Geoscience of ancient Mediterranean harbours [An article from: Earth Science Reviews]

This digital document is a journal article from Earth Science Reviews, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Although much has been written on the subject of ancient Mediterranean harbours, the relatively new area of harbour geoarchaeology remains dispersed in the geoscience and archaeological literature. Over a decade of research has amassed rich and varied datasets of anthropogenically forced coastal evolution, with a remarkable number of between-site analogies. This new research field also shows the rich potential of geoscience to reconcile important archaeological questions. No single publication, however, has yet drawn on these geological patterns to yield a detailed overview suitable for geoscientists and environmental archaeologists. The aim of this review article is to (1) discuss how ancient harbours have come to be preserved in the geological record; (2) expound the basic principles and palaeoenvironmental tools underpinning ancient harbour geoarchaeology; (3) outline some of the most significant research advances made; and (4) discuss a new chrono-stratigraphic model applicable to harbour sequences.