Micromorphological interpretation of a “turf-filled” funerary shaft at St. Albans, United Kingdom

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

“…Many different authors have pointed out the difficulty in dividing archaeological palimpsests into assemblages that are correctly sequenced in time (e.g., Bailey 2007;Goldberg and Macphail 2006;Lucas 2012;Schiffer 1987;Yellen 1977). Nevertheless, there are numerous examples of geoarchaeological studies that have brought to light clear, well-preserved microstratification in what initially appeared as generally indistinct, texturally, or compositionally homogeneous sedimentary layers (e.g., Goldberg 2000Goldberg , 2001Goldberg , 2003Goldberg et al 2009;Karkanas et al 2012;Macphail et al 1998; see also Fig. 1).…”

The geoarchaeology of Mycenaean chamber tombs

“…Therefore, its application in the study of the deposits of the chamber tombs provided us with an extra tool for understanding the nature of the sedimentary features we observed in the field. Very few micromorphological studies have been conducted in burials and related earthen structures (Angelucci, 2008;Bookidis et al, 1999;Cremeens, 2005;Huckleberry et al, 2003;Macphail et al, 1998;Sherwood and Kidder, 2011) and the majority of the work has focused on defining the sourcing of the filling materials or the study of the associated constructions. Only the recent work of Sherwood and Kidder (2011) gives information on the details of the filling process of American earthen mounds.…”

Diatoms as bioindicators of site use: locating turf structures from the Viking Age

“…Hantzschia is commonly found on damp soils, requires open oxygen for growth (aerophilic) and is tolerant of organic pollution. It has also been encountered in domestic animal dung (Macphail et al, 1998) and may therefore be a result of tracked and trampled sediments brought into the longhouse or ash from dung fuel burned in the hearth. However, Hantzschia was not encountered in any of the modern control sediments from the farm where livestock are currently kept; we suggest the longhouse floor likely represents the natural living habitat of this diatom at Hrísbrú.…”