The soils of an Iron Age farm site ‐bjellands⊘ynæ, SW Norway

Using in‐field phosphate testing to rapidly identify middens at Piedras Negras, Guatemala

“…The application of phosphate analysis in archaeology was first developed in Europe in the 1930s, where pioneering efforts by Arrhenius (1931) and Lorch (1940) were followed by work of numerous scholars, including Dauncey (1952), Sieveking et al (1973), andProvan (1973). Their results indicated that areas of ancient occupation showed elevated concentrations of phosphate.…”

“…The most common application of soil phosphate analysis in archaeology is for pre-excavation prospection to locate or delimit archaeological sites (e.g., Ball and Kelsay, 1992;Dauncey, 1952;Eidt, 1984;Hammond, 1983;Provan, 1973;Sieveking et al, 1973). Soil chemical data provide important clues about activities within a given area when it has been difficult to judge from artifact data alone (e.g., Ball and Kelsay, 1992;Cavanagh et al, 1988;Coultas et al, 1993;Dunning, 1993;Lippi, 1988).…”

Multi-Element Analysis of Soils from Scottish Historical Sites. Interpreting Land-Use History Through the Physical and Geochemical Analysis of Soil

“…However, a similar pattern was observed by Edwards (1983) in the Old Kinord area, Aberdeenshire. Edwards suggested that the lower concentrations of P in the fields, as compared with the settlement area, resulted from the use of the land for arable cultivation as such areas will experience P depletion due to the removal of the crop at harvesting (Provan, 1973;Limbrey, 1975;Weymouth & Woods, 1985). Traditional Highland farming was characterized by poor yields and nutrient deficient soils.…”

“…As more organic matter is added to the soil, more microorganisms can be supported and this population increase results in faster decomposition of the organic matter (Limbrey, 1975;Stein, 1992). Consequently, the organic matter in manure is not persistent in the soil environment and any enrichment is likely to disappear over a relatively short space of time (Provan, 1973;Menzies & Chaney, 1974). Similarly, organic material with a high content of the alkaline earth elements, particularly Ca, is more readily decomposed than organic material low in these elements (Brady & Weil, 1996).…”

Quantitative phosphorus measurement: A field test procedure for archaeological site analysis at Piedras Negras, Guatemala

“…First, soil phosphates are analyzed in preexcavation prospecting to locate or delimit archaeological sites before excavation. This has been the most common use of phosphate analysis in archaeology (e.g., Dauncey, 1952;Provan, 1973;Sieveking et al, 1973;Hassan, 1981;Hammond, 1983;Eidt, 1984;Ball and Kelsay, 1992). Second, phosphate analysis is used as a tool in landscape archaeology to examine past agricultural practice (Coultas et al, 1993;Lippi, 1988;Dunning, 1993;Dunning et al, 1997Dunning et al, , 1998.…”