Soil Science and Archaeology: Three Test Cases from Minoan Crete

Description

In this book Michael Morris presents a detailed study of the prehistoric landscape in three regions of Crete. He examines the development, stability, and physio-chemical composition of selected soils near three archaeological sites: Karphi, a Late Minoan IIIC “refuge site”; Chrysokamino, a Final Neolithic to Late Minoan IIIB farmhouse; Vronda and Kastro near Kavousi, two Late Minoan IIIC to Geometric sites. Morris offers conclusions on the history of the Cretan landscape and its formation processes, and how those processes contribute to our understanding of the human use of the landscape. The book will interest anyone involved with the archaeology of Minoan Crete, as well as those who study the pedological history of other regions.

Contents: Introduction; 1. The Environmental and Cultural Dynamics of Crete and the Eastern Mediterranean; 2. Karphi. Sedimentation and Pedogenesis; 3. Chrysokamino. An Investigation of a Vertisol in Eastern Crete; 4. Vronda and Kastro at Kavousi. Deposition, Erosion, and Pedogenesis of Alluvial and Colluvial Soils; Appendix A: Soils Profile Descriptions; Appendix B: Results of Total Element Analysis; Appendix C: Laboratory Methods.

Hardback: 176 pp., 39 b/w figs, 11 b/w pls, 19 tbs.
(Prehistory Monographs 4, INSTAP Academic Press, 2002)

ISBN-10: 1-931534-03-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-931534-03-1