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Integrated Prospection Methods to Define Small‐site Settlement Structure: a Case Study from Neolithic Hungary
Author(s) -
Salisbury Roderick B.,
Bertók Gábor,
Bácsmegi Gábor
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
archaeological prospection
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.785
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1099-0763
pISSN - 1075-2196
DOI - 10.1002/arp.1442
Subject(s) - prospection , human settlement , archaeology , settlement (finance) , geology , pottery , geography , remote sensing , world wide web , computer science , payment
Different human activities produce different material signatures, and therefore integrating several complementary prospection data sets provides a more comprehensive picture of site structure than any one method. We combine magnetic prospection data with soil chemistry and surface collection data from two small late Neolithic (ca. 5000 bc ) settlements in eastern Hungary. Magnetic gradiometer survey helps to define basic subsurface features. Semi‐quantitative soil phosphate analysis improves our understanding of vertical and horizontal settlement boundaries and the locations of some activity zones. Through the surface distribution of burnt daub and pottery, controlled surface collection aids in our interpretations of structure and preservation at these settlements, as well as providing dating evidence. Spatial analysis, including the interpolation of chemical data, is performed in a geographical information system. Results indicate two different settlement types at contemporaneous sites, and suggest excellent preservation for site types that are poorly understood, relatively rare and generally poorly preserved in the archaeological record of eastern Hungary. In addition, this work provides the first comprehensive depiction of spatial organization at small late Neolithic settlements in the region. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.