siteVolume VIII ● Issue 1/2017 ● Pages 17–33