536 URBAN GEOARCHAEOLOGY: INTRODUCTION
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 03/12/2020

Geoarchaeological research, the application of earth science methods and concepts (geomorphology, geology, pedology, soil chemistry, mineralogy, etc.) in urban contexts has experienced an important development over the last decades. Especially the UK, France and Italy have longstanding traditions, but urban geoarchaeology has more recently also successfully been introduced in for example Belgium and the Baltic states, for example. In this introductory talk we intend to give a brief state of the art of urban geoarchaeology in different parts of Europe. We will touch upon the many different methods that have been employed, the need for multiscalar approaches ranging from the geomorphological study of the town and its surroundings to the micromorphological study of individual stratigraphic units, and how geoarchaeological research is integrated in the broader archaeological framework. We will further address a series of current topics, such as the impact of urbanization on soils; the use and organisation of urban space; urban stratigraphy and Dark Earth; ancient soil pollution in towns; reconstructions of the physical (geomorphological) environment, integrated environmental research involving close interaction with archaeobotanists and archaeozoologist, for instance, and the interactions of towns within their wider regions. Finally, we will discuss some of the challenges faced by geoarchaeological research in urban contexts.


Author(s): Devos, Yannick (Université Libre de Bruxelles) - Wouters, Barbora (Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Aarhus University) - Banerjea, Rowena (University of Reading) - Borderie, Quentin (Département de l’Eure- et-Loir) - Nicosia, Cristiano (University of Padova)