Agrarian archaeology in northern Iberia: Geoarchaeology and early medieval land use

Castillo, Juan Antonio Quirós; Nicosia, Cristiano; Polo‐Díaz, Ana; Árbol, María Ruiz del

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2013.10.003

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Excluding the works carried out on the Andalusi irrigated-terraced fields of València, Balearic Islands, or Murcia (Kirchner 1997, 1998; Barceló and Retamero 2005; Esquilache 2012; Puy 2014), the identification of terrace clusters has not been a major concern for researchers dealing with ancient terrace systems. Whether from single isolated terraces (Benedict 1966; Branch et al 2007; Ferro-Vázquez et al 2014) or from different scattered terraces located in the same basin or region (Smith and Price 1994; Ballesteros et al 2006; Kemp et al 2006; Bevan et al 2012; Quirós Castillo et al 2013; Jiang et al 2014), the obtained absolute dates have usually remained decontextualized from the terrace cluster where the dated terrace belongs, an exception being the work by Puy and Balbo (2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Radiocarbon dating of the topmost horizon of soils buried under terrace fills has been widely used to obtain absolute dates for the construction of ancient agrarian terraces (Ballesteros et al 2006; Harfouche 2006; Kemp et al 2006; Puy and Balbo 2013; Quirós Castillo et al 2013). Whether performed on charred material or on a specific fraction of organic matter (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite being extremely critical for the reliability of the chronologies for terrace construction, the aforementioned caveats are not always systematically discussed when reporting 14 C dates from buried soils under agrarian terraces (e.g. Ballesteros et al 2006; Branch et al 2007; Bevan et al 2012; Puy and Balbo 2013; Quirós Castillo et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Puy

Balbo²,

Bubenzer

2016

Radiocarbon

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oils buried under terrace fills have been widely used to date the construction of ancient agrarian terraces. The reliability of the obtained radiocarbon dates entirely depends on the degree of preservation and isolation of the Ab horizons and on the amount of embedded older carbon. To assess these caveats, we analyzed 14 14C dates (11 on charred material and 3 on the bulk organic fraction) obtained from buried soils under Andalusi terrace fills in Ricote, Spain (AD 711–1492). The preservation of Ab horizons was assessed through bulk analyses [particle size distribution (PSD), carbon analyses, magnetic susceptibility (Mag Sus)] and statistics [Welch’s ANOVA, MANOVA (Wilk’s lambda) and effect size tests]. The effects of older carbon were quantified through the systematic dating of Ab horizons within the earliest terrace cluster of Ricote. Our results show that (1) Ab horizons were not disturbed nor mixed with the terrace fills above; (2) the dates determined from the bulk organic fraction were statistically significantly older than those provided by the charred material, probably due to the higher stability of the microcharcoal fraction; and (3) the earliest dates measured on charcoal clustered reliably around cal AD 989–1210, suggesting that the first Andalusi irrigated terraces of Ricote were built between the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 13th centuries AD

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Puy

Balbo²,

Bubenzer

2016

Radiocarbon

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“…The project includes the study of a sample of abandoned settlements identified by means of written sources, toponomastics, oral traditions, and field survey, undertaken with the geoarchaeological and radiometric study of specific sites. This approach led to the investigation of livestock management practices (Sirignano et al, ; Grau‐Sologestoa, ), landscape transformations (Hernández‐Beloqui, ), agrarian spaces (Quirós‐Castillo, Nicosia, Polo‐Díaz, & Ruiz del Árbol‐Moro, ), and settlement patterns (e.g., Quirós‐Castillo, ). Since 2014, a systematic study has been under way at the abandoned settlement of Torrentejo in the Basque Rioja, an area characterized by a Mediterranean climate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing past terraced agrarian landscapes in the Ebro valley: The deserted village of Torrentejo in the Basque Country, Spain

Castillo

Nicosia

2019

Geoarchaeology

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The historical agrarian landscape features of the deserted medieval village of Torrentejo (Ebro Valley, southern Basque Country, Rioja Alavesa region) are presented here. This study relies on analyses of agricultural lands on terraces and, secondarily, of domestic occupation, funerary spaces, and of a medieval church. An archaeological excavation was carried out around the church, covering 800 m 2 , and exposing more than 2 m of archaeological deposits. The detailed study of 6 ha of terraced land made use of oral and written sources, historical aerial photos, and fieldwalking survey and mapping of each feature and retaining wall. Trial trenches were studied by means of soil analyses and micromorphology. The integration of buried and surface evidence provided a comprehensive sequence of phases of terrace construction and allowed us to document the progressive expansion of vineyard production. Three main phases within the last 1,300 years were identified and dated using radiocarbon. This paper examines the correlations between terrace fields, landscape history, settlement changes, and agrarian practices. K E Y W O R D S ancient agriculture, medieval settlements, micromorphology, terraces, vineyards SUPPORTING INFORMATION Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article.

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“…In NW Spain, 14 C dating of bulk and alkaline extracted fractions of buried soils under terrace fills has been used to obtain archaeologically consistent dates for the construction of ancient agrarian terraces (e.g. Ballesteros Arias et al 2006; Puy and Balbo 2013; Ferro-Vázquez et al 2014; Quirós-Castillo 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Fingerprinting of¹⁴C Dated Soil Organic Matter Fractions from Archaeological Settings in NW Spain

et al. 2018

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This paper evaluates the complexities of radiocarbon (14C) dates from soil organic matter (SOM) in archaeological scenarios. The aqueous NaOH-insoluble residual SOM from Neolithic to medieval sites in NW Spain produced consistently older calibrated14C ages than NaOH-extractable SOM. Using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation (THM-GC-MS), we analyzed the molecular composition of these SOM fractions, aiming to understand the differences in14C ages and to gain insight on SOM dynamics in relation to age fractionation. The molecular composition of the NaOH-extractable SOM, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of total SOM, has a larger proportion of microbial detritus than the NaOH-insoluble SOM. This might suggest that the discrepancies between the two fractions is due to microbial rejuvenation in the extractable fraction, leading to14C results that are younger than the activity that is to be dated. However, archaeological evidence presented here unambiguously shows that the14C age of the extractable SOM provides the more accurate age for the targeted activity, and that the insoluble fraction contains inherited old carbon. After statistical data evaluation using Partial Least Squares-Regression (PLS-R), it is concluded that this inherited SOM is a mixture of Black Carbon from wild and/or domestic fires and recalcitrant aliphatic SOM.

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Agrarian archaeology in northern Iberia: Geoarchaeology and early medieval land use

Cited by 26 publications

References 25 publications

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Reconstructing past terraced agrarian landscapes in the Ebro valley: The deserted village of Torrentejo in the Basque Country, Spain

Molecular Fingerprinting of¹⁴C Dated Soil Organic Matter Fractions from Archaeological Settings in NW Spain

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Agrarian archaeology in northern Iberia: Geoarchaeology and early medieval land use

Cited by 26 publications

References 25 publications

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Reconstructing past terraced agrarian landscapes in the Ebro valley: The deserted village of Torrentejo in the Basque Country, Spain

Molecular Fingerprinting of14C Dated Soil Organic Matter Fractions from Archaeological Settings in NW Spain

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Molecular Fingerprinting of¹⁴C Dated Soil Organic Matter Fractions from Archaeological Settings in NW Spain