A Qualitative Approach for Assessment of the Burial Environment by Interpreting Soil Characteristics; A Necessity for Archaeological Monitoring

Abstract

Modern-day archaeological monitoring is often hampered by lack of money, lack of time, inadequate measuring equipment, and lack of insight in the conservation potential of a site.

Although in modern archaeological excavations soil characteristics are noted (colour, texture, groundwater level, and sometimes mineralogy), these characteristics are mainly used for the interpretation of a site. However, by looking to these characteristics from a conservational view eventually combined with the conservation status of the archaeological objects, much can be learned about the burial environment. This is essential for optimizing archaeological monitoring.

Degradation processes result from the change of reactive phases in the soil or the site. Reactive phases are soil components such as organic matter, sulfides, iron(hydr)oxides and carbonates (chalk, shells), and, if present, components in the ground or interstitial water such as hydrogen ions and sulphate. The presence of these phases can easily be established by the archaeologist or soil scientist in the field. We propose a simple field-based method for assessing degradation processes essential for in situ preservation and monitoring.

Keywords:

• archaeology
• in situ preservation
• reactive phases
• monitoring
• burial environment
• soil

The organization of the Paris 4 conference is thanked for the opportunity to present our paper. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for their critical comments that, we think, have improved the manuscript considerably.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bertil van Os

Bertil van Os was educated as a marine geochemist at Utrecht University. Since 2007 he has been employed by the Cultural Heritage agency as senior scientist. He works mainly on projects concerning the conservation of archaeological remains in situ and inorganic materials. His latest projects are the evaluation of the implementation of the Malta agreement in Dutch regulation, the influence of climatic change on the spreading of ship worm in the Baltic (Wreckprotect), lead corrosion in organ pipes, and the application of mitigating measures and the study of their effect on important threatened archaeological monuments.

Correspondence to: Bertil van Os, Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, Smallepad 5, 3811MG Amersfoort, Netherlands. Email: [email protected]

J W de Kort

Jan Willem de Kort trained as archaeologist at Leiden University (Archaeology of North Western Europe) and specialized in prehistoric archaeobotany and archaeology. He now works as a senior archaeologist and is responsible for all archaeological field activities from the Cultural Heritage Agency in the Pleistocenic part of the Netherlands.

Hans Huisman

Hans (D. J.) Huisman is a soil scientist and geochemist. Since 2003, he has worked for the Cultural Heritage Agency as senior researcher soil science and degradation. He has undertaken a series of research projects on degradation of archaeological remains and monitoring of archaeological sites, and edited and co-wrote a book on degradation of archaeological remains.