Caring about Sediments

The Role of Cultural Geoarchaeology in Mediterranean Landscapes

Abstract

Geoarchaeology and, in particular, the way in which it is exploited in the Mediterranean, emphasises the study of human and climate impact on the geomorphic system. This paper assesses some of the problems with this approach, as well as some of the more recent uses of Mediterranean geoarchaeology, where authors tend to underplay the importance of geoarchaeological processes in the past. Case studies from two different environment types in Provence (south of France) are presented. These are used to demonstrate how we might employ geoarchaeological information in discourses that emphasise human appreciation and perception of natural processes and geomorphological features in the past.