Revealing the Monastic Kitchen: Chemical Analysis of the Soil Inside the Monastery of Cornellana (North‐West Spain)

The residues deposited on the floor of the kitchen of the monastery of Cornellana (Asturias, Spain), while it was still in use in the 18th century, have been analysed using different techniques, including the Kjeldahl method, phenol – sulphuric acid assay, FT–IR, SEM–EDX and LOI. This has allowed us to determine the areas of concentration of proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, phosphorus and carbonates, and thus approach the interpretation of the layout of the different areas of activity related to the treatment and cooking of foodstuffs in the kitchen. In any case, and regardless of the fact that this is the first time that these techniques have been applied to study a monastic kitchen in the Iberian Peninsula, the aim of this research is to demonstrate their applicability to other case studies of this integrated set of analytical techniques, some of which are not used very often in the analysis of concentrations of residues and analysis of areas of activity on archaeological soils.     

Preservation potential of charcoal in alkaline environments: an experimental approach and implications for the archaeological record

Charcoalified plant material (usually wood) has been described as being inert with a high preservation potential. Although usually black on both the outside and inside, the physical and chemical properties differ as a function of temperature and time of exposure to a heat source. Post-depositional processes however may exert additional affects on charcoalified material and introduce bias into the archaeological record. This work explores the influence of alkaline conditions, often encountered in the soil environment, on the preservation potential of charcoalified material. Charcoal, experimentally produced at different temperatures, was exposed to a number of solutions of potassium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide with different pHs, to simulate exposure to alkaline soil conditions. Under these conditions chemically mediated physical interactions occur resulting in fragmentation of the charcoal samples into (very) small pieces the size of which depends upon the initial temperature of charcoalification. Moreover further interactions result in a decrease in reflectance relative to samples not exposed to alkaline conditions. Although experimentally driven the potential for physical loss of charcoal from a particular site coupled with the reduction in (expected) reflectance of any resident material, has important implications for any conclusions drawn regarding the archaeological record.     

The legacy of past urban waste disposal on local soils

Many attributes of present day soils can only be explained by reference to land management in the historic past. This is particularly well expressed in the plaggen soils which occur extensively on the north European plain. These deepened soils owe their dominant characteristics to the application from the 12th century of turf materials, often impregnated with dung. Similar deepening of soils can result from the disposal of urban waste. This paper discusses the results of soil research focused on a small Scottish town (Nairn). A soil survey revealed topsoils of over 1 m overlying fluvioglacial sands and gravels; such deepening is explained by the use of town waste on the burgh's arable lands from at least the 17th century up until the mid-19th century when an integrated sewerage system was installed. Micromorphological study of this deepened topsoil revealed the presence of many small black carbonaceous particles. Oxygen:carbon ratios were calculated from microprobe results as a means of confirming the carbonaceous nature of these particles. Soil phosphorus was primarily concentrated on the perimeter of these particles. The high quality of present day soils on the edge of the town is explained by the disposal of waste material, which included much carbonised material. This paper is the first to highlight the importance and potential of examining the gradation in soils from urban to rural contexts.     

Identifying pottery clay from rice fields: an example from southern Luzon,the Philippines

The general type of clay used by potters can often be identified from attributes of the finished ceramic vessel or sherd. This information is important for compositional and sourcing studies and may also shed light on the variables influencing clay choice such as social, economic, and landscape use patterns. Rice paddies are one type of clay source that are readily identifiable in archaeological ceramics. This paper describes rice paddy clays gathered during ethnoarchaeological studies of traditional potters in Paradijon, southern Luzon, the Philippines. We analyze the effects of clay processing and vessel manufacture on these clays and find that the most diagnostic attribute of paddy soils, the iron oxide mottling, is retained in finished vessels.     

Professor Andrew Charles O'Dell,M.Sc., F.R.S.E.

Regional

The Economic Geography of France. By J. N. Tuppen. 22 × 14, 383pp. 66 tables, 40 figures, bibliography, index. Croom Helm, Beckenham, 1983. £16.95.

Urban France. Ian Scargill, 22 × 14, 186pp. Croom Helm, Beckenham, 1983. £14.95.

Transport Geography

Transport Geography. By H. P. White &; M. L. Senior. 28 × 15.5, 224pp., figures, tables, bibliography, index. Longman, Harlow, 1983. £6.95.

Transport for Recreation. Ed. D. A. Halsall. 22 × 14, 231pp. Inst. Brit. Geogrs., 1983.

Mobile Services in Rural Areas. By M. J. Moseley and J. Packman. 225pp. University of East Anglia, 1983. £8.

Educational

The Fabric of Geography. By W. Farleigh Rice. 24 × 18.5, 288pp. plus worksheets. Longman Harlow, 1983, £4.95.     

Relict Soils and Early Arable Land Management in Lofoten, Norway

Relict arable soils dating fromc.AD700 provide an opportunity to identify early arable land management practices in the agriculturally marginal landscapes of the Lofoten archipelago, northern Norway. Synthesis of field survey and soil thin section micromorphology supported by image analysis suggests that there was deliberate management of erodible sandy soils in sloping locations to create small areas of cultivation terrace, with a range of materials used as soil amendments to stabilize the accumulated soil and enhance fertility. Small areas of sandy soils in more gently sloping locations were also cultivated, again with a range of materials used as amendments and which contributed to a significant increase in soil thickness. The last phase of cultivation commenced during the late 1800s and involved the reclamation of wetter, peaty soils by spade. These patterns of arable land management are repeated in different parts of Lofoten and indicate that despite the climatic and economic marginality of arable activity in Lofoten, land management practices were developed and applied to permit barley production from small areas.     

The Empire Meets the New Deal: Interwar Encounters in Conservation and Regional Planning

British imperial and American experiences in conservation and planning are providing fresh interdisciplinary challenges for university teaching and research. The Roosevelt administration's ‘New Deal’ included government‐sponsored interventions in soil erosion and water management and sophisticated regional development agendas. Reviewing samples of the latter areas of concern, this article explores the proposition that, although the British Empire was scarcely bereft of comparable interwar programmes and was becoming somewhat preoccupied with centrifugal tendencies, persistent porosity, exhausting struggles with postwar reconstruction, and comprehensive economic depression, New Deal evangelism was in fact variously anticipated, harnessed, challenged and ignored. A discussion of widely separated national and regional examples locates a layered interplay between uneven imperial and US pulsations, independent local manoeuvres, and critical inputs from key individual agents. The most important filters included the presence of comparatively robust bureaucratic infrastructures and the cultivation of international relationships by scientists and technologists. Encounters with convergent revisionism suggest cautionary leads for students, researchers and teachers alike. Reconstructions of selected contexts underline the presence of familiar posturing, opportunism, and astute patriotic deployment during the emergence of modern styles of globalization.     

Soils and the location of Cacao orchards at a Maya site in Western Belize

Cacao was one of the most important crops of the lowland Maya. Ethnohistoric sources document that the Postclassic-Colonial Period Maya settlement of Tipu in western Belize was an important cacao-growing center, yet evidence of where the cacao was grown is not apparent. We analysed the suitability of floodplain, terrace, and bedrock soils for cacao cultivation. Our results indicate that the soils most likely to have been used for cacao growth were those on the modern floodplain of the Macal River, based on their suitable physical and chemical properties. In addition, buried stone walls of Late Classic or Postclassic age that may have been used for field demarcation were found on the floodplain, suggesting that this geomorphic surface was also utilized well before the time of Spanish contact, possibly for intensive agriculture.     

Phytolith taphonomy and distributions in archeological sediments from Panama

This paper presents the results of research into the nature, distribution and significance of phytoliths in archeological sediments from Panama. Four sites are investigated that span a time period dated by radiocarbon from 6600 BC to AD 500, and which encompass a range of human adaptations and ecological settings. The strengths and limitations of phytolith analysis are evaluated in relation to a diverse set of paleoecological issues. The results indicate that Panamanian archeological deposits contribute silicified structures from a large number of plant taxa. Phytoliths appear to be horizontally and vertically stable after deposition. There are problems in human paleoecology, such as the evolution of root cropping systems, that are not amenable to study with phytolith data. However, a considerable amount of information can be generated about some components of prehistoric seed cropping systems, wild plant usage, and landforms.     

The behaviour of lead as a corrosion resistant medium undersea and in soils

Lead is a highly corrosion resistant metal in some environments and an attempt has been made to show its strength and weakness under long-term corrosion in land and marine conditions by means of examples taken from archaeological contexts. Some analyses and thicknesses are given of the corrosion films found on them. The importance of fine grain size and the role of certain impurities in obtaining this may be one reason why the older leads are often more resistant than modern leads.