Geoarchaeology in Action: Studies in Soil Micromorphology and Landscape Evolution

by Charles French

Overview

Geoarchaeology in Action provides much-needed 'hands on' methodologies to assist anyone conducting or studying geoarchaeological investigations on sites and in landscapes, irrespective of date, place and environment.
The book sets out the essential features of geoarchaeological practice and geomorphological processes, and is deliberately aimed at the archaeologist as practitioner in the field. It explains the basics - what can be expected, what approaches may be taken, and what outcomes might be forthcoming, and asks what we can reasonably expect a micromorphological approach to archaeological contexts, data and problems to tell us.
The twelve case studies are taken from Britain, Europe and the Near East. They illustrate how past landscape change can be discovered and deciphered whether you are primarily a digger, environmentalist or soil micromorphologist.
Based on the author's extensive experience of investigating buried and eroded landscapes, the book develops new ways of looking at conventional models of landscape change. With an extensive glossary, bibliography and more than 100 illustrations it will be an essential text and reference tool for students, academics and professionals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134482337
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/27/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Charles French

Table of Contents

Part 1: Some essential elements of geoarchaeology; 1: Issues and aims in geoarchaeology; 2: Processes of archaeological preservation; 3: Geomorphological processes; 4: Soils, sediments and buried soils; 5: Lowland and upland landscape systems; Part 2: Geoarchaeology in action; 6: The lower Welland valley, Cambridgeshire, England; 7: The Fengate shore, lower Nene valley and the Flag Fen basin, Cambridgeshire, England; 8: The lower Great Ouse valley, Cambridgeshire, England; 9: The development of the Cambridgeshire fenlands of eastern England; 10: The dyke survey in the northwestern Cambridgeshire fenlands; 11: Monitoring desiccation, erosion and preservation of sites and landscapes in the East Anglian wetlands and elsewhere; 12: Wyke Down and the upper Allen valley, Cranborne Chase, Dorset, England; 13: The lower Aguas basin, southeastern Spain; 14: The Troina river valley, north-central Sicily; 15: The Dhamar region, Central Highlands, Yemen; 16: The environs of Tell Brak, northeastern Syria; 17: The steppe at Botai, northeastern Kazakhstan; Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

'Reveals an astonishing diversity of sequences at the micro-regional scale ... this book is to be highly recommended to landscape historians and prehistorians.' – Landscape History

'This book [is] especially welcome since it is written in a clear and interesting style, accessible to student and field archaeologist alike ... a provocative and intelligent guide to the investigation of past landscapes using geoarchaeology.' – Antiquity

 

From the Publisher