Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TerrACE (Terrace Archaeology and Culture in Europe)
Período documentado: 2020-06-01 hasta 2021-11-30
Terrace Archaeology and Culture in Europe (TerrACE) is tackling a neglected area of archaeology, namely the history of agricultural terraces in Europe by applying modern geoarchaeological and botanical techniques. We are also taking a broad definition of agricultural terraces including what have been called lynchets and this extends the range within Europe from Norway to North Africa. TerrACE aims to uncover how and when these landscapes were created, as well as what crops were cultivated in these engineered landscapes. Before the development of cities, terraces, were the largest engineering phenomena worldwide as almost all agricultural societies have built and used them over millennia because that allow high-productivity farming in marginal areas and can sustain high population densities. They are also cultural assets as recognized by UNESCO and the FAO. Yet despite this many are being abandoned and destroyed and this also poses a risk of enhanced soil erosion and releasing locked-up carbon. So agricultural terraces are important for society in several ways, for food security, erosion control and carbon storage. The overall aims are to answer a number of fundamental questions:
1. When and under what social and environmental conditions did the agricultural terraces develop?
2. How did terracing survive, were they in constant use, or frequently abandoned and reconstructed?
3. How was fertility maintained, what was the balance of erosion and soil production and how does this relate to the ancient literature on manuring and agronomy?
4. What implications do these terraces have for both European soil erosion trends and contemporary and future carbon sequestration through maintenance and abandonment?
These questions will be tackled via five objectives;
1. IMPROVE the mapping and 3D modelling of terraced landscapes (using drones and laser scanners)
2. DEVELOP terrace chronologies and dating methodologies using sediment dating and geochemistry (luminescence dating (OSL) and other sediment-based techniques, pOSL, XRF)
3. IDENTIFY past crops, biodiversity and management practices (phytoliths, pollen and aDNA)
4. INVESTIGATE terraces as carbon sinks and stores
5. PROMOTE terraces as Globally important Agricultural Heritage Sites (GIAHS) and their restoration and maintenance
1. When and under what social and environmental conditions did the agricultural terraces develop?
2. How did terracing survive, were they in constant use, or frequently abandoned and reconstructed?
3. How was fertility maintained, what was the balance of erosion and soil production and how does this relate to the ancient literature on manuring and agronomy?
4. What implications do these terraces have for both European soil erosion trends and contemporary and future carbon sequestration through maintenance and abandonment?
These questions will be tackled via five objectives;
1. IMPROVE the mapping and 3D modelling of terraced landscapes (using drones and laser scanners)
2. DEVELOP terrace chronologies and dating methodologies using sediment dating and geochemistry (luminescence dating (OSL) and other sediment-based techniques, pOSL, XRF)
3. IDENTIFY past crops, biodiversity and management practices (phytoliths, pollen and aDNA)
4. INVESTIGATE terraces as carbon sinks and stores
5. PROMOTE terraces as Globally important Agricultural Heritage Sites (GIAHS) and their restoration and maintenance
The project commenced with fieldwork several of our primary sites in Europe as listed below;
1. Full trench excavation at Plantation Camp, N England in the UK with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths, pollen and new HyPy 14C dating of black carbon (with ARS Ltd.).
2. Profiling and pits at Pays de Herve, Belgium with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
3. Storfjord, W Norway (3 fjord farm lynchets and terraces) with full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
4. Soave, Verona (3 systems) with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
5. Choiromandres, Sitia, East Crete with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
This leaves only Stymphalos in Greece and Villar d'Arene, Hautes Alpes, France left to do from our original primary site list. However, we have as a result of our website, talks and publications been contacted by several groups of archaeologists who have been excavating terraces either as the focus of the study or more commonly as part of archaeological landscapes. So far we have applied our methjodology to the following;
1. Blick Mead, Salisbury Plain, UK being excavated by the University of Buckinghamshire. This was thought to be a medieval terrace which had buried a much older Mesolithic landsurface - as a result of full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL, this narrative now needs revising as we also have a prehistoric terrace
2. Charlton Forest, Sussex UK. This is a late prehistoric to Romano-British landscape being excavated by University College London. We have undertaken with full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
3. Castronovo di Sicilia, Sicily being excavated by the University of York and te University of Rome. This is a medievel site complex, and we have undertaken with full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
4. Tinos, Cycladic Islands, Greece. Initial survey has started and work is scheduled for summer 2021.
5. Other secondary sites are planned in Crete, Norway, Spain, Italy and the UK.
(we must thank all our collaborators for these sites; David Jacques, Mark Roberts, Martin Carver, Alessandra Molinari, Sylvan Fachard, Kristoffer Dahle, Clive Waddington)
We have also published a number of papers on the methodology, both mapping and carbon storage, and also two theoretical and conceptual papers, one of the scientific methodology (Geomorphology) and one on the archaeology (World Archaeology). The later of these two papers included the first summed probability density model of terrace dates for Europe (Brown et al. 2021). This shows an apparent peak in terrace construction in the Classical Period (Greek and Roman) and a later larger peak in the 16th Century. However, this does not include all our results or all the dates sites now available for Europe and so will be revised.
Being only 2/3rd the way through the project we have only preliminary results but the main results achieved so far include;
1. Demonstration that agricultural terraces can story a significantly amount more carbon than non-terraced soils for long periods of time (millennia)
2. Using high-resolution structure from motion (SfM) from a drone (UAV) a high-precision DEM can be produced that can facilitate the automated recognition of terraces. With minimal sub-surface information that can be converted into a volumetric model of terrace storage.
3. Portable OSL (pOSL) is a very useful method for looking at terrace evolution and history.
4. So far at least 3 sites show evidence for multiple terrace use over several millennia
1. Full trench excavation at Plantation Camp, N England in the UK with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths, pollen and new HyPy 14C dating of black carbon (with ARS Ltd.).
2. Profiling and pits at Pays de Herve, Belgium with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
3. Storfjord, W Norway (3 fjord farm lynchets and terraces) with full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
4. Soave, Verona (3 systems) with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
5. Choiromandres, Sitia, East Crete with full sampling and the production of a high resolution digital terrain model (DEM) and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
This leaves only Stymphalos in Greece and Villar d'Arene, Hautes Alpes, France left to do from our original primary site list. However, we have as a result of our website, talks and publications been contacted by several groups of archaeologists who have been excavating terraces either as the focus of the study or more commonly as part of archaeological landscapes. So far we have applied our methjodology to the following;
1. Blick Mead, Salisbury Plain, UK being excavated by the University of Buckinghamshire. This was thought to be a medieval terrace which had buried a much older Mesolithic landsurface - as a result of full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL, this narrative now needs revising as we also have a prehistoric terrace
2. Charlton Forest, Sussex UK. This is a late prehistoric to Romano-British landscape being excavated by University College London. We have undertaken with full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
3. Castronovo di Sicilia, Sicily being excavated by the University of York and te University of Rome. This is a medievel site complex, and we have undertaken with full sampling and the analysis of geochemistry, phytoliths and OSL
4. Tinos, Cycladic Islands, Greece. Initial survey has started and work is scheduled for summer 2021.
5. Other secondary sites are planned in Crete, Norway, Spain, Italy and the UK.
(we must thank all our collaborators for these sites; David Jacques, Mark Roberts, Martin Carver, Alessandra Molinari, Sylvan Fachard, Kristoffer Dahle, Clive Waddington)
We have also published a number of papers on the methodology, both mapping and carbon storage, and also two theoretical and conceptual papers, one of the scientific methodology (Geomorphology) and one on the archaeology (World Archaeology). The later of these two papers included the first summed probability density model of terrace dates for Europe (Brown et al. 2021). This shows an apparent peak in terrace construction in the Classical Period (Greek and Roman) and a later larger peak in the 16th Century. However, this does not include all our results or all the dates sites now available for Europe and so will be revised.
Being only 2/3rd the way through the project we have only preliminary results but the main results achieved so far include;
1. Demonstration that agricultural terraces can story a significantly amount more carbon than non-terraced soils for long periods of time (millennia)
2. Using high-resolution structure from motion (SfM) from a drone (UAV) a high-precision DEM can be produced that can facilitate the automated recognition of terraces. With minimal sub-surface information that can be converted into a volumetric model of terrace storage.
3. Portable OSL (pOSL) is a very useful method for looking at terrace evolution and history.
4. So far at least 3 sites show evidence for multiple terrace use over several millennia
We have made some unexpected progress in several areas;
1. Where we could not date a terrace fill using OSL we have managed to date it (to later prehistory) using the hydrogen pyrolysis 14C methodology. This dates the so-called black carbon fraction which is the most resistant organic carbon component in the soil.
2. We have a number of findings concerning the persistence and stability of organic carbon in terrace fills and the key environmental factors
3. We have indications that at several sites burning may be an important and identifiable activity on ancient terraces.
By the end of the project we aim to have full chronological, functional and archaeological analyses of the 7 primary sites and probably as many as 10 secondary sites. This will be the biggest and most comprehensive set of terrace data Globally and should provide the basis for the in-depth analysis of key society factors such as economic, social and political drivers of landscape change. It will also provide an evidence base for many individual systems as well as terrace restoration and support from both national and European funds.
1. Where we could not date a terrace fill using OSL we have managed to date it (to later prehistory) using the hydrogen pyrolysis 14C methodology. This dates the so-called black carbon fraction which is the most resistant organic carbon component in the soil.
2. We have a number of findings concerning the persistence and stability of organic carbon in terrace fills and the key environmental factors
3. We have indications that at several sites burning may be an important and identifiable activity on ancient terraces.
By the end of the project we aim to have full chronological, functional and archaeological analyses of the 7 primary sites and probably as many as 10 secondary sites. This will be the biggest and most comprehensive set of terrace data Globally and should provide the basis for the in-depth analysis of key society factors such as economic, social and political drivers of landscape change. It will also provide an evidence base for many individual systems as well as terrace restoration and support from both national and European funds.