Soils and late‐Quaternary landscape evolution in the Cottonwood River basin, east‐central Kansas: Implications for archaeological research

Beeton, Jared M.; Mandel, Rolfe D.

doi:10.1002/gea.20367

Cited by 22 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…For example, according to Liu (:26), Middle Neolithic Yangshao sites in “these areas [Central Plains of Henan] are small and scattered, and tend to be located on relatively high ground.” We argue that this pattern is as likely a result of rapid alluviation as it is a real reflection of human settlement in the region. Thus, full‐coverage regional settlement survey methods and objectives (Kowalewski, ; Underhill et al., ) need to be carefully considered and geoarchaeological knowledge of these environments must be factored in to any understanding of the distribution of human settlements (see also Jing, Rapp, & Gao, ; Beeton & Mandel, ; Maher, ; and Nials, Gregory, & Hill, for similar examples in China and elsewhere).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

Kidder

Liu

et al. 2012

Geoarchaeology

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The Sanyangzhuang site, Henan Province, China, has a 12‐m‐deep stratigraphic sequence with remains from the Tang (A.D. 618–907), late Western Han (ca. 140 B.C.–A.D. 23), Warring States (475–221 B.C.), Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (ca. 5000–1500 B.C.), Middle Holocene, and Early Holocene times. All of the paleosols are deeply buried. We investigate four issues relevant to the archaeology of the lower Yellow River Valley. First, we confirm that the Yellow River flowed north toward Bohai Bay throughout most of the Holocene. Second, we expand understanding of Holocene paleoenvironments. Long episodes of landscape stability punctuated by brief periods of Yellow River flooding represent the dominant environmental pattern. Third, we investigate how the complex relationships between climate, culture, and the environment affect Yellow River flooding, which in turn shapes Chinese civilization and history. Flooding in late Western Han times affected a vast area of north‐central China; this catastrophe contributed to the downfall of the late Western Han Dynasty. Finally, this research sheds light on the role of Yellow River alluviation in site burial and preservation. Rapid alluviation in the region has buried many archaeological sites. Settlement pattern research needs to take seriously the limitations placed on site visibility in quickly aggrading floodplains. However, gentle alluviation has also preserved settlements and entire landscapes providing unparalleled opportunities to explore the archaeological and historical record of the lower Yellow River Valley.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

Kidder

Liu

et al. 2012

Geoarchaeology

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“…Human occupation of archaeological sites can be dated by relative or numerical methods based on artifacts, architecture, and/or stratigraphic records. Numerical ages are often obtained from radiocarbon dating of organic materials embedded in sedimentary deposits or of those that were used for construction (Beeton & Mandel, ; Broothaerts et al., ). For example, wood beams employed in the construction of a ceiling can provide information on the age of construction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quartz‐rich sediments in lacustrine and low energy fluvial systems (Fiebig et al., ; Rhodes, ) can be very suitable for OSL dating. Recently, OSL has been used to date lime mortars used in historical constructions (Goedicke, , ; Beeton & Mandel, ; Stella et al., ; Kraushaar et al., ; Urbanova et al., ), and has great potential for geoarchaeological studies (Woodward et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human–Landscape Interactions during the Early and High Medieval Period in Central Spain Based on New Estimates of Sediment Yield from the Melque Agricultural Complex

2016

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An agrosilvopastoral system and millennium of human occupation make Santa Maria de Melque an important archaeological site in Europe. Previous archaeological work mainly focused on ceramics and wooden structural elements of a church and anthracological, palynological, and paleocarpological analyses of sediments around a rural monastery. In this paper, we extend the geoarchaeological work to dams that were constructed nearby, applying innovative techniques such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and seismic refraction to help understand human–landscape interactions. Our OSL dating of dams and reservoir sediments provide a first detailed chronological framework for historical water storage in Central Spain. In Melque, the four dams were built consecutively during phases of Christian occupation, thereby assuring water availability to support agrosilvopastoral activities. The maximum splendor of the rural complex occurred during Phase III (Christian occupation, 12th–16th centuries A.D.). Dam construction was an integral part of the agricultural production system, and the reservoirs were effective as water harvesting systems in support of irrigated agriculture from the 7th to 16th centuries A.D. during the Early and High Medieval occupation of the site.

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“…In southern Indiana (Figure 1), upland sites usually occur in severely eroded contexts and provide little in situ information. Such sites are typically either destroyed through erosion during drainage basin development or deeply buried and not visible today (Monaghan & Lovis, 2005;Bettis, Benn, & Hajic, 2008;Guccione, 2008;Beeton & Mandel, 2011). Such sites are typically either destroyed through erosion during drainage basin development or deeply buried and not visible today (Monaghan & Lovis, 2005;Bettis, Benn, & Hajic, 2008;Guccione, 2008;Beeton & Mandel, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Riverine landscapes, including glaciofluvial terraces, offer better potential for intact deposits but have also been extensively altered by postglacial geomorphic processes. Such sites are typically either destroyed through erosion during drainage basin development or deeply buried and not visible today (Monaghan & Lovis, 2005;Bettis, Benn, & Hajic, 2008;Guccione, 2008;Beeton & Mandel, 2011). Although Paleoindian sites within buried contexts may be the most interesting, preserved, undisturbed surface sites are also important.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Bedrock‐Controlled Channel Migration Can Structure Selective Preservation of Archaeological Sites: Implications for Modeling Paleoindian Settlement

Herrmann

2015

Geoarchaeology

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Although Paleoindian sites in Indiana, USA, are commonly located on late Wisconsin (Last Glacial Maximum) outwash terraces, drainage basin development since deglaciation often obscures the visibility of such sites on flood plains by either burying them under alluvium or destroying them through erosion. Significant clusters of Paleoindian and Early Archaic sites, however, have been identified proximal to the modern White River channel in central Indiana on what is mapped as “floodplain.” These site cluster locations are patterned. They typically occur within bedrock‐controlled river reaches but are rare along unconfined meandering reaches. Subsurface reconnaissance and chronology indicate that despite the fact that they often flood, portions of the so‐called flood plains within bedrock‐confined reaches are actually terraces constructed of late Wisconsin outwash with minimal overbank sedimentation. Terrace preservation in these settings is a result of bedrock structure that protects older sediments from lateral erosion and differentially preserves archaeological sites near the modern channel in bedrock‐controlled reaches. Comparisons of archaeological sites within bedrock‐controlled segments of the White River to those in unconfined meandering segments suggests that significant numbers of Paleoindian and Early Archaic sites may be missing from river settings across the midcontinent. These findings demonstrate that bedrock channel controls are important to recognize when assessing prehistoric settlement distributions.

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Soils and late‐Quaternary landscape evolution in the Cottonwood River basin, east‐central Kansas: Implications for archaeological research

Cited by 22 publications

References 29 publications

The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

Human–Landscape Interactions during the Early and High Medieval Period in Central Spain Based on New Estimates of Sediment Yield from the Melque Agricultural Complex

How Bedrock‐Controlled Channel Migration Can Structure Selective Preservation of Archaeological Sites: Implications for Modeling Paleoindian Settlement

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