Alluvial Geoarchaeology : Floodplain Archaeology and Environmental Change

by A. G. Brown

• ISBN13: 9780521568203
• ISBN10: 052156820X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-04-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This comprehensive manual is designed to give archaeologists the necessary background knowledge in environmental science required to excavate and analyse archaeological sites by rivers and on floodplains. Part I covers the techniques for studying alluvial environments, while Part II reviews the literature on the archaeology of alluvial environments and presents new information on alluviation and site formation in both the British Isles and Mediterranean. An important theme running through the book is the interaction between climatic and cultural forces and the transformation of riverine environments. Bringing together information on the evolution and exploitation of floodplain and river landscapes, it draws on examples from Britain, Europe, North America and Australasia. Alluvial Geoarchaeology will also interest physical geographers, geologists and environmental scientists.

Table of Contents

Introduction and the example of the Nile

Part I. Principles: 1. Floodplain evolution

2. Alluvial environments over time

3. Interpreting floodplain sediments and soils

4. Floodplain ecology, archaeobotany and archaeozoology

Part II. Application: 5. Artifacts from floodplains and rivers

6. The rise and fall of forested floodplains in North West Europe

7. Buried sites

8. Managed floodplains

9. The cultural archaeology of floodplains

10. People, floodplains and environmental change

Appendices: 1. River flow and sediment transport

2. Flood frequency analysis

3. Documentary evidence and wetland perceptions.