Session Details

Geoarchaeology is critical to understanding the archaeological record and the human past. It's the 'earth-science' approach to archaeological interpretation. The analysis of sediment and fossil records can inform about cultural activities in Quaternary environments. The application of geoarchaeological methods to the investigation and interpretation of processes in fluvial and coastal environments is of great value, considering that most of the early civilizations were established and flourished near to water sources (rivers, lakes, etc.) or by the sea. It is no overstatement to say that every major river system in the world contains important archaeological sites where sedimentological processes facilitate their initial burial and preservation, as well as their later erosion and exposure. Additionally, coastal settings provide a wide variety of depositional contexts that can influence human habitation and artifact accumulation. Furthermore, Dryland environments, being highly sensitive to ecological and climatological changes, are interesting regions for such palaeoenvironmental studies. This session aims to present new geoarchaeological surveys and new methods on geoarchaeology, historical ecology and allied methodologies that reconstruct past landscapes, environments, and the human footprint on natural systems. It will also present new techniques in fluvial and coastal environments, highlighting sea-land interactions with human installations, along with different geoarchaeological approaches applied to various dryland regions. This session will also present the latest research findings on geoarchaeological approaches, providing evidence for changes in environments, ecosystems, and geomorphology that affected regional archaeology.