Alluvial Geoarchaeology
Floodplain Archaeology and Environmental Change

A comprehensive technical manual aimed at archaeologists, physical geographers, geologists and environmental scientists.

A. G. Brown (Author)

9780521568203, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 27 March 1997

404 pages, 29 b/w illus.
24.5 x 16.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.65 kg

"The book has a distinctive European flavor, with an underly theme that emphasizes the impact of humans on floodplain history. This book is written for the advanced scholar in that many assumptions about fundamentals of process geomorphology and cultural prehistory are assumed." An International Journal

This comprehensive manual is designed to give archaeologists the necessary background knowledge in environmental science required to excavate and analyse archaeological sites by rivers and on floodplains. Part I covers the techniques for studying alluvial environments, while Part II reviews the literature on the archaeology of alluvial environments and presents new information on alluviation and site formation in both the British Isles and Mediterranean. An important theme running through the book is the interaction between climatic and cultural forces and the transformation of riverine environments. Bringing together information on the evolution and exploitation of floodplain and river landscapes, it draws on examples from Britain, Europe, North America and Australasia. Alluvial Geoarchaeology will also interest physical geographers, geologists and environmental scientists.

Introduction and the example of the Nile
Part I. Principles: 1. Floodplain evolution
2. Alluvial environments over time
3. Interpreting floodplain sediments and soils
4. Floodplain ecology, archaeobotany and archaeozoology
Part II. Application: 5. Artifacts from floodplains and rivers
6. The rise and fall of forested floodplains in North West Europe
7. Buried sites
8. Managed floodplains
9. The cultural archaeology of floodplains
10. People, floodplains and environmental change
Appendices: 1. River flow and sediment transport
2. Flood frequency analysis
3. Documentary evidence and wetland perceptions
References
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Archaeology [HD]