Synopses & Reviews
This comprehensive technical manual is designed to give archaeologists the necessary background knowledge in environmental science required to excavate and analyze archaeological sites by rivers and on floodplains. Bringing together information on the evolution and exploitation of floodplain and river landscapes, this text draws on examples from Britain, Europe, North America and Australasia. An important theme is the interaction between climatic and cultural forces and the transformation of riverine environments.
Review
"The book has a distinctive European flavor, with an underly theme that emphasizes the impact of humans on floodplain history. This book is written for the advanced scholar in that many assumptions about fundamentals of process geomorphology and cultural prehistory are assumed." An International Journal
Review
"...an excelleny source...A.G. Brown's carefully structured, and well-organized and illustrated volume stands out as one of the most successful of the Cambridge "Manuals in Archaeology" series." Canadian Journal of Archaeology"The book has a distinctive European flavor, with an underly theme that emphasizes the impact of humans on floodplain history. This book is written for the advanced scholar in that many assumptions about fundamentals of process geomorphology and cultural prehistory are assumed." An International Journal
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 338-371) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Introduction and the example of the Nile; Part I. Principles: 1. Floodplain evolution; 2. Alluvial environments over time; 3. Interpreting floodplain sediments and soils; 4. Floodplain ecology, archaeobotany and archaeozoology; Part II. Application: 5. Artifacts from floodplains and rivers; 6. The rise and fall of forested floodplains in North West Europe; 7. Buried sites; 8. Managed floodplains; 9. The cultural archaeology of floodplains; 10. People, floodplains and environmental change; Appendices: 1. River flow and sediment transport; 2. Flood frequency analysis; 3. Documentary evidence and wetland perceptions; References; Subject index.