Tells are multi-layered, archaeological mounds representing anthropogenic landforms common in arid regions. In such contexts, the preservation of the archaeological record is mined by ongoing climate changes, shift in land use, and intense human overgrazing. Such natural and human-driven factors tune the response of archaeological soils and sediments to erosion. Geomorphology offers a plethora of tools for mapping natural and anthropogenic landforms and evaluating their response to unremitting weathering, erosional and depositional processes. Here, we present a geomorphological investigation on two anthropogenic mounds in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a special focus on the ongoing erosional processes mining their slope stability and threatening the preservation of the local archaeological landscape. Applying the revised universal soil loss equation model for soil loess derived from UAV imagery and implemented with geoarchaeological investigation, we assess the erosion rate along anthropogenic mounds and estimate the risk of losing archaeological deposits. We argue that a large-scale application of our approach in arid and semi-arid regions may improve our ability to (i) estimate the rate of soil and/or archaeological sediments loss, (ii) propose mitigation strategies to prevent the dismantling of the archaeological record, and (iii) schedule archaeological operations in areas of moderate to extreme erosion risk.

Geomorphological assessment of the preservation of archaeological tell sites / L. Forti, F. Brandolini, V. Oselini, L. Peyronel, A. Pezzotta, A. Vacca, A. Zerboni. - In: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. - ISSN 2045-2322. - 13:(2023), pp. 7683.1-7683.14. [10.1038/s41598-023-34490-4]

Geomorphological assessment of the preservation of archaeological tell sites

L. Forti
Primo
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
;
V. Oselini
Writing – Review & Editing
;
L. Peyronel
Funding Acquisition
;
A. Pezzotta
Writing – Review & Editing
;
A. Vacca
Penultimo
Writing – Review & Editing
;
A. Zerboni
Ultimo
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
2023

Abstract

Tells are multi-layered, archaeological mounds representing anthropogenic landforms common in arid regions. In such contexts, the preservation of the archaeological record is mined by ongoing climate changes, shift in land use, and intense human overgrazing. Such natural and human-driven factors tune the response of archaeological soils and sediments to erosion. Geomorphology offers a plethora of tools for mapping natural and anthropogenic landforms and evaluating their response to unremitting weathering, erosional and depositional processes. Here, we present a geomorphological investigation on two anthropogenic mounds in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a special focus on the ongoing erosional processes mining their slope stability and threatening the preservation of the local archaeological landscape. Applying the revised universal soil loss equation model for soil loess derived from UAV imagery and implemented with geoarchaeological investigation, we assess the erosion rate along anthropogenic mounds and estimate the risk of losing archaeological deposits. We argue that a large-scale application of our approach in arid and semi-arid regions may improve our ability to (i) estimate the rate of soil and/or archaeological sediments loss, (ii) propose mitigation strategies to prevent the dismantling of the archaeological record, and (iii) schedule archaeological operations in areas of moderate to extreme erosion risk.
Settore GEO/04 - Geografia Fisica e Geomorfologia
Settore L-OR/05 - Archeologia e Storia Dell'Arte Del Vicino Oriente Antico
Settore L-ANT/10 - Metodologie della Ricerca Archeologica
   MAIPE – Missione Archeologica Italiana nella Piana di Erbil
   MAIPE
   UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO

   Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022 - Dipartimento di SCIENZE DELLA TERRA "ARDITO DESIO"
   MINISTERO DELL'ISTRUZIONE E DEL MERITO

   Piano di Sostegno alla Ricerca 2015-2017 - Linea 2 "Dotazione annuale per attività istituzionali" (anno 2021)
   UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
2023
18-mag-2023
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/969935
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