Large Scale Geochemical Signatures Enable to Determine Landscape Use in the Deserted Medieval Villages
Abstract
Medieval settlement activities lead to the enrichment of nutrients in archaeological soils. The fundamental question we are asking is, whether the large-scale mapping of soil horizons can be used to interpret former medieval activities.
Portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) was used to map content of elements in soils over an area of 104.4 ha at the deserted medieval village of Hol. The methods were used to define differences in the geochemical composition of soil in different parts of village's residential and field area (as a quantitative part of the research).
Additionally we tried to interpret the results in terms of the variability of a natural environment and a medieval village (i.e. more qualitative interpretational part of a research). Results of XRF spectrometry showed notable differences in element soil composition in different parts of the village.
The presence of a very low content of soil P is probably caused by ineffective manuring practices with a combination of short duration of the agricultural cultivation. Nevertheless, P helped us to interpret the area of gardens in homesteads IX, X and XI, where the presence of wooden constructions for agricultural purposes is presumed.
The agricultural management at the deserted medieval village Hol was connected with organic waste and ash from homesteads (P, Sr, Zn, probably Mn). The spatial distribution of elements content and PCA allows us to claim, that we can differentiate function parts of the village based on the geochemical methods.
At the village we documented deteriorated natural conditions (pedological), for example the underground water level and eluvial horizons. These conditions could have already affected the medieval village Hol.
The deserted medieval village Hol does not differ from other deserted medieval villages, where similar low agricultural fertility is assumed (for example Kří).