Phosphate Fractionation of Soils at Agroal, Portugal

Bibliographic Data

ID2575202
AuthorsK T Lillios (0000-0002-0683-2428, Brandeis University, corresponding author)
Year1992
Volume57
Issue3
Pages495-506
Publication date1992-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/280937
OpenAlexW1982390867
LanguageEN
Citations received26
References cited10

Eidt (1973, 1977, 1984a) suggested that the analysis of soil phosphate fractions (I-III) could be used to identify land-use areas on archaeological sites as well as serve as a relative-dating technique. He noted that the total inorganic phosphate value (I + II + III) reflects the type and intensity of land-use practice, and he hypothesized that the ratio of Fraction II/I correlates with the time elapsed since soil enrichment. A test of these propositions was carried out in conjunction with the excavations at the settlement of Agroal (Portugal), which was occupied during the Bronze Age (2000-1000 B.C.) and Middle Ages (A.D. 1300-1640). Samples were taken from all archaeological levels of the site as well from soils with known land-use histories in the area of Agroal. Results of this study support Eidt's two principal hypotheses. First, there was a strong correspondence in the control soils between total phosphate values and the nature of land-use activities. Second, the ratio of Fraction II/I in the archaeological samples did, in fact, correlate with the relative age of the associated artifacts. A model of the site's land-use history, based on the total inorganic phosphate and the Fraction II/I values, suggests a significant alteration and degradation of the soil landscape during the Bronze Age, as a consequence of agriculture, herding, and refuse disposal, followed by less-intensive use during the Middle Ages

Archaeology · Bronze Age · Excavation · Fractionation · Geography · Period (music) · Phosphate · Physical geography · Settlement (finance) · Soil water · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Geology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Soil erosion and sediment transport · Soil Science