The evolution of Mediterranean wetlands in the first millennium AD: The case of Les Arenes floodplain (Tortosa, NE Spain)

Puy, Arnald; Balbo, Andrea L.; Virgili, Albert; Kirchner, Helena

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.05.001

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Regarding the Ab horizon in T1, drainage is needed in hydromorphic terrains to prevent landslides and protect the stability of the terrace cluster in case of heavy precipitations and mounding of the groundwater. Although we do not have evidence for drainage in T1, we know that Andalusi farmers drained seasonally waterlogged soils in other centers of al-Andalus, such as in Tortosa (NE Spain) or Pla de la Vila (Ibiza, Balearic Islands) (González Villaescusa and Kirchner 1997; Puy et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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: 90%

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Puy

Balbo²,

Bubenzer

2016

Radiocarbon

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“…More wetland reclamation projects have been undertaken throughout the medieval period and up to the present day. Near Tortosa (Spain), the construction of drainage canals by Arab‐Amazigh/Berber groups likely contributed to the drying of the wetlands occupying Les Arenes floodplain, along the Ebro River, at the end of the 1st millennium AD . Wetland reclamation in Spain increased between the 16th and 19th centuries leading to a significant increase of the agricultural sector .…”

Section: Mediterranean Wetland Reclamation Through Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Near Tortosa (Spain), the construction of drainage canals by Arab-Amazigh/Berber groups likely contributed to the drying of the wetlands occupying Les Arenes floodplain, along the Ebro River, at the end of the 1st millennium AD. 127 Wetland reclamation in Spain increased between the 16th and 19th centuries leading to a significant increase of the agricultural sector. 128 At Polje de l'Etang (South France), a large wetland at the foot of Mount Saint Victoire seems to have been drained by the local community of Templar knights in the 12th century.…”

Section: Mediterranean Wetland Reclamation Through Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mediterranean wetlands: archaeology, ecology, and sustainability

2017

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We propose a long-term view of the evolution of human-environment interactions within Mediterranean wetlands, from prehistory to the present day, based on available published works. Our aim is to consider the sustainable use of these landscapes, past, present, and future, integrating perspectives from archaeology, ecology, and sustainable development. After briefly introducing the physiographic and ecological processes that characterize Mediterranean wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide to human populations, we consider their significance for three major questions in European archaeology: the Neanderthal extinction and the spread of modern humans, the introduction and spread of agriculture, human environmental impact since the Bronze and Iron ages. We then proceed with historical evidence of intentional transformation of Mediterranean wetlands by means of land reclamation, from the Classical to Medieval periods and into Modern times, before considering the current state of Mediterranean wetlands and the challenges they are facing in the present day. The preservation of wetlands has now become a priority issue at European level and generates concern for local communities and governing bodies, concerning biodiversity, maintenance of key services and cultural preservation. Based on the review of key events in the dynamic relationship between human populations and Mediterranean wetlands, we end by exploring available initiatives, tools and strategies to assess and support their conservation, governance and sustainable development, present and future.

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“…Samples with high organic content where pre-treated with hydrogen peroxide to remove organic material (Goldberg and Macphail, 2006). Values in microns (μm) were converted into phi units following established standards (Krumbein, 1938;Puy et al, 2014). Loss-On-Ignition (LOI) was used to analyse the content of soil moisture, soil organic matter, charcoal, calcium carbonate and mineral residue, used as proxies for differentiate alluvial soils from aeolian soils.…”

Section: Physico-chemical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-proxy survey of open-air surface scatters in drylands: Archaeological and physico-chemical characterisation of fossilised dunes in North Gujarat (India)

Conesa

Lobo

Alcaina

et al. 2017

Quaternary International

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This research aims at improving our understanding of open-air archaeological surface scatters in drylands, their extension and the intensity of human activities during their occupation. To do so, the study of physico-chemical proxies is integrated to that of archaeological artefacts by means of systematic field survey combined with laboratory sedimentary analyses and a robust statistical approach. In most dry regions, archaeological survey has traditionally aimed at the collection of artefacts. When present, the study of physical and geochemical samples has been limited to excavated archaeological levels. In this work, we evaluate the archaeological significance of physico-chemical proxies from surface samples collected within and around four mid and late-Holocene surface scatters in North Gujarat, a semi-arid region located at the south-west margin of the Thar Desert in India. The four archaeological scatters are found on top of fossilised sand dunes. Archaeologically, they represent subsistence strategies based on hunting and gathering, agro-pastoralism, or a succession/ mixture of the two. The four locations were systematically sampled across a linear transect. For each sampling unit, the archaeological materials were quantified and classified by means of a Linear Discriminant Analyses. Physio-chemical variables were ordinated in a PCA space and clustered through a Hierarchical Clustering. Results were displayed along the dune transect and integrated into a Correspondence Analysis. Significant differences are attested in the spatial distribution and content of Ca, P and grain size, allowing us to suggest a set of distinct cultural soilscapes that characterise the dunes of the study area: vertisols (agric horizons in interdunal lower slopes), aridisols (relict dune surfaces in the mid-slope), and anthrosols (top dune). The last show a strong correspondence with the presence of archaeological artefacts, and the different intensity of human footprint are discussed accordingly to potential past subsistence strategies and the intensity of human occupation.

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The evolution of Mediterranean wetlands in the first millennium AD: The case of Les Arenes floodplain (Tortosa, NE Spain)

Cited by 14 publications

References 84 publications

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Mediterranean wetlands: archaeology, ecology, and sustainability

Multi-proxy survey of open-air surface scatters in drylands: Archaeological and physico-chemical characterisation of fossilised dunes in North Gujarat (India)

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