Soil micromorphological evidence of early agriculture in north-west Europe

R I Macphail (1) , M A Courty (2) , A. Gebhardt (3)

1 UCL - UCL - Institute of Archaeology
2 Laboratoire d'Hydrologie et de Géochimie Isotopique
3 IV - Image et ville

The study of early agricultural soils using micromorphology is outlined. The effects of tillage due to modern agriculture are reviewed and the results from four experiments in ‘prehistoric cultivation’ are presented. These are used in the interpretation of prehistoric agricultural practices, based on a study of soils from various archaeological sites in north‐west Europe. It is suggested that microfabric features, varying according to soil texture, can be diagnostic of tillage. Microfabric type, textural features (e.g. coatings) and structure are, taken together, better indicators of ancient tillage than single features.

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire; Environnement et Société

R I Macphail, M A Courty, A. Gebhardt. Soil micromorphological evidence of early agriculture in north-west Europe. World Archaeology, 1990, Soils and Early Agriculture, 22 (1), pp.53-69. ⟨10.1080/00438243.1990.9980129⟩. ⟨hal-02275725⟩