Geoarchaeology

The first textbook of geoarchaeology provides an excellent introduction to a multifaceted discipline that is related to archaeology as well as to physical geography and other geosciences. The overview of the broad methodological diversity of geoarchaeology makes this book a reliable reference for students, researchers and practitioners. It is therefore an indispensable tool for all those who deal with questions of environmental and cultural history.

Geoarchaeological issues are among the most popular topics within the disciplines involved. By deciphering geoarchives using modern dating and analysis methods and interdisciplinary approaches, it is possible to locate past cultures within their environment and reconstruct past landscapes. Especially in the age of global change, it seems all the more important to understand conditions, processes and dynamics of the past, not least in order to be able to apply insights gained to future developments.

The book was compiled byscientists from more than 30 different university institutes, authorities and research institutions. The editors are spokespersons for the Geoarchaeology Working Group, which was founded in 2004. Their more than 70 co-authors are among the most knowledgeable experts on their subjects in the German-speaking world and beyond.

Textbook on a dynamic and highly topical research discipline at the interface of the geosciences and archaeology A comprehensive overview of the wide variety of methods and indispensable tools in questions of environmental and cultural history Written by over 70 co-authors, the most knowledgeable experts in German geoarchaeology

Autorentext
Christian Stolz is a geographer and geomorphologist and teaches as an adjunct professor at the European University of Flensburg and at the universities of Mainz and Rostock.

Christopher E. Miller is a professor at the Institute of Natural History Archaeology at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen and is affiliated with the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment in Tübingen and the SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour in Bergen (Norway).

Inhalt
Part 1 Introduction.- What is geoarchaeology? - An introduction.- The past, present and future of geoarchaeology.- Geoarchaeological working groups in Germany.- Practical application and perspectives of geoarchaeology.- The training of geoarchaeologists and their career prospects.- Part 2 Research Topics.- Archaeological and geoscientific chronologies.- Stratigraphy and sedimentology.- Geoecological effects of historical land use.- Geoarchaeology in different landscapes.- Anthropogenic deposits.- Colluvia.- Soils and soil formation.- Taphonomy and post-depositional processes.- Part 3 Methods.- Field methods.- Methods of analysis.- Dating methods.- Methods of geoinformatics in geoarchaeology.- Geoarchaeological journals and publication outlets.