A future for Dark Earth?

Macphail, Richard I.; Galinié, Henri; Verhaeghe, Frans

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00092334

Cited by 61 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The connection between humans and ADEs, made in the Amazon in the 19 th century, was not widely accepted in scientific circles until the latter part of the 20 th century (Sombroek 1966;Woods 2003:3). The English term ‗dark earth' was coined in Britain in 1912, but it is only since 1973 that the phenomenon has been recognisedspecifically through soil micromorphological studies-as a product of decay of the built environment (Macphail et al 2003). Because many European dark earths, including those in Britain, are buried by later cultural deposits, the dark earths are studied for what they can reveal about the past rather than for their cultivability.…”

Section: The Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Marco Gonzalez Maya site, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Assessing the impact of human activities by examining diachronic processes at the local scale

Graham

Macphail

Turner

et al. 2017

Quaternary International

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Research at the Maya archaeological site of Marco Gonzalez on Ambergris Caye in Belize is socio-ecological because human activities have been a factor in the formation and fluctuation of the local marine and terrestrial environments over time. The site is one of many on Belize's coast and cayes that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured soils. These soils, although sought for cultivation, are not typical 'Amazonian Dark Earths' but instead are distinctive to the weathering of carbonate-rich anthropogenic deposits. We tentatively term these location-specific soils as Maya Dark Earths. Our research seeks to quantify the role of human activities in long-term environmental change and to develop strategies, specifically Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), that can be applied to environmental impact modelling today. AbstractResearch at the Maya archaeological site of Marco Gonzalez on Ambergris Caye in Belize is socio-ecological because human activities have been a factor in the formation and fluctuation of the local marine and terrestrial environments over time. The site is one of many on Belize's coast and cayes that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured soils. These soils, although sought for cultivation, are not typical ‗Amazonian Dark Earths' but instead are distinctive to the weathering of carbonate-rich anthropogenic deposits. We tentatively term these location-specific soils as Maya Dark Earths. Our research seeks to quantify the role of human activities in long-term environmental change and to develop strategies, specifically Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), that can be applied to environmental impact modelling today.

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Section: The Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Marco Gonzalez Maya site, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Assessing the impact of human activities by examining diachronic processes at the local scale

Graham

Macphail

Turner

et al. 2017

Quaternary International

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“…The term Dark Earth refers to dark, seemingly homogeneous, thick deposits found in urban settings, generally dated to the post-Roman period (see Macphail, Galinié, & Verhaeghe, 2003;Galinié, 2004;Fondrillon, 2007;Macphail, 2010). Interest in Dark Earth has developed since the late 1970s throughout Europe in relation to the study of the transformation of urban space after the collapse of the Roman Empire.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medieval Dark Earth in an Active Alluvial Setting from the Uffizi Gallery Complex in Florence, Italy

Nicosia¹,

Langohr

Mees

et al. 2012

Geoarchaeology

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Archaeological excavations at the Biblioteca Magliabechiana, which is part of the Uffizi gallery complex in Florence (Tuscany, central Italy), exposed Dark Earth deposits between alluvial sediments of the nearby Arno River. The term Dark Earth refers to thick, dark colored, and seemingly homogeneous deposits occurring in urban settings throughout Europe, broadly dated to the post- Roman period. The stratigraphic sequence of the Biblioteca Magliabechiana was investigated by integrating geomorphological, chronological, and archaeological information with micromorphological and soil analytical data. This combination of approaches resulted in the identification of an early phase of Dark Earth formation (7th century A.D.) during which the area was characterized by the accumulation of manure or night soil in wet peri-fluvial conditions. After a phase of abandonment, Dark Earth accretion resumed (10th to early 11th century A.D.), at this stage due primarily to the dumping of domestic waste. Subsequent progressive abandonment of the area was followed by the deposition of alluvium, probably during the major flood of November 4, 1177. The present study demonstrates that Dark Earth is the outcome of strong bioturbation and human reworking acting on anthropogenic deposits and possibly on alluvial sediments

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“…Coupling multiple techniques yields especially robust datasets. This strategy has been applied to numerous archaeological sites of different nature and age, from Pleistocene open air hominin sites (e.g., Albert et al 2009;Ashley and Driese 2002;Bamford et al 2008;Liutkus and Ashley 2003;Macphail 1999;Mallol 2006) to Holocene urban settings (e.g., Macphail et al 2003Macphail et al , 2007aMilek and Roberts 2013;Nicosia et al 2012;Shillito et al 2011;Shillito 2011).…”

Section: Unconformable Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contacts under the lens: Perspectives on the role of microstratigraphy in archaeological research

Mallol

Mentzer

2015

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Achieving an accurate perception of time and context remains a major challenge in archaeology. This paper highlights the potential benefits of microstratigraphic study to address this goal, drawing on case studies from Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Iron Age archaeological sites. First, we discuss the importance of site formation reconstruction and the ways in which current field methods approach the sedimentary record. Then, we focus on both field identification and highresolution study of stratigraphic contacts, which are ubiquitous in archaeological deposits. Examples are presented to highlight the role of microstratigraphy in characterizing the nature of contacts and their significance for archaeological interpretation. A microstratigraphic approach is especially useful for distinguishing between contacts that originate from changes in depositional processes and contacts that form as a result of postdepositional processes such as pedogenesis, diagenesis, or burning. Further examples show how "invisible" anthropogenic surfaces and different kinds of occupation deposits can come to light at a microscopic scale of observation. Finally, we illustrate cases in which what appeared to be sterile layers in the field yielded anthropogenic elements. In the end, we discuss how archaeological projects might incorporate microstratigraphic analyses and their results within broader research frameworks that prioritize site formation process reconstruction.

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A future for Dark Earth?

Cited by 61 publications

References 5 publications

The Marco Gonzalez Maya site, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Assessing the impact of human activities by examining diachronic processes at the local scale

The Marco Gonzalez Maya site, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Assessing the impact of human activities by examining diachronic processes at the local scale

Medieval Dark Earth in an Active Alluvial Setting from the Uffizi Gallery Complex in Florence, Italy

Contacts under the lens: Perspectives on the role of microstratigraphy in archaeological research

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