Evaluating Site Formation Processes At A Higher Resolution

"The polygenetic origins of archaeological sediments create formidable interpretive challenges. Cultural and natural mechanisms operate in tandem to form and transform the archaeological record. While natural formation processes can be complicated in their own right, anthropogenic agents substantially increase the level of ambiguity in interpreting these sediments. In this thesis I cultivate methods first developed by practitioners of the earth sciences to provide insight into formation concepts that otherwise prove elusive. Fieldwork was conducted in coastal zones of southwestern Alaska over a period of four years. The region is characterized by a dynamic natural and cultural history, and the location provides an ideal setting for a study of this nature. Archaeologists regularly cite frost-related mechanisms (cryoturbation) as potential disturbance agents. Actual field data demonstrating the phenomenon, however, are few. In 1999, I established a long-term experiment designed to measure frost-induced displacement of the archaeological record. Objects buried in experimental plots demonstrated little movement after the first year. Objects positioned in one surface plot, configured to minimize the effects of all mechanisms except cryoturbation, moved an average of 4.7 cm during the same period. Objects in a second surface plot, which lacked restraints on wind and other variables, shifted an average of 18 cm, rendering their original arrangement unintelligible. Extrapolated over periods of decades or centuries, the data show that spatial patterning in the archaeological record is subject to substantial postdepositional reworking by frost., wind, and biological agents. I use thin-section micromorphology to assess whether a 6000 year-old living surfice at the Mink Island site on Katmai National Park was abandoned due to a volcanic eruption. I also show that thin, dark lenses visible in lithostratigraphic sequences at the site represent the decomposing remains of vegetal fiber rather than charcoal. I further demonstrate that the microfabric of living surfaces at this coastal Alaska site does not resemble the composition of living surfaces identified elsewhere. The differentiation of floor deposits in this sociocultural and environmental context is more complex than in regions where plaster floors were common. Thin-section micromorphology illuminates site formation processes at a resolution unachievable using standard excavation techniques"--Leaves xix-xx.

Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Second Edition, provides an invaluable and vastly updated overview of geoarchaeology and how it can be used effectively in the study of archaeological sites and contexts. Taking a pragmatic and functional approach, this book presents: a fundamental, broad-based perspective of the essentials of modern geoarchaeology in order to demonstrate the breadth of the approaches and the depth of the problems that it can tackle. the rapid advances made in the area in recent years, but also gives the reader a firm grasp of conventional approaches. covers traditional topics with the emphasis on landscapes, as well as anthropogenic deposits and site formation processes and their investigation. provides guidelines for the presentation of field and laboratory methods and the reporting of geoarchaeological results. essential reading for archaeology undergraduate and graduate students, practicing archaeologists and geoscientists who need to understand and apply geoarchaeological methodologies, and help foster the dialog among diverse researchers investigating archaeological sites. Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Second Edition, is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology, and a great practical reference for practicing archaeologists and geoscientists who need to understand and apply geoarchaeological methodologies internationally.

This book uniquely focuses on all aspects of archaeological soil micromorphology, based upon the authors' joint sixty years of worldwide studies.

Many factors influence the formation of shipwreck sites: the materials from which the ship was built, the underwater environment, and subsequent events such as human activity, storms, and chemical reactions. In this first volume to comprehensively catalogue the physical and cultural processes affecting submerged ships, Matthew Keith brings together experts in diverse fields such as geology, soil and wood chemistry, micro- and marine biology, and sediment dynamics. The case studies identify and examine the natural and anthropogenic processes--corrosion and degradation on one hand, fishing and trawling on the other--that contribute to the present condition of shipwreck sites. The contributors also discuss how these varied and often overlapping events influence the archaeological record. Offering an in-depth analysis of emerging technologies and methods—acoustic positioning, computer modeling, and site reconstruction--this is an essential study for the research and preservation of submerged heritage sites.

Dry rockshelters in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands (LPC) provide a unique setting for archaeological research, preserving otherwise perishable artifacts and organic materials within the site deposits. However, many of the excavations done in the LPC were conducted during the 1930s and 1960s when the focus was recovering unique prehistoric items and/or chronology. The excavation methods during these times were unrefined, data was not reported in great detail, and little effort was made to discuss or interpret site formation processes. My thesis research focused on the northern sector of Eagle Cave, which was first sampled during the 1963 excavations by the University of Texas at Austin. The goal of my thesis research was to use a “microstratigraphic” approach to evaluate the natural and cultural processes that led to the accumulation of the strata in this sector of Eagle Cave, focusing on the source of sediments in each stratigraphic layer, methods of transport of the sediments, and the specific natural and cultural processes responsible for forming and/or reorganizing the deposits. The microstratigraphic approach included recording stratigraphy in high resolution (i.e., “splitting” rather than “lumping” strata) and the collection and analysis of micromorph samples to examine in situ stratigraphy. Multiple lines of evidence, including data derived from the stratigraphic documentation, geoarchaeological sampling, macrobotanical and faunal identification, constituent size distribution, and radiocarbon dating, were used to evaluate the various formation processes. The 75 stratigraphic layers defined, recorded, and sampled in UT North were categorized into general strat types such as discrete ash lenses, thick ash deposits, refuse midden, earth oven heating element remnants, and limestone spall deposits. The results of the analyses revealed that some of our initial impressions of the deposits were incorrect, the most significant being that the “thick ash deposits” contained far less wood ash than what was initially though. The results of the analyses indicate that the deposits in UT North are comprised of natural sediments derived from both inside and outside the shelter (e.g., limestone spall, aeolian silt- and sand-sized grains), biogenic deposits derived from animals (e.g., feces), and anthropogenic materials brought in to the shelter by humans for plant processing and baking (e.g., rock, fuel, foodstuffs, alluvium to cap earth oven), animal butchering, consumption, and tool manufacture (i.e., faunal remains), and stone tool production (i.e., lithics debris and tools). The reorganization of deposits through time in this portion of the rockshelter is primarily a result of prehistoric cleanout activities and pit digging, although bioturbation from animal burrowing also contributed a substantial amount of reorganization. This thesis provides an initial evaluation of the formation processes that led to the accumulation of the strata in Eagle Cave. However, my research focused on one small area of the shelter and additional analyses need to be completed on the samples from the central portion of the shelter to get a better picture of the various formation processes at play. Subsequent 2015–2016 Eagle Cave investigations have done just this and have benefited from my hard-won lessons.

"The intent in providing this guidance is to (1) demonstrate that historical archeological properties are important and worthy of evaluation and preservation; (2) promote and facilitate the submittal of historical archeological nominations; (3) improve the National Register as a representative inventory of this nation's significant cultural resources (currently, less than three percent of the National Register properties are recognized for their historical archeological values); and (4) encourage local, state, and federal project and landuse planners to recognize the significance of these kinds of cultural resources"--Page iii.

Zusammenfassung: This open access volume explores the impact of globalization on the contemporary study of deep-time art. The volume explores how early rock art research's Eurocentric biases have shifted with broadened global horizons to facilitate new conversations and discourses in new post-colonial realities. The book uses seven main themes to explore theoretical, methodological, ethical, and practical developments that are orienting the study of Pleistocene and Holocene arts in the age of globalization. Compiling studies as diverse as genetics, visualization, with the proliferation of increasingly sophisticated archaeological techniques, means that vast quantities of materials and techniques are now incorporated into the analysis of the world's visual cultures. Deep-Time Images in the Age of Globalization aims to promote critical reflection on the multitude of positive - and negative - impacts that globalization has wrought in rock art research. The volume brings new theoretical frameworks as well as engagement with indigenous knowledge and perspectives from art history. It highlights technical, methodological and interpretive developments, and showcases rock art characteristics from previously unknown (in the global north) geographic areas. This book provides comparative approaches on rock art globally and scrutinises the impacts of globalization on research, preservation, and management of deep-time art. This book will appeal to archaeologists, social scientists and art historians working in the field as well as lovers of rock art.

These three works cover the entire field of formation evaluation, from basic concepts and theories, through standard methods used by the petroleum industry, on to new and exciting applications in environmental science and engineering, hydrogeology, and other fields. Designed to be used individually or as a set, these volumes represent the first comprehensive assessment of all exploration methodologies. No other books offer the breadth of information and range of applications available in this set.