Human Transformations of the Earth

Charles French is Professor Emeritus of Geoarchaeology and Director of the McBurney Laboratory for Geoarchaeology in the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. He specialises in the analysis and interpretation of buried landscapes using geomorphological and micromorphological techniques, and has been involved in many landscape projects around the world.

Preface

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction: Geoarchaeological approaches in archaeology

1.1 Endeavour

1.2 Development of the discipline of geoarchaeology as part of archaeological investigations

1.3 Importance to archaeology

2. Methodological approaches

2.1 Approaches in the field

2.1.1 Landscape to soil-scape

2.1.2 Soils and palaeosols

2.1.3 Formulating research designs

2.2 Basic characterisation techniques

2.2.1 Field prospection and soil/sediment profile description

2.2.2 pH and water quality

2.2.3 Loss-on ignition

2.2.4 Magnetic susceptibility

2.3 More involved techniques

2.3.1 Phosphorus (or phosphate) content

2.3.2 Multi-element analysis

2.3.3 Soil nutrient and fertility status

2.3.4 Micromorphology

2.3.5FTIR, XRF, EDAX, XRD and SEM

2.4 Establishing chronologies: Radiocarbon, OSL and Bayesian statistics

2.5 Scales of resolution

2.6 Soil nomenclature and classification

3. Soil transformation trajectories in temperate European landscapes

3.1 The beginnings to woodland soil development

3.2 Disturbance and degradation of woodland soils

3.3 Agricultural soil development

3.4 Woodland to pasture soils

3.5 Acidification and podzolisation

3.6 Erosion and colluviation

3.7 Alluviation, floodplains and waterlogging

3.8 Wetland soils

3.9 Cumulative soils

4. Soil transformation trajectories in southern Mediterranean landscape systems

4.1 Brown to red Mediterranean soils

4.2 Xeric calcitic soils and soil erosion

4.3 Erosion, alluviation and wadi development

5. Soil transformation trajectories in arid/semi-arid soil systems

5.1 Aridisols

5.2 Colluvial/alluvial systems

5.2.1 The Burj-Masadpur area of the Indus valley, northern India

5.2.2 The central Rio Puerco, New Mexico

5.2.3 The lower Ica valley, southern Peru

5.2.4 The Kerio-Embobut valleys in Marakwet, north-central Kenya

5.3 Terracing and irrigation

5.3.1 Aksum, northern Ethiopia

5.3.2 Konso, southern Ethiopia,

5.3.3 Engaruka, northern Tanzania

5.3.4 Sangayaico in the upper Ica valley, southern Peru

6. Timescales and longevity of soil processes

6.1 Timescales and longevity of soil properties

6.2 Soil horizonation and structural development

6.3 Within-soil illuviation and textural changes: stability, disturbance and erosion

7. Understanding long-term resilience in transformed soils

Bibliography

Appendices

1. Site gazeteer