Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Caves and Rockshelters as Archives to Study Processes of Change
Content:
Caves and rockshelters possibly represent the most striking site type in the global archaeological record and showcase deep sequences of anthropogenic deposits covering every period of human prehistory and history. Contrary to open-air sites, where organic materials rarely preserve, rockshelter occupations frequently resulted in cultural deposits consisting of a wide range of organic remains, spanning artifacts, zoological and human osteological remains. Some sites have also been subject to re-use, resulting in otherwise unobtainable archives of materials spanning several millennia. Such sites are crucial for reconstructing past cultural and natural systems, as they offer opportunities to study changes, not only in human societies, but also in the natural environment.
In this session we welcome contributions on two specific topics:
1) To explore the wide scientific research potential offered by anthropogenic cave deposits, acting as proxies for the study of long-term change. Questions may include: How do such sites compare to the data from open-air sites? How “representative” are they of general economic, social, and ecological developments? How can analyses of artifacts, soil, bone, and shell contribute to the study of changes within these domains?
2) To investigate and help re-engage the rich legacy datasets from old cave and rockshelter excavations. Many of the richest sites were found and excavated already during the 19th century, leaving very little for later investigations. What is the status of this material today, and what is the potential for new laboratory investigations? How can we engage with the leftovers from the early archaeologists? Are there still intact deposits preserved at the old sites suitable for the study of long-term change? Do we know about all the important sites, or are there still rich caves or rockshelters waiting to be found and excavated? How can such sites be found, and what characterizes their site locations?
Keywords:
Organic preservation, Long-term change, Archives, Proxies, Legacy datasets, Excavations
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Knut Andreas Bergsvik (Norway) 1
Co-organisers:
Adam Boethius (Sweden) 2
Erlend Jørgensen (Norway) 3
Affiliations:
1. University Museum, University of Bergen, Norway
2. Dpt of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, Sweden
3. Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research NIKU Tromsø
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