Geoarchaeology and Heritage Management: Identifying and Quantifying Multi-Scalar Erosional Processes at Kisese II Rockshelter, Tanzania

Abstract

Natural and anthropogenically induced soil erosion can cause serious loss of the archaeological record. Our work shows the value of multi-scalar geoarchaeological study when excavating and re-excavating rockshelters in a highly dynamic sedimentary environment where erosion is prominent. Here we present our work on Kisese II rockshelter, Tanzania, originally excavated in the 1950s and largely unpublished, that preserves an important Pleistocene-Holocene archaeological record integral to understanding the deep history of the Kondoa Rock-Art World Heritage Center. Unlike rockshelters in quiescent tectonic settings, like much of central Europe or South Africa, Kisese II exists in highly dynamic sedimentary environments associated with the active tectonics of the Great Rift Valley system exacerbated by human-induced environmental and climate change. We report on our 2017 and 2019 exploratory research that includes integrated regional-, landscape-, and site-scale geoarchaeological analyses of past and present sedimentary regimes and micromorphological analyses of the archaeological sediments. Historical records and aerial photographs document extensive changes in vegetation cover and erosional regimes since the 1920s, with drastic changes quantified between 1960 and 2019. Field survey points to an increased erosion rate between 2017 and 2019. To serve future archaeologists, heritage specialists, and local populations we combine our data in a geoarchaeological catena that includes soil, vegetation, fauna, and anthropogenic features on the landscape. At the site, micromorphological coupled with chronological analyses demonstrate the preservation of in situ Pleistocene deposits. Comparison of photographs from the 1956 and 2019 excavations show a maximum sediment loss of 68 cm in 63 years or >10% of >6-m-thick sedimentary deposit. In the studied area of the rockshelter we estimate ~1 cm/yr of erosion, suggesting the ongoing removal of much of the higher archaeological sediments which, based on the coarse stratigraphic controls and chronology of the original Inskeep excavations, would suggest the loss of much of the archaeological record of the last ~4000 years. These multi-scalar data are essential for the construction of appropriate mitigation strategies and further study of the remaining stratigraphy.

An Overview of GIS-RS Applications for Archaeological and Cultural Heritage under the DBAR-Heritage Mission

“…The reasonable application of remote sensing technology in the census and registration of cultural heritage can quickly obtain more accurate and detailed information about the spatial location and construction control zone of immovable cultural relics and provide a scientific basis for decision-making on immovable cultural relic protection policies and planning [184][185][186]. Remote sensing data enables overcoming limitations imposed by climatic conditions and observation periods, allowing for the rapid, accurate, and macroscopic acquisition of information regarding the surface and near-surface cultural heritage.…”

A deep learning approach for automatic identification of ancient agricultural water harvesting systems

“…Additionally, the observed structures are covered by sediment and vegetation in some cases. Furthermore, natural and anthropological phenomena have significantly lost archaeological data ( Patania et al, 2022 ). Therefore, the geoarchaeological heritage of natural areas containing traces of anthropological activity is still poorly understood and under-researched ( Banasiak et al, 2022 ).…”