Geoarchaeology-An International Journal最新文献

{"title":"Reconstruction of fluvio-lacustrine landscapes and settlement history in the Texcoco region, Mexico, using a modern geomorphic analog","authors":"Kurt H. Wogau,&nbsp;Carlos E. Cordova,&nbsp;Luis Morett-Alatorre,&nbsp;Guillermo Acosta Ochoa","doi":"10.1002/gea.21987","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21987","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Located in the Basin of Mexico, the eastern shore of former Lake Texcoco sustained a variety of human occupations throughout the Holocene, including preceramic hunter-gatherers, incipient agriculturalists, and a variety of settlements in the ceramic periods. Nonetheless, the environmental dynamics of occupations on the lakeshore have not been fully addressed. The Archaic preagricultural Texcoco Man site (&gt;5000 B.C.E.) and the Late Formative TX-LF-14 site (c. 550-200 B.C.E.), among others, occupy this fluvio-lacustrine transitional environment. Few stratigraphic works in and around the sites have been performed. Consequently, it is difficult to understand the dynamics of the sedimentary system in space and time. This work highlights and describes the fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary dynamics and the resulting landscape that past societies inhabited on the eastern shore of Texcoco Lake. Because the study area has been altered by historic and modern draining, our work employs Lake Santiaguillo and its main tributary, the Tejamen River in the Durango state, as a modern analog to study their sedimentary dynamics. The analyses of surface geomorphology in the Texcoco study area were employed to corroborate the modern analog interpretation. To achieve these goals, we conducted a GIS-based morphometric analysis and LANDSAT-8 imagery to study the variations in landforms through wet and dry events. The results indicate an increase in the lake volume, low bifurcation in the active fluvial channels, few inundated surfaces, and the presence of bird-foot deltaic channels during high precipitation events. In contrast, low precipitation events are characterized by reduced lake volume, increased fluvial channel bifurcation, and expanded floodplains. This heterogeneous landscape thus provided a rich source of diverse natural resources of saline and freshwater aquatic habitats. Simultaneously, constant or recurring flooding events generated a challenging landscape for prehistoric settlers who implemented diverse technologies, such <i>as the construction of tlateles</i>, on the levees of deltaic channels to reduce the risk and impact of flooding events.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138543920","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":"Magnetic properties as indicators of pedogenic and pyrogenic processes at the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 14","authors":"Anastasiia Kurgaeva,&nbsp;Sergey Sedov,&nbsp;Sol Moreno-Roso,&nbsp;Hermenegildo Barceinas Cruz,&nbsp;Beatriz Ortega Guerrero,&nbsp;Elizabeth Solleiro-Rebolledo,&nbsp;Andrei Sinitsyn","doi":"10.1002/gea.21985","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21985","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In geoarchaeological studies, there is an issue with distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic signals in pedological paleoarchives. With the pedostratigraphy of the Upper Paleolithic site of Kostenki 14, this issue is reflected by problems with the determination of features of pedogenic and pyrogenic processes. This issue was addressed by means of a thorough analysis of the magnetic properties of paleosols accompanied by micromorphological observations. Most of the humic samples were shown to be a result of pedogenesis, but two samples (a Paleolithic hearth sample and a sample from paleosol IIc) had features of intensely burnt material. The difference in the typical intensity of large-scale (natural or human-induced) and local-scale anthropogenic fire allowed for suggesting that the magnetic properties of the burnt sample were the result of an anthropogenically controlled fire event, that is, a hearth. This study shows that the magnetic properties of paleosols can be used to differentiate anthropogenic activity, in particular—burning, from pedogenic processes. This indicator is especially helpful in finding disturbed combustion features when the hearth structure is lost. This methodology used to demonstrate the local human-induced pyrogenic effect at the Upper Paleolithic site can contribute to the discussion of the niche construction effect of human activities in the Pleistocene.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.21985","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138543921","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 exploration of potential raw materials for prehistoric pottery production in the Tao River Valley, Gansu Province, China","authors":"Evgenia Dammer,&nbsp;Anke Hein,&nbsp;Michela Spataro","doi":"10.1002/gea.21984","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21984","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Northwest China is known for its Majiayao-style Neolithic painted pottery which has received much praise for its high level of craftsmanship, yet its chain of production, in particular the step of raw material selection, is still poorly understood. To fill this lacuna, the present study explores the raw materials used in producing these wares from a geological and technological perspective. At its core stands the first geoarchaeological survey conducted around the eponymous site of Majiayao which collected 47 samples of raw materials suitable for ceramic production including clay, loess and rocks, which were all analysed macroscopically. A selection was analysed using thin-section petrography, and a subset of the clay and loess samples were subjected to firing experiments. Additionally, three clay samples were analysed by scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer to understand their composition and behaviour in ceramic production. These were then compared to archaeological ceramics, thus providing insights into raw-material availability and selection that will be of importance not only for research on Majiayao-style pottery but also for later-period ceramics produced in the area. This research shows how an archaeologically informed geological survey can contribute insights into human–environment interaction in early pottery production, especially the interplay between raw-material availability, technological know-how and potters' choices.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.21984","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138543922","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 Big Circles in Jordan: First absolute ages using rock luminescence surface dating","authors":"Sahar al Khasawneh,&nbsp;Fawzi Abudanah,&nbsp;Warren Thompson,&nbsp;Andrew Murray","doi":"10.1002/gea.21982","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21982","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this study, we provide the first absolute ages for a Big Circle megalithic structure in Jordan, using rock surface luminescence dating of the buried surface of rocks collected from circle J4 in southern Jordan. Five rocks were used for this study. All rocks showed evidence of previous daylight exposure before being used in the construction of the circle. The exposure was sufficient to bleach the latent luminescence signal to a negligible level compared to the subsequent burial dose. Three rocks gave indistinguishable ages, and were last exposed to daylight in 1500 ± 100 BCE; this is very likely to be the date of circle construction. Two others gave younger ages, indicating later disturbance or reworking. These new results provide very strong evidence for construction during the Late Bronze Age, and refute the earlier hypothesis of construction during Umayyad period (661–750 CE) as a hunting trap.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134956701","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":"Paleoshoreline reconstruction: A proposed method to approach submerged prehistoric landscapes of Espiritu Santo Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico","authors":"Mayra C. Robles-Montes,&nbsp;Guillermo Martínez-Flores,&nbsp;Michael K. Faught,&nbsp;Enrique H. Nava-Sánchez","doi":"10.1002/gea.21983","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21983","url":null,"abstract":"<p>When the first Americans inhabited the area now known as Isla Espiritu Santo, around 12.5 and 6 ka, the sea level continuously rose. This resulted in the loss of the coastal territory and the retreat of the human population further inland. Part of the archaeological evidence of this period currently lies over the seafloor and under the seabed. Therefore, reconstructing paleoshorelines is a necessary first step toward submerged precontact archaeology and a broad understanding of the spatial context in which those human populations interacted and how the landscapes changed. Isla Espiritu Santo is of prehistoric importance as it contains numerous Paleocoastal tradition sites as early as ~12,400 Cal B.P. This research aims to reconstruct the changing shoreline positions as sea levels rose around Isla Espiritu Santo between 12.5 and 6.5 ka. We apply numerical modeling to map digital elevation models at 1 ka intervals by estimating the changes in the morphology of the seafloor according to the deposition rates and global sea-level curve. The results show the evolution of coastal morphology and paleoshoreline's position. Three primary geoforms are proposed: (1) coastal plains, (2) tombolo, and (3) a coastal lagoon–island barrier system. This also offers insights into the physical aspect of submerged prehistoric landscapes and the possible resource exploitation options of early societies. In this research, the reconstruction of submerged landscapes seeks to contribute to the long-term goal of locating submerged precontact sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134957042","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":"Writ in water—Unwritten histories obtained from carbonate deposits in ancient water systems","authors":"Gül Sürmelihindi,&nbsp;Cees Passchier","doi":"10.1002/gea.21980","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21980","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Calcium carbonate deposits from ancient water systems such as aqueducts are a hidden archive for archaeology and environmental sciences. These deposits formed wherever carbonate-rich water was in contact with a water-containing structure and recorded water composition, temperature, biological content, the operation or nonoperation of a water system segment, flow discharge and velocity, the shape of disappeared segments of water structures, the number of years a water supply system was active, disruptions of the water supply and water management such as repairs, adaptations and cleaning. Indirectly, urban development, resilience, population- and socioeconomic dynamics can be studied through the stratigraphy of carbonate in water systems. Carbonate archives can also give insight into long-term changes in paleoclimate and on environmental pollution, deforestation, extreme floods, droughts, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Archaeological and environmental investigations of carbonate deposits can provide data with up to daily resolution over decades to centuries. Although absolute dating of carbonate from water systems is still problematic, each study on the aqueduct of an ancient city, together with its carbonate deposits, provides its own microstory in Roman life.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.21980","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136067723","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":"Masters of mudbrick: Geoarchaeological analysis of Iron Age earthen public buildings at Ashdod-Yam (Israel)","authors":"Marta Lorenzon,&nbsp;Benjamín Cutillas-Victoria,&nbsp;Eli Itkin,&nbsp;Alexander Fantalkin","doi":"10.1002/gea.21977","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21977","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortified horseshoe-shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human-made harbor and an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and active during Iron Age IIB–C (eighth–seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age public structures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod-Yam's earthen architecture. We applied a multidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with the goal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen. The analyses combine X-ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and thin-section petrography to investigate raw material procurement, manufacturing choices, and labor organization at Ashdod-Yam during Iron IIB–C. Construction techniques and the standardization of the mudbrick recipe point to a local enterprise regarding the site's public earthen architecture. Furthermore, the degree of labor organization must have been closely observed and supervised by a central political power. Thus, it is argued here that construction and maintenance of the site was carried out by the kingdom of Ashdod, either as a part of its own local initiative or on behalf of the Neo-Assyrian empire.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.21977","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136068076","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":"Holocene landscape reconstruction in the surroundings of the Temple of Pepi I at ancient Bubastis, southeastern Nile Delta (Egypt)","authors":"Philipp Garbe,&nbsp;Amr Abd El-Raouf,&nbsp;Ashraf Es-Senussi,&nbsp;Eva Lange-Athinodorou,&nbsp;Julia Meister","doi":"10.1002/gea.21981","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21981","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In ancient Egypt, lakes, canals, and other water bodies were an essential part of the sacred landscape in which temples were embedded. In recent years, geoarchaeological research at the site of the Temple of Bastet at Bubastis in the southeastern Nile Delta has proven the existence of two water canals surrounding the temple. It has now been investigated whether these canals were connected to the Temple of Pepi I (2300–2250 B.C.E.), located approximately 100 m to the west of the Temple of Bastet. To explore the Holocene landscape genesis of the Temple of Pepi I, 15 drillings and six geoelectrical profile lines were performed in the surroundings of the temple in spring 2022. The results show loamy to clayey sediments in deeper sections of all drillings with a maximum thickness of 1.70 m, indicating a marshy or swampy depositional environment. Based on the recovered sediment sequences and archaeological remains in the vicinity of the Temple of Pepi I, the marshy or swampy area existed before the Fourth Dynasty. During the Old Kingdom (ca. 2850–2180 B.C.E.), the former marshland either dried up through natural processes or was intentionally drained and filled with sediments for subsequent use for occupation. Regarding the original research question, there is as yet no evidence for a direct connection to the canals of the Temple of Bastet.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.21981","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136359959","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":"Coastal archaeological site visibility problems and underwater prospects in the Northern Lake Superior Basin","authors":"Matthew Boyd","doi":"10.1002/gea.21979","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21979","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The early to middle Holocene was marked by considerable variability in lake levels in the Lake Superior Basin due to a combination of meltwater runoff, isostatic adjustment, shifting glacial margins, and climate change. These processes likely had a large impact on the preservation and visibility of coastal archaeological sites dating from the Early Period (Paleoindian) to the Middle Period (Shield Archaic). Of particular interest is the brief interval after 9300 cal. B.P. when ancestral Lake Superior dropped to its lowest level (Houghton) and human populations may have made incursions deeper into the basin. Elsewhere in the Upper Great Lakes, this period is associated with offshore archaeological sites submerged by rising water levels later in the Holocene. New geological data from the Thunder Bay, ON, region yield exceptional insight into the paleohydrology of the Houghton phase and, hence, the underwater archaeological prospects of this low water phase in the northern Lake Superior Basin. These data indicate that the lake reached its lowest level by at least ~9100 cal. B.P. but was highly unstable, at least initially, due to a combination of climate and meltwater runoff. Early underwater sites may be confined to two short, hydrologically closed, lowstands between ~9100 and 8700 cal. B.P. and would have been impacted by at least one lake transgression. Such sites, however, may still hold better potential for organic preservation and the visibility of large cultural features compared to their terrestrial counterparts. Coastal sites occupied when the lake was hydrologically closed may be especially well-preserved due to rapid inundation before the gradual, and generally erosional, Nipissing transgression occurred.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/gea.21979","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134944337","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":"Paleoecological data complete historical and archaeological archives: Human–environment nexus at the fluvio maritime city port of Chilia (Licostomo; Northern Danube delta) since the 14th century","authors":"Luminița Preoteasa,&nbsp;Diana Hanganu,&nbsp;Anca Dan,&nbsp;Gabriela Florescu,&nbsp;Gabriela Sava,&nbsp;Daniela Pascal,&nbsp;Mihaela Dobre,&nbsp;Dan Olteanu,&nbsp;Laurențiu Țuțuianu,&nbsp;Aurel Stănică,&nbsp;Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe","doi":"10.1002/gea.21975","DOIUrl":"10.1002/gea.21975","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study reconstructs the paleoecological settings of Chilia/Licostomo, the most important Genoese colony in the Danube delta. Our paleoenvironmental data (i.e., sedimentology, pollen, charcoal, radiocarbon ages) corroborate historical and archaeological information over the last seven centuries to document the habitation at Chilia and its military and socioeconomic activity during ca. 14th–19th centuries A.D. Palynological data show the continuous presence of humans, with anthropogenic pollen index calculation (API) values between 2% and 16% during the last five centuries. The variability of API, corroborated with the major peaks of the charcoal concentration, matches the documented military conflicts and population changes in the area: the Ottoman conquest of Dobrugea (15th century A.D.), the Zaporozhians Cossaks raids (17th century A.D.), and the Russian–Ottoman wars (18th–19th centuries A.D.). The presence of coprophilous fungi fits the Ottoman tradition of animal husbandry, whereas their appearance after the Zaporozhians Cossacks raids and their good correlation with open land vegetation suggest that the Chilia loess island was temporally used as a refuge from multiple menaces (e.g., wars, administrative crisis). These paleoecological data, together with the rare archaeological findings, exclude human habitation of the Chilia Plain earlier than the documented arrival of the Lipovans during the late 18th century A.D. The critical assessment of the correspondences between the paleoecological and historical data shows the relevance of the approach in deltaic environments, when applied to lagoon/lacustrine sediments, yet often limited to chronologically disparate, decennial- to multicentennial-scale temporal frameworks.</p>","PeriodicalId":55117,"journal":{"name":"Geoarchaeology-An International Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47105860","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}