Geoarchaeology-An International Journal最新文献

{"title":"A Methodology for Gleaning Human Behavior From Spectral Chert Nanometers With Application at a Terminal Pleistocene Site in Tennessee, USA","authors":"Ryan M. Parish","doi":"10.1002/gea.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Chert sourcing is conducted at various spatial scales from regional to local to match the scope of the human behavioral question asked. Understanding where past peoples acquired tool stone resources can span hundreds of kilometers from mountain ranges to open plains and across broad river valleys as the study attempts to both quantify and differentiate various material types and exploited deposits. However, to successfully characterize (quantify and differentiate) each potential source, data collection at a microscopic scale is often necessary. The study's primary goal is to examine the benefit of reflectance spectroscopy data at the nanometer scale using diagnostic atomic, molecular, and structural information locked inside chert to match artifacts to a geologic/geographic source. Working at Carson-Conn-Short, a terminal Pleistocene hunter-gatherer site along the Tennessee River, United States, the analysis of 58 artifacts identified seven sources and sub-sources. This study demonstrates how the collection of thousands of electromagnetic reflectance data per chert sample and artifact allows for the reconstruction of group mobility, social networks, selection decisions, and the use of a landscape of lithic resources. A case study using a terminal Pleistocene hunter-gatherer site along the Tennessee River, United States is given to illustrate how human behavior can be learned from source data at the nanometer scale.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143581596","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":"Minimally Invasive Approaches to the High-Resolution Mapping of Colluvial Deposits at the Battlefield of Waterloo: Implications for Archaeological Practice","authors":"Duncan Williams,&nbsp;Kate Welham,&nbsp;Stuart Eve,&nbsp;Philippe De Smedt","doi":"10.1002/gea.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70001","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soil erosion poses a considerable threat to ecosystem services around the world. Among these, it is extremely problematic for archaeological sites, particularly in arable landscapes where accelerated soil degradation has been widely observed. Conversely, some archaeological deposits may obtain a certain level of protection when they are covered by eroded material, thereby lessening the impacts of phenomena such as plow damage or bioturbation. As a result, detailed knowledge of the extent of colluvial deposition is of great value to site management and the development of appropriate methodological strategies. This is particularly true of battlefield sites, where the integrity of artifacts in the topsoil is of great importance and conventional metal detection (with its shallow depth of exploration) is relied upon as the primary method of investigation. Using the Napoleonic battlefield of Waterloo in Belgium as a case study, this paper explores how different noninvasive datasets can be combined with ancillary data and a limited sampling scheme to map colluvial deposits in high resolution and at a large scale. Combining remote sensing, geophysical, and invasive sampling datasets that target related phenomena across spatial scales allows for overcoming some of their respective limitations and derives a better understanding of the extent of colluvial deposition.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143564848","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 Upper Sedimentary Sequence of Grotta di Fumane, Northern Italy: A Micromorphological Approach to Study Imprints of Human Occupation and Paleoclimate Change","authors":"Martin Kehl,&nbsp;Diana Marcazzan,&nbsp;Christopher E. Miller,&nbsp;Armando Falcucci,&nbsp;Rossella Duches,&nbsp;Marco Peresani","doi":"10.1002/gea.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Fumane Cave contains a sequence of natural and anthropogenic deposits documenting key transitions in the Paleolithic of Northern Italy. Open questions remain concerning the stratigraphic integrity, the formation processes, postdepositional alterations, and paleoclimatic implications of the sedimentary record. We examine these aspects through an extensive investigation based on field descriptions and micromorphological analysis of thin sections sampled during the last 25 years of excavations. Major components of the sediments are carbonate sands and limestone rubble originating from the physical breakdown of the cave roof and walls. Limited amounts of mica and quartz grains attest to weak eolian inputs. Sediments contain anthropogenic features and variable amounts of charcoal, bone, and lithic artifacts reflecting different uses of the site. Cryoturbation features observed in the field suggest an increased intensity of frost mainly after the accumulation of unit A2. This unit as well as unit A6 also show increased abundance of silt and clay cappings under the microscope, probably reflecting higher rates of snowfall and percolating meltwater during colder periods of the Last Glacial. However, limited expression of micromorphological features related to frost suggests rather modest changes in climate during the accumulation of the sequence. Overall, field descriptions and the micromorphological approach mostly corroborate the stratigraphic integrity of the sequence, underlining the high value of Fumane Cave as an archive of the late Middle to early Upper Paleolithic in Southern Europe.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143530410","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":"Mapping and Geospatial Analysis of Ancient Terrace Agricultural Systems in Lucanas Province, Peruvian Andes, Based on Satellite Imagery, High-Resolution DSMs, and Field Surveys","authors":"Christian Mader,&nbsp;Philipp Godde,&nbsp;Elena Hägele,&nbsp;Mike Lyons,&nbsp;Ann-Kristin Weber,&nbsp;Rachel Odenthal,&nbsp;Paul Stryjski,&nbsp;Christoph Binder,&nbsp;Fernando Leceta,&nbsp;Johny Isla,&nbsp;Markus Reindel,&nbsp;Julia Meister","doi":"10.1002/gea.70002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70002","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper presents a unique set of maps and geospatial data covering 16 ancient terrace agricultural systems in the upper part of the Río Grande de Nasca drainage. These systems are located on the western Andean flank (1200 and 3800 m asl), in the districts of Llauta, Laramate, and Ocaña in Lucanas province, Ayacucho region, southern Peru (14.5° S). Spanning various periods of the prehispanic era (1000 <span>bce</span>–1532 <span>ce</span>), only limited sections of these terraces are still in use today. Our field methods include archaeological, geomorphological, and drone surveys. The terrace systems were mapped using (1) satellite imagery and (2) high-resolution Digital Surface Models (DSMs) within a Geographic Information System (GIS). The geospatial analysis and mapping results encompass parameters such as elevation range, terrace area, number and condition of terrace walls, length and height of terrace walls, area of individual terraced fields, associated architecture (e.g., irrigation canals), slope, current vegetation and use, and chronology. By documenting the widespread distribution, extent, and diversity of agricultural terraces in the region, this data set is extremely valuable for understanding prehispanic human-environment interactions and land use dynamics, as well as indigenous agricultural practices and resilience strategies in response to environmental and climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.70002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143521958","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":"Landscape Archaeology of the Chuchuwayha Sacred Site (British Colombia, Canada)","authors":"Jean-Jacques Delannoy,&nbsp;Anita Quiles,&nbsp;Julien Jacquet,&nbsp;Mike Allison,&nbsp;Régis Braucher,&nbsp;Laetitia Léanni,&nbsp;Emmanuel Malet,&nbsp;Jeremy Ash,&nbsp;Johan Berthet,&nbsp;Angela Clyburn,&nbsp;Yago Delannoy,&nbsp;Jean-Michel Geneste,&nbsp;Brenda Gould,&nbsp;Megan Harris,&nbsp;Susan Rowley","doi":"10.1002/gea.22038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22038","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>New research is being conducted at the Chuchuwayha sacred site (British Columbia, Canada) at the request of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, who want to pass on the site's history to future generations. The project's aims were to determine when this site in the glacial Similkameen Valley became accessible to human communities, to reconstruct the formation of the surrounding landscape, and to describe the rock shelter's evolution during the period of human frequentation (rock art). To this end, we combined geomorphological, archaeometric, and geochemical (cosmogenic dating) data to construct a robust chronological framework for the site's evolution and human occupations. Results showed that the Similkameen Valley became ice-free 18,000 years ago, that the site's morphology was shaped by postglacial processes, and that its general topography had formed around 7000 years ago. The site's morphology—a rock shelter behind a mound of rockfall boulders—created a trap for eolian and autochthonous sediments, which have preserved a record of human occupations. Our multidisciplinary approach also enabled us to determine age ranges for the shelter's paintings, to draw up a new time frame for human occupations of the site, which lies on a traditional Syilx trail, and to relate these occupations to changes in the surrounding landscape.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143447208","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":"Geoarchaeology of an Early Mycenaean Tumulus and Mortuary Practices at Eleon, Greece","authors":"Amanda M. Gaggioli,&nbsp;Trevor Van Damme","doi":"10.1002/gea.22037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22037","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>From a geoarchaeology and soil micromorphology perspective, mound-type structures, including tumuli, in the Americas are the best studied in terms of understanding the details of stratigraphy that have revealed their construction phases, fill materials, and social meanings. This study extends these approaches and perspectives to the ancient Mediterranean and the particular case of Eleon in Greece during the late Middle Helladic to Late Helladic (LH) I period (c. 1700–1550 B.C.E.)—the first such study in an Aegean Bronze Age (c. 3000–1050 B.C.E.) context. Investigations of a low tumulus and associated built chamber tomb (Tomb 5) reveal the building materials and techniques, ritual activities related to the tumulus construction, and the multi-generational reopening, use, and maintenance of Tomb 5. Furthermore, sediment characteristics and features preserve environmental conditions influencing site formation and preservation of the burial complex and associated remains. This research advances geoarchaeology and soil micromorphology for understanding mortuary practices and rituals, as well as socio-cultural processes, such as the shaping and transfer of collective identity and memory, across time and space.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143431754","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":"Among Land Snail Shells and Ashes: Geoarchaeological Analysis of the Maximiano Rockshelter, Southeast Brazil","authors":"Nicolás Batalla,&nbsp;Mercedes Okumura,&nbsp;Casimiro S. Munita,&nbsp;Charles French,&nbsp;Astolfo G. M. Araujo","doi":"10.1002/gea.22035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22035","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Geoarchaeological studies, particularly those incorporating micromorphology and associated techniques, have revealed the complex depositional and post-depositional history of mollusk shell-matrix archaeological sites, mostly in coastal areas where these sites are more widespread. But geoarchaeology can also be crucial to disentangle human and natural agencies in inland shell-rich settings, including caves and rock-shelters. In this paper, the site formation processes of the land snail-rich Maximiano Rockshelter, located in the karstic upper Ribeira de Iguape River valley of southern São Paulo state, Southeast of Brazil, are tackled. Embedded in the neotropical Atlantic Forest, the site contains lithics, bone artifacts, and faunal and human remains dating between ~11,165 and 1282 cal year B.P. Facies and microfacies were characterized in exposed stratigraphic profiles through micromorphology, particle size analysis, major, minor, and trace elements, and FTIR spectroscopy. Despite the strong humification affecting most of the site, results indicate deposits resulting from anthropic activities such as the dumping of land snail shells and other remains, the tossing of entire and fragmented shells in sub-horizontally distributed layers, primary combustion features, and dumping/sweeping of combustion-derived materials. Shell-bearing facies exhibit similarities with chronologically contemporaneous Ribeira de Iguape basin's riverine <i>sambaqui</i>s.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143380476","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":"Lower Palaeolithic Site Kamianka in Eastern Ukraine: Geoarchaeological Assessments","authors":"Vadim N. Stepanchuk,&nbsp;Yurii M. Veklych","doi":"10.1002/gea.22036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22036","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The paper presents an initial attempt to assess ancient findings in Eastern Ukraine through a synthesis of archaeological and geomorphological data. It focuses on a newly discovered Lower Palaeolithic site on a valley slope of a right-bank tributary of the Seversky Donets River, cutting into the Jarkiv stage terrace (Pliocene) of the Ukrainian stratigraphic scale. Flint, quartzite, quartz flakes, and modified pebbles were found in the clastic material from the upper cover layer. The artefacts date from 2.6 to 0.6 Ma, corresponding to the interval between the boundary separating Bogdanivka and Beregove stages (i.e., Reuverian and Tiglian, respectively) and the Lubny (Cromerian) stage. A new terrace analysis method identified the lower boundary near the Pliocene-Quaternary transition, with the upper boundary based on regional archaeological analogies. Deflationary processes prevent further narrowing of the timeframe. Taphonomic evidence indicates prolonged exposure in aquatic and wetland environments before surface deposition. The collection includes hammerstones, choppers, scrapers, and retouched flakes, predominantly shaped using the bipolar-on-anvil technique with some free-hand flaking. Technological and typological features classify the assemblage as an archaic Mode I core-and-flake industry. Geological–geomorphological age assessments confirm these findings, refining correlations between archaeological industries and palaeogeographic stages.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248897","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":"Formation Processes and Environments in the Hinojo-Las Tunas Shallow Lake System, Argentina Pampas: The Laguna Chica Archaeological Locality as a Case Study","authors":"Nahuel A. Scheifler,&nbsp;Ivana L. Ozán,&nbsp;Alfonsina Tripaldi,&nbsp;Mariela E. González,&nbsp;Florencia S. Valero,&nbsp;Narella Marini,&nbsp;Gustavo G. Politis,&nbsp;Pablo G. Messineo","doi":"10.1002/gea.22034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22034","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This work integrates taphonomic (archaeofaunistics and bioarchaeology) and geoarchaeological (geormorphology, pedologic, sedimentological and micromorphological analyses) information to discuss the depositional and postdepositional history of both surface and buried archaeological record related to past hunter–gatherer populations from the Central Pampean Dunefields of Argentina (South America). Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating suggest three temporal clusters of occupations in the Laguna Chica locality: one during the middle Holocene (~8050–6535 years cal. B.P.) and two in the late Holocene (~3350–2870 and ~1640–1535 years cal. B.P.). Middle Holocene burials found at the present lake shore are hosted in aeolian sediments that accumulated under arid/semiarid conditions. Modern lacustrine dynamics derived from contraction/expansion cycles have exposed burials, archaeofauna, and stone tools, resulting in displacements, fragmentation and loss. A palimpsest of cultural and natural material spanning ~8000 years resulted from this paleoenvironmental setting. Late Holocene human activities might have been related to a transitional landscape, where aeolian processes took place under an expanding lacustrine scenario (i.e., relatively wetter conditions). Our stratigraphic assessment suggests that human occupations were syndepositional agents with episodes of aeolian sand activity and landscape stability. The taphonomic and geoarchaeological evidence from Laguna Chica locality show that the empirical evidence traditionally used to evaluate hunter–gatherer settlement patterns (e.g., abundance and diversity of archaeological evidence and their spatial association in surface or stratigraphic units) and human diet breadth changes (e.g., Ntaxa) may simply reflect the cumulative action of lacustrine erosion of dunes. While both the Laguna Chica surface and stratigraphic records have complex formation histories, the buried context could be interpreted with greater detail through taphonomic and sedimentological analyses.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143120288","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":"Of Fire and Water Microarchaeological Evidence of Mining, Rituals and Floods in North Tyrol's Kropfsberg Mine (Austria)","authors":"Susanna Cereda,&nbsp;Gert Goldenberg,&nbsp;Markus Staudt,&nbsp;Peter Tropper","doi":"10.1002/gea.22033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22033","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Kropfsberg, located near Reith im Alpbachtal, in North Tyrol (Austria), has been exploited for its copper ores for centuries, since at least the Early Iron Age. Excavations conducted in 2020 by the University of Innsbruck exposed the detailed stratigraphic sequence of the mine, leading to a surprising discovery: what was initially believed to be only a site for mineral extraction showed clear indications of ritual use during the Roman period and Late Antiquity. These cultic layers are characterised by abundant charcoals, animal bones and almost 200 votive coins, and suggest that the mine served during this period as a Mithraeum. Using micromorphology and µXRF, along with macroscopic, hydro- and geomorphological information about the mine and its surroundings, we reconstructed the processes that led to the deposition of sediments within this artificial cave. Our analyses indicate that remains of ceremonial fires and offerings were deposited within a cultic pit, rather than being spread over the floor. Also, evidence suggests that the cultic use of the mine likely ceased before the area surrounding the mine was flooded, potentially due to the damming of the Inn River caused by a significant rock fall during the Roman period. We also traced the phases following the inundation, including the cave's reopening after a period of abandonment, and identified a sequence of mining backfills that provide evidence of the site's subsequent secular use. Ultimately, the study sheds new light on the cultural and geomorphological dynamics of the Inn Valley during the Roman Period and the Late Antiquity, while underscoring the importance of integrating microarchaeological approaches to disentangle the complex interaction of cultural and environmental influences, even in historical (artificial) cave contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.22033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143119714","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}