The urbanisation process has a huge impact on both the urban and rural landscape. Not only does it thoroughly modify the urban area, it also has a tremendous impact on the rural hinterland. We propose to take medieval Brussels (Duchy of Brabant) as an example to illustrate this complex issue. According to our different fields of research, a multidisciplinary point of view will be adopted, combining urban history (the study of human urban society), rural history (agricultural developments and rural socio-economic change), historical geography (interaction between medieval people and their spatial environment) and natural sciences (through the archaeopedological and phytolith study of Dark Earth). Firstly, we briefly discuss the essential concepts ‘medieval city’ and ‘medieval urban landscape’ and try to apply them to the case of medieval Brussels. Secondly, we address some essential characteristics of landscape transformation, by tackling the major stages of the emergence and development of medieval Brussels and its changing impact on the regional landscape. We argue that the urbanisation process, generally allocated solely to the urban area, is key to understanding landscape transformation of the medieval territory of Brussels.

Multidisciplinary micro- and bioarchaeological analyses of late medieval deposits from suburban Cártama, Málaga, Spain, have, for the first time, confidently identified open air fumier deposits, which are supported by preliminary analysis of the faunal assemblage. This demonstrates that Andalusi livestock husbandry practices included periodically burning animal dung within corrals and pens, which is a long-standing practice in the Mediterranean region also observed in prehistoric transhumance. These techniques have commonly been applied to prehistoric fumier or pastoral sites and now demonstrate the importance of expanding micro- and bioarchaeological work to fumier sequences from other periods. This research from Cártama offers a window into the so-called medieval “Green Revolution” associated with Arab migrations and highlights the necessity of identifying in situ penning deposits on archaeological sites and of applying high resolution analyses to examine them. The analyses reveal data on animal feeds, including pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) which are rare in the Iberian Peninsula at this time, the use of plant resources in livestock husbandry, and the preparation of fertiliser, which are central to understanding farming practices in Al-Andalus.

Whereas environmental studies are today an important part of urban archaeological research in many towns and cities in Europe, they often focus on individual sites and do not always result in larger syntheses. To exploit the full potential of urban environmental studies in Brussels, Belgium, a specific framework has been developed, explicitly aimed at coping with the inherent complexity of urban investigations, including the variety of research themes that need to be dealt with, the challenges of fast-evolving environmental research, and how to address the needs of different stakeholders. This article discusses how the framework was created, the challenges that have been dealt with over the past few decades, and how we can further improve the framework for the future.

To understand human practices and landscape evolution it is crucial to be able to trace evidence of past fires, notably in tropical environments. In such anthromes, phytoliths are generally well preserved and provide local signals on the environment. However, the different approaches to identifying burnt or heated phytoliths have proved inadequate. The recent investigation of auto-fluorescent phytoliths as proxy indicators of fire opens up new possibilities, however such studies have so far been limited to European temperate regions. The present contribution further explores the potential of this technique, attempting to reconstruct fire histories in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Therefore, we investigated various modern and ancient contexts in Guatemala, Senegal and the Canary Islands using descriptive and quantitative approaches to fluorescence. This comparative process revealed a diversity of fluorescence responses depending on the ecosystems studied, with anthropized areas often producing more fluorescent phytoliths. These results were obtained despite the use of different extraction and mounting methods. In contrast, coloured phytoliths, often considered an indicator of environmental burning, proved not very informative in some of the samples. This study reinforces our conviction that the auto-fluorescence of phytoliths is a universal phenomenon and is useful as a new proxy for detecting ancient fire in tropical and subtropical archaeological and palaeoenvironmental deposits.

Terraces in Monti Lucretili reveal long-term land management strategies, Interdisciplinary approach needed to assess historical terraces' dating and usage

Traditionally, phytolith analyses are carried out by extraction from bulk (sediment) samples. This technique provides valuable information, not only on the morphological and/or taxonomic assignment of phytoliths, but also on their concentration (quantitative analysis). However, extraction leads to the loss of the (micro-)context in which they are embedded. Over the past 20 years, the study of phytoliths in soil thin sections has proven to be a consistent method. As phytoliths are neither removed from their sedimentary matrix nor artificially concentrated, their analysis provides information on their taphonomical history, but their morphological identification is sometimes limited. Therefore, it seems obvious that the next step to improve phytolith analysis is to combine the two approaches. The aim of this paper is to explore the potential of this integration. For this purpose, we focus on the urban Dark Earth of the DIVA-site (Antwerp, Belgium), with a chronology between the end of the Gallo-Roman Empire and the 11th century AD. Three different stratigraphic units, micromorphologically recognized within the Dark Earth, have been studied. They correspond to an agricultural field, unconsolidated walking surfaces and a floor. Our results confirm the added value of combining the two methods. The possibility of observing the phytoliths in their (micro-)context allowed us to characterize each stratigraphic unit with a particular phytolith assemblage. At the same time, the information derived from the bulk samples overcomes the difficulties in the morphological identification of phytoliths in soil thin sections.

In the Eastern Torres Strait, a multi-proxy approach combining micro- and macro-scale geoarchaeological techniques has been applied at Ormi (Dauar Island), an archaeological midden site dating from 2600-2250 cal. BP. This study combines soil micromorphology with particle size analysis and geochemical analyses (Carbon/Nitrogen ratios; Total Phosphorus (Pt) and Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF)) to assess integrity of the deposits. The geoarchaeological analyses provide new insights into site formation processes, while microscopic analyses on paleosols allow settlement chronologies (including those associated with pottery) to be refined.

Agricultural terraces are labor-intensive to build and maintain but often serve as key productive areas due to their potential for irrigation and enhanced soil depth in challenging terrains worldwide. However, their cultural and historical significance as records of past events is often overlooked, despite historical terraces being potential hotspots of soil memory because of intensive human-environment interactions.The terraced landscape of Monti Lucretili in Central Italy was selected to apply the soil memory framework to agricultural terraces. This area has long been used for pastoral and agricultural practices and is likely culturally connected to the Medieval castle of Montefalco. A multi-scalar approach is being applied, from landscape to molecular level, through a set of high-resolution techniques. Six limestone-wall bench terrace soils were described in the field (WRB, 2022), with undisturbed blocks collected for soil micromorphology and bulk samples for phytoliths, geochemistry, lipids, and sedaDNA analyses. For dating the features, bulk sediment samples were collected and subjected to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) profiling in the field using a portable luminescence reader, and subsequent OSL dating in the laboratory.Preliminary results suggest that five of the studied terrace walls in Monti Lucretili were constructed near karstic dissolution holes where vertic and proto-vertic soil properties are buried by the wall stones and younger terrace sediments. In contrast, the closest terrace to the castle of Montefalco lacks buried clayey horizons, with the karstic hole filled with chert artifacts. This possibly indicates early land management strategies that eroded the paleo-Vertisol. The terrace soils often include gravels and rocks from both slope processes and artifacts (mainly cherts and bricks). Vitric properties are also present, along with poorly-weathered pyroxenes, indicating volcanic deposits stratigraphically correlated to the first stages of the terrace construction.Furthermore, finer stratifications and bioturbation (with crumb structures) in the superficial horizons are identified, which might indicate the period of terrace abandonment. The OSL profiling in the field showed net signal intensities displaying similar trends for each terrace soil, with normal signal-depth progression. This indicates the gradual burying of the materials behind the terrace walls and might be related to minimum historical plowing.

During the preventive archaeological excavation in the cellar of the site of petite Rue des Bouchers in the historical centre of Brussels (Belgium), the waterlogged remains of a thirteenth century AD sunken byre (potstal) were discovered. The exceptional preservation instigated a multiproxy approach, including micro-archaeology, micromorphology, phytolith and endoparasite egg analysis on thin sections, palynology and the study of plant macroremains on the fill of the structure. Beyond permitting to detail the content and the multiple origins of the fill (including excremental waste and urines, fodder and bedding material, plaggen and/or soil sods, household and construction waste), this study also provides detailed insights into the foddering customs, hygienic conditions within the stable, and the health status of the animals kept. On a more general scale this study documented late medieval farming practices in Brussels, more specifically the need to collect substantial amounts of manure to add as fertilizer onto the cultivated poor sandy soils.

Cultivation pits represented the principal form of horticultural features developed by past atoll communities in Central-East Polynesia (CEP), and they are still utilised on some atolls in Oceania. The majority of information about the use of cultivation pits in CEP derives from ethnographic and preliminary archaeological investigations. The lack of excavations with rigorous stratigraphic sampling and analyses has constrained the recovery of environmental information associated with these agro-technical features. Using a combination of geoarchaeological techniques, including field observations, physico-chemical analyses and soil micromorphology, this study focuses on sedimentary deposits from a cultivation pit (MAITE-01) on Teti'aroa atoll, in the Society Islands. We demonstrate how micro-geoarchaeological investigations can advance research and offer new interpretations to study past human interactions within environments long considered "lost causes" to detailed archaeostratigraphic interpretation. High-resolution geoarchaeological techniques reveal details about pit construction and provide indirect evidence of the integration of human-animal interaction into the horticultural system. Les fosses de culture repr & eacute;sentent la principale forme d'am & eacute;nagement horticole d & eacute;velopp & eacute;e par les anciennes communaut & eacute;s install & eacute;es sur les atolls de Polyn & eacute;sie centre-orientale (PCO). Cette technique horticole est toujours pratiqu & eacute;e sur certains atolls d'Oc & eacute;anie. La majorit & eacute; des connaissances sur l'utilisation des fosses de culture en PCO proviennent d'enqu & ecirc;tes ethnographiques et d'& eacute;tudes arch & eacute;ologiques pr & eacute;liminaires. L'absence de fouilles, d'& eacute;chantillonnage et d'analyse stratigraphique rigoureux ont fortement restreint notre compr & eacute;hension des informations environnementales associ & eacute;es & agrave; ces sp & eacute;cificit & eacute;s agrotechniques. En s'appuyant sur une combinaison de techniques g & eacute;oarch & eacute;ologiques, incluant des observations de terrain, des analyses physico-chimiques et de micromorphologie des sols, cette & eacute;tude se concentre sur les d & eacute;p & ocirc;ts s & eacute;dimentaires d'une fosse de culture (MAITE-01) sur l'atoll de Teti'aroa, dans les & icirc;les de la Soci & eacute;t & eacute;. Nous d & eacute;montrons comment les investigations micro-g & eacute;oarch & eacute;ologiques peuvent faire progresser la recherche sur ce sujet et proposer de nouvelles interpr & eacute;tations pour & eacute;tudier les interactions humaines pass & eacute;es dans des environnements longtemps consid & eacute;r & eacute;s comme des << causes perdues >> sans interpr & eacute;tation arch & eacute;ostratigraphique possible. Les techniques g & eacute;oarch & eacute;ologiques & agrave; haute r & eacute;solution portent aujourd'hui un nouveau regard sur la construction de telles fosses et t & eacute;moignent indirectement des interactions homme-animal ainsi que de leur int & eacute;gration dans le syst & egrave;me horticole traditionnel.

Archaeological excavations in urban and rural contexts often uncover dark homogeneous anthropogenic deposits, soils and soil horizons, known as Dark Earths, Cultural Layers and Anthrosols. Major scientific questions arise about the processes that lead to the formation of these soils and deposits, as they are often related to a complex combination of environmental, climatic, and anthropogenic factors. Many studies focused on the morphological and physical-chemical investigation of the archaeological remains found as well as the inorganic constituent of the soil. The organic fraction has been only roughly investigated and studies carried out on a molecular level are very limited. However, a more refined investigation of the chemical constituents of these soils can potentially reveal pivotal insights on the archaeological context such as past domestic habits and/or urban organization. It has been demonstrated that, among organic matter constituents, fecal steroids are promising biomarkers to track fecal input in many environmental matrixes such as water, soils, and sediments. In this paper we determine the fecal sterols and stanols content in dark homogeneous anthropogenic deposits and soils found in seven archaeological sites in Italy (from Verona, Como, Florence, Mel and Conegliano) dated from the Late Bronze Age and the Medieval Period, aiming to assess the major contribution of the fecal input using diagnostic fecal indexes obtained from specific fecal sterol proportions. To this purpose, a baseline was established by identifying the fecal fingerprint of domestic herbivores (caprids, ovines, equines and bovines) and omnivores (pigs). Based on their fecal fingerprint, we classified the deposits of seven studied sites into four distinct categories: i) the medieval sites of Verona, presented a strong mixed fecal input from both herbivores and humans; ii) the medieval sites of Como and Florence which showed a similar pattern, with a predominance of human fecal input over livestock; iii) the late medieval soils of Mel and the late bronze age Cultural Layers of Castellar di Leppia (Verona) which exhibited a generally scarce fecal contamination while iv) the final bronze age site of Conegliano (Treviso), a strong fecal contamination from herbivores was detected. These results thus demonstrate that for the Medieval Dark Earth the socio-cultural processes leading to the formation of the Dark Earth differ in terms of sewage and waste management and/or in animal husbandry practices.

Although dye plants were a key element in the medieval cloth industry, their use has rarely been documented through archaeobotanical studies. This paper describes and discusses new archaeobotanical finds related to textile dyeing in the southern Low Countries, which was among the most important areas of cloth production and export in Europe during the late medieval period. Remains of weld, madder and woad, the three main medieval dye plant species, were identified via archaeobotanical analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). The remains were found in river deposits, dating between the 10th/12th and 15th century, from two medieval cloth-producing towns, Brussels and Mechelen. Most likely, the finds must be interpreted as waste discarded by textile dyers, which were often concentrated along the urban riverbanks. This study not only documents the use of dye plants in both cities, but also demonstrates the importance of archaeobotanical analyses of fluvial deposits for the reconstruction of artisanal activities within ancient towns. The assemblages are confronted with historic sources and mapped with other medieval remains of dye plants in the region.

In archaeological soil and sediment micromorphology, research is grounded in observations made with petrographic microscopes. These observations are recorded using standardised terms and microphotographs. The two-pillar database system allows a user-friendly recording of these observations with I-GEOARCHrec and the possibility to link these data to field pictures and microphotographs publicly available in I-GEOARCHive.

Our previous research from archaeological contexts suggested that phytoliths become autofluorescent when exposed to fire and heat. The present study is an attempt to investigate the conditions under which autofluorescence occurs in the inflorescence bracts of oats (Avena sativa (L.)) when they are heated. Three factors were investigated: temperature; time; and the presence or absence of oxygen. Unheated phytoliths showed no autofluorescence, and oxygen was not required for autofluorescence. We found that some phytoliths become autofluorescent at temperatures as low as 200 degrees C, but at these lower temperatures this is often masked or hidden by organic material and incompletely oxidised material. All phytolith morphotypes, both cell wall and lumen types, fluoresce at temperatures up to 500 degrees C. Melting in our system was observed to begin before 500 degrees C, and at temperatures higher than this most phytoliths were melted, but Rondel seemed to be particularly resistant to heat. They still fluoresce at 900 degrees C after a total heating period of 330 min. The relevance of this work to archaeological contexts is discussed.

Traditionally, phytolith research focusses on the study of bulk samples collected during archaeological field campaigns. However, phytoliths are frequently reported by soil micromorphologists studying their archaeological soil and sediment thin sections. Within these thin sections all components, including the phytoliths, are captured in the position they had in the original soil and sediment profiles. This opens perspectives towards a better understanding of phytolith depositional and post-depositional histories, but also towards the identification of invisible archaeological remains, such as previous vegetal floor covers. Furthermore, the study of phytoliths in thin sections opens up prospects for morphometrical analysis. Despite a series of limitations - the phytolith record is not concentrated, issues of visibility, the fact that phytoliths cannot be rotated and are cut at random angles - the study of phytoliths in thin sections is a rewarding effort. Beyond being a feasible task, it is also a promising asset, given a full integrative approach involving both phytolith specialists and micromorphologists.

Cultural layers are deposits resulting from settlement and human activity on natural soil in the past. Materials from past domestic activities that become buried into the soil can be used to reconstruct human impact in a specific area in the past. For instance, humans have used fire for millennia, and charcoal in soils and sediments is applied as evidence of anthropic activity. In this context, assessing the abundance and degradation level of charcoal fragments can clarify anthropic activities in cultural deposits. In European towns, cultural layers with similar characteristics, have been defined as urban “Dark Earth” (UDE) but their age, formation and composition often differ significantly across sites.This study examined three archaeological sites in Verona, Italy, where UDE layers with similar characteristics have been identified. The primary aim of this research is to understand the anthropogenic influence on the development of UDE layers, by characterizing their geochemistry and the carbonaceous materials. To pursue this goal, we provide a micromorphological description of the sites, evaluate UDE features and the abundance of charred material andcharacterize the amorphous/crystalline degreethrough µ-Raman spectroscopy. Bulk material was described in terms of amounts of total organic carbon (TOC), recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), and trace element concentration. Radiocarbon dating of charred and humin fractions was performed to clarify the dynamics underlying UDE origin. We investigate the relationship between the different variables analyzed in the UDE layers at each site. Results show that a diverse array of human activities including metal tool and/or ceramic manufacturing were related to the formation of UDE layers. The investigation of carbonaceous fractions highlight differences in soil organic carbon and charred material, both of which are correlated with human influence.