Geoarchaeology-An International Journal最新文献

{"title":"Holocene History of the Lower Seine Estuary and the Commerce Valley Tributary (Normandy, France): A Palaeoenvironmental Framework for the Roman Landscape of Juliobona (Lillebonne) and Implication for Port Conditions","authors":"Léa Mairaville,&nbsp;Stoil Chapkanski,&nbsp;Dominique Todisco,&nbsp;Cécile Finco,&nbsp;Christine Paillès,&nbsp;Jonas Parétias,&nbsp;Thierry Lepert,&nbsp;Amine Haddad,&nbsp;Johanne Ducastel,&nbsp;Fabrice Boufflers,&nbsp;Jérémy Leleu,&nbsp;Laurent Dezileau,&nbsp;Damase Mouralis","doi":"10.1002/gea.70048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70048","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The sediment infill deposits of the Lower Commerce Valley in the Seine estuary, located near the Roman city of <i>Juliobona</i> (now Lillebonne, Normandy), provide valuable data on environmental changes during the Holocene, including sea-level changes, sediment supply and anthropogenic influences. A 10-m deep sediment core was collected from the valley deposits, and a multidisciplinary geoarchaeological approach was applied, combining geophysical surveys, dating, sedimentological and diatom analyses. The results reveal a succession of marine to fluvial sediment sequences. At the base, a marine to estuarine environment was identified and then subjected to increasing fluvial contributions. A tipping point is recorded between the fourth and second centuries <span>bce</span> (ca. 2400–2100 cal. BP) with the establishment of a brackish environment, indicating the progressive disconnection of the valley from marine influences. From the second century <span>bce</span>, the Lower Commerce Valley appears to have been fluvial-dominated, with no marine influence. This implies that the environment to the south of the Roman city was under freshwater influences. These new geoarchaeological data show no evidence of clogging of the estuarine valley during the Roman period, challenging previous hypotheses linking the decline of the city to the silting up of the valley.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70048","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Submerged Pre-Columbian Site of Fond Banane (Martinique, French West Indies): Insights Into Late Holocene Coastal Dynamics and Human–Environment Interactions on the Edge of the Mangroves","authors":"M. Blanot,&nbsp;F. Leroy,&nbsp;B. Bérard,&nbsp;F. Dolique,&nbsp;C. Morhange,&nbsp;D. Delanghe,&nbsp;S. Lebarillier,&nbsp;P. Wong Wah Chung","doi":"10.1002/gea.70047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70047","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Late Holocene coastal dynamics in the Lesser Antilles remain poorly documented at the site scale, obscuring links between shoreline change and pre-Columbian settlements. We integrate hyperbaric coring, RTK-DGNSS mapping, granulometry, FTIR, portable-XRF, biosedimentological analysis, and AMS ¹⁴C dates to reconstruct the palaeoshoreline history of the submerged pre-Columbian site of Fond Banane, Martinique. Sedimentary archives record a stable vegetated barrier (Unit IV, 1191 <span>BC</span>–<span>AD</span> 991) bearing artifacts dated <span>AD</span> 654–775 (Middle Ceramic period), overlain by mangrove peat (Unit III, <span>AD</span> 991–1154), reworked continental/marine facies (Unit II), and the modern infratidal pocket beach (Unit I). The cultural layer now lies 3.14 m below present sea level, 2.7–3.1 m deeper than regional relative-sea-level models, implying ≈ 2.3–3.3 mm year⁻¹ tectono-volcanic subsidence over the last millennium. Elemental and sedimentological analysis document episodic contemporaneous high-energy events that accelerated erosion and artifact dispersal. The resulting micro-regional late-Holocene RSL curve quantifies geodynamic forcing that could have submerged other Caribbean coastal settlements and underscores the growing vulnerability of underwater heritage to combined subsidence and relative sea-level rise in the context of globally accelerating ocean levels. Our multi-proxy workflow provides a transferable template for reassessing insular occupation models across the tropics in the context of marine transgression.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147567417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shell-Dense Island Off Culasawani, Vanua Levu Island, Fiji: Midden or Muddle?","authors":"Patrick D. Nunn,&nbsp;Frank R. Thomas,&nbsp;Mereia Fong-Lomavatu,&nbsp;Michelle McKeown,&nbsp;Mereoni Camailakeba,&nbsp;Elia Nakoro,&nbsp;Meli Nanuku,&nbsp;Niko Tokainavatu,&nbsp;Aaron Lomavatu,&nbsp;Roselyn Kumar","doi":"10.1002/gea.70052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Investigations of a 3000 m² shell-dense island surrounded by mangroves off the coast of Culasawani, a very lightly inhabited part of northern Vanua Levu Island in Fiji, suggest it is likely to be a ‘midden island’ rather than a (tsunami) wave deposit. Building an island that reaches 60 cm above mean high tide, the shell-dense deposit (70%–90% shell) averages 20–40 cm thick and appears unstratified, characteristics that initially suggested that it was a wave deposit. Subsequent investigations included four 1 × 1 m test pits and showed all shellfish remains in the island sediments to be from edible species and associated with pottery fragments. Ten radiocarbon ages cluster around a median age of 1190 cal <span>BP</span> (760 <span>CE</span>/<span>AD</span>) with a range of 1530–910 cal <span>BP</span> (420–1040 <span>CE</span>/AD). The clustering of these ages and the nature of the shellfish remains lead to the preferred interpretation of this shell-dense island as a true ‘midden island’, created either by people living on/above the site or by people who processed shellfish there before transporting its flesh elsewhere for consumption. If the Culasawani island is a midden island, then this is the first to be recorded in the South Pacific west of Papua New Guinea.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70052","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early Use of Lime Mortar at the Early Iron Age Piscina Torta Salt Production Site (Tiber Delta, Ostia, Italy)","authors":"Francesca Bulian,&nbsp;Jan Sevink,&nbsp;Patrick Degryse,&nbsp;Matilde Quilici,&nbsp;Luca Alessandri,&nbsp;Peter Attema","doi":"10.1002/gea.70053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70053","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study presents new evidence for the early use of lime mortar during the Early Iron Age at the Piscina Torta site (Ostia, Italy), situated on the earliest Holocene beach ridges in the southern Tiber delta. The site, which was earlier described as a briquetage site, dates from between the late 8th and 6th century <span>BCE</span> and consists of a large complex of dumps, holding kilns and working floors. Lime mortar-like materials were abundantly present in these dumps and used in the construction of some kilns and working floors. To assess their nature, truly lime-based mortars or natural indurated marl, we performed petrographic and geochemical analyses on these materials, and on lime mortars experimentally produced using local marl from the Piscina Torta palaeochannel, which is the only nearby source of high-carbonate sediment in this part of the Tiber delta. The experiments showed that the marl begins to calcine effectively above 800°C, developing characteristic lime mortar features between 900°C and 1100°C. Some archaeological materials indeed showed diagnostic microscopic features of lime mortar, including micritic binder, lime lumps, reaction rims and lack of birefringence, demonstrating that the marl had undergone the complete lime cycle (calcination, slaking and carbonation). Moreover, the analyses confirmed the origin of the archaeological mortar-like materials, being these marls. Our study provides the first evidence to date for the intentional production and use of lime mortar in central Italy, predating the widespread use of this technology in the Roman world. The results also imply that the Piscina Torta site was a multifunctional production site with a variety of kilns and activities, underscoring the technological sophistication and multipurpose nature of the site.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70053","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Neolithic Site of Piano dei Cardoni in the Island of Ustica (Italy): Minero-Petrographic and Chemical Characterization of the Ceramic Finds and Clayey Raw Materials","authors":"G. Montana,&nbsp;C. Speciale,&nbsp;G. Battaglia,&nbsp;L. Randazzo,&nbsp;G. Carnevale,&nbsp;M. V. Antonopoulou,&nbsp;A. Magrì","doi":"10.1002/gea.70049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70049","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper presents the results of minero-petrographic and chemical analyses of pottery and potential local raw materials from Ustica, a small volcanic island off the coast of Palermo (Sicily), inhabited during the Middle Neolithic. Typologically, the pottery shows cultural connections to the <i>Bicromica</i> and <i>Serra d'Alto</i> traditions, linking Ustica to Sicily and Southern Italy, as well as to the Late Neolithic <i>Diana</i> pottery from the Aeolian Archipelago. The archaeometric study aims to determine whether the island's inhabitants during the 5th millennium <span>BCE</span> engaged in the exchange of ceramics in addition to obsidian and chert. This research investigates raw material sources, technological knowledge, and pottery-making traditions on the island by analyzing the compositional, textural, and structural characteristics of the ceramic assemblage. The experimental results indicate the use of local raw materials from areas near the archaeological site and provide insights into firing techniques, helping to establish the petrographic and chemical profiles of the ceramics. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of Neolithic pottery production in the central Mediterranean.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70049","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Inundated Indigenous Quarry Preserved in Apalachee Bay, Florida, USA","authors":"Morgan F. Smith","doi":"10.1002/gea.70051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70051","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Recent investigations in Apalachee Bay, in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, have focused on a suite of newly discovered raw material reduction localities, expanding the existing data set of archaeological sites in this renowned submerged landscape. One particular site, 8Je1796-Clint's Scallop Hole, is the most thoroughly examined such site in the Gulf of Mexico at present. This quarry is an outcrop of high-quality Suwannee chert, which occurs sporadically throughout this region of Apalachee Bay. The site was likely inundated ~4000 calendar years ago (calBP), though aspects of the lithic toolkit are suggestive that it may have been used since the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene. The analysis of this assemblage also provides data important to the study of submerged landscapes in general. First, 8Je1796 proves that even in areas believed to have experienced the full energy of sea level transgression, archaeological sites can survive with intact features. Second, as a logistical locality, the site provides insight into raw material selection, primary reduction, and human behavior in the region. Finally, this site highlights that, using sea level as a terminus ante quem age, quarry sites offshore are more useful than their terrestrial counterparts due to more finite chronological placement.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sycamore Fig Tree Bark Surface Comprises Silicified Cell Walls Overlain by Silicified Mineral Aggregates (Siliceous Aggregates): Implications for Wood Ash Identification","authors":"Steve Weiner","doi":"10.1002/gea.70046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Siliceous aggregates are a minor but diagnostically significant component of wood ash, consisting of allochthonous dust or soil particles embedded in a biogenic silica (opal) matrix. Their formation mechanism and precise origin within wood tissues, however, have remained unclear. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS), we show that in the Sycamore Fig (<i>Ficus sycomorus</i>), the outer bark epithelial cells silicify their cell walls. Overlying this layer is a consolidated crust composed of diverse mineral particles cemented within an impure biogenic silica matrix. This crust is compositionally and structurally indistinguishable from the siliceous aggregates previously identified in archeological wood ash. We, therefore, conclude that siliceous aggregates originate on the bark surface, and infer that epithelial cells bind adhering environmental dust into a silicified matrix. Because these aggregates are more resistant to dissolution than calcite pseudomorphs, they provide a durable indicator of wood ash in archeological contexts. This information clarifies the biogenic–allochthonous interplay underlying the formation of siliceous aggregates and strengthens their interpretive value in microarchaeological studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70046","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147315458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Quarries to Urban Construction Sites: Middle-Late Mesozoic Limestones in the Public Architecture of Roman Verona, Italy","authors":"Eliana Bridi,&nbsp;Simone Dilaria,&nbsp;Jacopo Bonetto,&nbsp;Caterina Previato","doi":"10.1002/gea.70045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Numerous buildings, monuments, and infrastructural works in Verona were constructed during the Roman period using stone, a material abundantly available from quarrying areas located relatively close to the city. Petrographic investigations conducted by Transmitted Polarized Light Optical Microscopy (TPL-OM) and complemented by colorimetric analysis on over 30 samples collected from urban buildings revealed a predominance of Middle-Late Mesozoic (MLM) local limestones, specifically Rosso Ammonitico Veronese (RAV), Maiolica, and Scaglia Rossa. These materials outcrop in the nearby Valpolicella and Valpantena areas, located approximately 20 and 12 km from the city, respectively. The widespread use of these MLM limestones in Verona from the late first century <span>BC</span> is particularly notable, as they were predominantly employed for the monumentalization of the city. These materials were commonly used in large ashlars, paving slabs, and decorative architectural elements. Rosso Ammonitico, in particular, was especially prized for its marble-like appearance, hardness, and durability. MLM limestones gradually replaced the local Eocene calcarenites (Pietra di Avesa, Pietra Galina, and Marne di Priabona) and Miocene calcarenites, as well as the imported Oligocene limestones from Berici Hills and Eastern Lessini (Pietra di Vicenza), which had been used in the earlier phases of Verona's architecture. Although these stones were more easily sourced and workable, they were characterized by lower mechanical performances (e.g., resistance to mechanical compression). The adoption of MLM limestones reflects deliberate construction and economic choices, indicating both a preference for more resistant materials and the city's increasing capacity to invest in costlier resources during the Imperial period. This study investigates the stone extraction and processing cycle of these limestones, aiming to identify their quarrying areas, transportation routes, and architectural applications in Roman-era Verona.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70045","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147269009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geoarchaeological Investigation of Early Neolithic Lagoonal Fringe Landscapes in the Netherlands","authors":"Elena Familetto,&nbsp;Kim Cohen,&nbsp;Kim de Wit,&nbsp;Bertil van Os,&nbsp;Wim Hoek,&nbsp;Hans Huisman","doi":"10.1002/gea.70044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coastal wetlands have historically been portrayed as too marginal for early crop cultivation during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition due to their dynamic hydrology, low elevation, and poor drainage. However, growing evidence suggests that these environments played a crucial role in the spread of agriculture. We examined buried and submerged channel–levee systems beneath present-day Lake IJssel (the Netherlands) to investigate the spatial and temporal extent to which wetland levees provided suitable grounds for cultivation as rivers functioned while the sea level rose. The study area lies along the lower reaches of the paleo-Vecht River, one of two local rivers crossing the Swifterbant-type area, with key sites located 10–20 km inland. Integrating sedimentary geology, archaeological soil micromorphology, and radiocarbon dating of research cores, we identify buried soil horizons indicating periods of reduced sedimentation and relatively stable, dry conditions conducive to human activity. Micromorphology reveals charred plant material, ceramic fragments, and disturbed soil aggregates comparable to tilled fields at Swifterbant settlements. Radiocarbon dating places these features between ca. 4500 and 4200 <span>BC</span>, coinciding with upstream occupation. These findings add to growing evidence of widespread, sustained land use in these wetland environments and highlight the value of micromorphology in detecting subtle traces of human activity in landscape-scale studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70044","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146154598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstructing the Classical and Post-Classical Agricultural Landscape of the Udhruh Qanat in Wādī al-Fiqai, Southern Jordan","authors":"Marcel R. Hoosbeek,&nbsp;Ángel Velasco Sánchez,&nbsp;Roeland Emaus,&nbsp;Fawzi Abudanah,&nbsp;Mark J. Driessen","doi":"10.1002/gea.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70039","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The cities of Petra and Udhruh were administrative and cultural centers in southern Jordan from Nabataean through Roman and Byzantine times into the early Islamic periods (first century <span>BCE</span> to eighth century <span>CE</span>). These communities built water harvesting systems to be able to survive in this arid environment. Water harvesting was either based on the use of runoff, so-called “green water”, or on subterranean collection of streamflow and groundwater and subsequent distribution, so-called “blue water”. Archeological research in the Udhruh region and the nearby Wādī al-Fiqai revealed an elaborate qanat system, including subsurface water-harvesting, subsurface and covered surface distribution channels, large reservoirs, and irrigated fields. Some fields were very likely irrigated because of a direct connection to a water reservoir, but for many others, it is less obvious. In order to assess the extent of the agricultural production area, it was necessary to gain insight into the historic land use of the Wādī al-Fiqai area. An earlier study revealed soils of enwalled fields associated with a water reservoir to have relatively low soil electrical conductivity (EC) values as compared to non-irrigated soils in comparable landscape positions. Here, we propose that pedogenic carbonates (CO₃²⁻) may also serve as a proxy to identify prolonged irrigation, that is, carbonate-rich water may enrich soils in secondary carbonate, whereas low-carbonate water may deplete them. Landforms and soils were described and sampled along seven transects at Wādī al-Fiqai downstream from the remnants of two water reservoirs of, respectively, the northern and southern irrigation systems. Based on landform and surface processes, four classes were distinguished: (1) eroded, (2) recently covered with alluvium, (3) hilly or undulating, and (4) nearly level surfaces. Soils were sampled either “full-depth” or at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depth. For full-depth soil profiles, variability in Bk horizon depth in soils on nearly level surfaces suggests differential depletion of pedogenic carbonate, with irrigated fields displaying greater depths. Moreover, for all soils, EC was observed to be the best proxy for past irrigation. Based on transect analysis, fields of the northern and southern irrigation systems had significantly lower EC values than non-irrigated, nearly level, undulating, and hilly landforms. Based on these soil analyses, we estimate that the northern and southern irrigation systems supported up to 28 and 26 ha, respectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70039","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146083391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}