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Charly French

University of Cambridge, Archaeology, Faculty Member

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Nerissa Russell

Cornell University

Dorian Q Fuller

University College London

Marta Diaz-Guardamino

Durham University

The University of Manchester

Università di Bologna

Yannis Hamilakis

Brown University

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Field Museum

University of Oxford

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Papers by Charly French

Geoarchaeological Survey and Excavations at Burj-2010, Fatehabad, Haryana

Harappans, Excavations in proximity of Kunal and Bhirrana

Adaptation to Variable Environments, Resilience to Climate Change: InvestigatingLand, Water and Settlementin Indus Northwest India

Current Anthropology, 2017

This paper explores the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse... more This paper explores the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse and varied environmental and ecological context using the case study of South Asia's Indus Civilization (ca. 3000-1300 BC). Most early complex societies developed in regions where the climatic parameters faced by ancient subsistence farmers were varied but rain falls primarily in one season. In contrast, the Indus Civilization developed in a specific environmental context that spanned a very distinct environmental threshold, where winter and summer rainfall systems overlap. There is now evidence to show that this region was directly subject to climate change during the period when the Indus Civilization was at its height (ca. 2500-1900 BC). The Indus Civilization, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to understand how an ancient society coped with diverse and varied ecologies and change in the fundamental environmental parameters. This paper integrates research carried out as part of the Land, Water and Settlement project in northwest India between 2007 and 2014. Although coming from only one of the regions occupied by Indus populations, these data necessitate the reconsideration of several prevailing views about the Indus Civilization as a whole and invigorate discussion about human-environment interactions and their relationship to processes of cultural transformation. Adapting to Variable Environments, Being Resilient to Changing Climates Given the considerable importance of climate, climate change, and human/environment relationships in the present, it is perhaps no surprise that there is ongoing interest in the way that humans caused and/or responded to environmental and ecological change in the past (

Arqueología De La Punta Santa Ana: Reconstrucción De Secuencias De Ocupación De Cazadores-Recolectores Marinos Del Estrecho De Magallanes, Patagonia Austral, Chile

We present results of research focused on the identification of sites and the analysis of their a... more We present results of research focused on the identification of sites and the analysis of their archaeological evidence in order to reconstruct occupation sequences of marine hunter-gatherer groups at specific localities of Southernmost Patagonia. In this paper we address the characterization of three archaeological sites at Punta Santa Ana area, Strait of Magellan. The studied assemblages are from camp-sites located at different elevations above current sea level, with dates of 6300, 2700 and 700 years BP (not calibrated). These assemblages have been formed in short time periods and have a number of features that suggest discontinuity in technological traditions and subsistence strategies over time.

Survey and excavations at Dabli vas Chugta, Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan

Punta Santa Ana archaeology: reconstruction of marine hunter-gatherer occupation sequences from the Magellan Strait, Southernmost Patagonia, Chile

The Survey and Excavation of a Bronze Age Timber Circle at Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, 1998–9

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2003

In 1998 a circle of timber posts within the intertidal zone on the north Norfolk coast was brough... more In 1998 a circle of timber posts within the intertidal zone on the north Norfolk coast was brought to the attention of the Norfolk County Council Archaeological Service. A subsequent programme of archaeological recording and dating revealed that the structure was constructed in the spring or early summer of 2049 BC, during the Early Bronze Age. Because of the perceived threat of damage and erosion from the sea a rescue excavation was undertaken during the summer months of 1999. The structure was entirely excavated, involving the removal of the timbers and a programme of stratigraphic recording and environmental analysis. A survey was also undertaken within the environs of the site which has identified further timber structures dating from the Bronze Age. Detailed examination of the timber from the circle has produced a wealth of unexpected information which has added greatly to our understanding of Early Bronze Age woodworking, organisation of labour and the layout and construction ...

Expanding the research parameters of geoarchaeology: case studies from Aksum in Ethiopia and Haryana in India

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2014

A wide-ranging geoarchaeological approach is put forward using two case studies in northern highl... more A wide-ranging geoarchaeological approach is put forward using two case studies in northern highland Ethiopia at Aksum and in Haryana province of northwestern India where the authors are part of collaborative archaeological research projects. Geoarchaeological approaches are well placed to underpin archaeological project design and contribute to the understanding and modelling of the human ecosystem legacy. There is also the potential to use that data to both inform wider audiences of the importance of long-term landuse dynamics in shaping our landscapes today and influencing modern land-use policy and implementation.

Towards high-resolution shell midden archaeology: Experimental and ethnoarchaeology in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)

Quaternary International, 2011

This paper discusses the ongoing ethnoarchaeological research carried out in Yamana shell middens... more This paper discusses the ongoing ethnoarchaeological research carried out in Yamana shell middens of Tierra del Fuego. Ethnoarchaeology is used in this research as a tool to improve the archaeological methodology by testing it against anthropological, ethnographical and ethnological sources for achieving more accurate reconstructions of past societies. The ethnographical/ethnological information also is coupled with an experimental approach devised to understand physical and social processes, such as site formation processes and resource use and management. Specifically, this experimental approach was applied to the archaeological sites Túnel VII and Lanashuaia I (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina).

Arqueología de la Punta Santa Ana: recontrucción de secuencias de ocupación de cazadores-recolectores marinos del Estrecho de Magallanes, Patagonia Austral, Chile

Magallania (Punta Arenas), 2012

Presentamos los resultados obtenidos durante una investigación orientada a la identificación de y... more Presentamos los resultados obtenidos durante una investigación orientada a la identificación de yacimientos y análisis de sus evidencias para reconstruir secuencias de ocupación de cazadores-recolectores marinos en diferentes puntos específicos de Patagonia Meridional. En este trabajo abordamos la caracterización de tres yacimientos arqueológicos de la localidad de Punta Santa Ana, estrecho de Magallanes. Los conjuntos estudiados corresponden a campamentos emplazados a distinta elevación sobre el nivel del mar actual, con antigüedades de 6300, 2700 y 700 años AP (no calibrados). Estos conjuntos habrían sido originados en lapsos cortos de tiempo y presentan una serie de características que sugieren discontinuidad en cuanto las tradiciones tecnológicas y estrategias de subsistencia a lo largo del tiempo. PALABRAS CLAVE: cazadores-recolectores, adaptación marina, secuencia temporal, estrecho de Magallanes, Patagonia.

Flag Fen, Fengate, Peterborough I: Discovery, Reconnaissance and Initial Excavation (1982–85)

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 1986

The discovery and initial excavation of an unenclosed, timber platform settlement site of Late Br... more The discovery and initial excavation of an unenclosed, timber platform settlement site of Late Bronze Age date is described. The site is located in open Fen just off the Fen-edge at Fengate in an area of well-known prehistoric activity. The site includes the remains of a remarkably well-preserved three-aisled rectangular building, with at least two floor levels still intact. Finds include items of pottery, flint and wood. Current environmental research is outlined and the report concludes with a discussion of the site's role and status.

New geoarchaeological investigations of the valley systems in the Aksum area of northern Ethiopia

CATENA, 2009

Recent geoarchaeological investigations of the valley systems to the north and northeast of Aksum... more

An Interim Report on Excavations at Etton, Maxey, Cambridgeshire, 1982–1984

The Antiquaries Journal, 1985

This interim report is principally concerned with waterlogged lower ditch deposits of the Etton c... more This interim report is principally concerned with waterlogged lower ditch deposits of the Etton causewayed enclosure. The site is situated near the eastern edge of the Maxey complex of cropmarks, and owes its remarkable preservation to a high local water table and a blanket deposit of clayey alluvium which has protected the archaeological deposits from plough-damage. The description of the causewayed enclosure includes interim discussions of woodworking, the use of cattle as draught animals, and outlines of the environmental succession. Short statements on pottery and other finds are also included. Brief mention is also made of the earlier (Phase I) and later (Phase II) Neolithic sites at Etton Woodgate, immediately to the west of the causewayed enclosure. These sites, which were also partially waterlogged, were discovered during a watching brief of topsoil-removal work in the adjacent quarry. Etton Woodgate II produced very early evidence for textiles and for possible charcoal manu...

Social and environmental transitions in arid zones: the North Gujarat Archaeological ProjectNoGAP

Antiquity, 2010

Archaeological survey recently conducted in north Gujarat (Figure 1) has revealed the existence o... more

Dessication and Destruction: The Immediate Effects of De-Watering at Etton, Cambridgeshire

Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 1985

... paper presents the first results of a long-term project to monitor changes in ground water co... more

8000 years of coastal changes on a western Mediterranean island: A multiproxy approach from the Posada plain of Sardinia

Marine Geology, 2018

A multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental investigation was conducted to reconstruct the Holocene history... more A multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental investigation was conducted to reconstruct the Holocene history of coastal landscape change in the lower Posada coastal plain of eastern Sardinia. In the Mediterranean region, coastal modifications during the Holocene have been driven by a complex interplay between climate, geomorphological processes and human activity. In this paper, millennial-scale human-sea level-environment interactions are investigated near Posada, one of the largest coastal plains in eastern Sardinia. Biostratigraphic and palynological approaches were used to interpret the chrono-stratigraphy exhibited by a series of new cores taken from the coastal plain. This new study elucidates the main paleoecological changes, phases of shoreline migration and relative sea-level change during the last 8000 years. These results indicate the major role of sealevel stabilization and high sediment supply in driving major landscape changes, especially during the Neolithic period (6 th-4 th millennia BC), and the long-term settlement history of this coastal valley area. It is concluded that human occupation of the coastal plain, from prehistoric to historical times, was most likely constrained by the rapid and constant evolution of this coastal landscape.

New archaeological and geoarchaeological investigations of the prehistoric site of Zecovi, near Prijedor, Bosnia i Herzegovina

Godišnjak Centra za balkanološka ispitivanja, 2016

e article presents a project of an archaeological assessment of the very signi cant archaeologica... more e article presents a project of an archaeological assessment of the very signi cant archaeological site of Zecovi. It is based on multidisciplinary methodological research of the Zecovi and its surroundings. e aim of the research was to determine how the human factor in uenced the changes of the existing natural landscape the way how adjusted itself to this landscape. Project implementation was focused primarily to the centre of the site which has a speci c shape (oppidum, tell, hill-top) and secondary focus was on the immediate and remote surrounding in order to acquire more realistic picture about the landscape in di erent archaeological periods from prehistory to modern time.

De fronteras y enclaves: la presencia Nasca en la sierra de Ica (260 a.C. – 640 d.C.)

by Oliver Huaman Oros, Kevin Lane, and Charly French

Boletín de Arqueología PUCP, 2017

840 a 260 a.C.), lo cual significaría una presencia larga por parte de los grupos costeños en la ... more 840 a 260 a.C.), lo cual significaría una presencia larga por parte de los grupos costeños en la sierra. Ante este contexto, el objetivo del presente trabajo es indagar sobre los patrones de control, interacción y el tipo de frontera entre los Nasca y los grupos culturales serranos, vecinos, sincrónicos,

Grupos Domésticos De Élite en Viejo Sangayaico: Un Asentamiento Del Horizonte Tardío y La Colonia Temprana en Huancavelica (Perú)

by Oliver Huaman Oros, Kevin Lane, and Charly French

Chungará (Arica)

Recientes excavaciones llevadas a cabo al interior de dos estructuras domésticas (E19 y E12) en V... more Recientes excavaciones llevadas a cabo al interior de dos estructuras domésticas (E19 y E12) en Viejo Sangayaico B (Huancavelica, Perú) revelan como los habitantes de ambas estructuras poseyeron un estatus de élite asociado a la administración inca del asentamiento durante el Horizonte Tardío. Asimismo, diferencias en la calidad y cantidad de bienes europeos consumidos durante las primeras décadas de la Colonia reflejan dos distintas estrategias políticas asumidas por ambos grupos con el objetivo de mantener su estatus de élite en un contexto de profundos y rápidos cambios. Palabras claves: Andes Centrales, Huancavelica, Horizonte Tardío, periodo Colonial Temprano, grupos domésticos de élite. Recent excavations carried out inside two household structures (E19 and E12) in Viejo Sangayaico B (Huancavelica, Peru) reveal how the inhabitants of both structures possessed an elite status associated with the Inca administration of the settlement during the Late Horizon. Likewise, differences in the quality and quantity of European goods consumed during the early decades of the colonial period reflect two different political strategies assumed by both groups in order to maintain their elite status in a context of deep and rapid changes.

Soil erosion, agricultural terracing and site formation processes at Markiani, Amorgos, Greece: the micromorphological perspective

Geoarchaeology 14:151-89., 1999

Connecting chert sources of Sicily with Neolithic chert artefacts of Malta

by Petros Chatzimpaloglou and Charly French

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

This article presents the results of a provenance study between late-Neolithic chert artefacts fr... more This article presents the results of a provenance study between late-Neolithic chert artefacts from Malta and chert sources of Sicily. It is part of a larger geoarchaeological research dedicated to investigate whether the cherts used for stone artefacts represent indigenous exploitation or results from longer-distance networks. Chert is a raw material commonly used in prehistory for tool crafting and with abundant geological sources in the broader Mediterranean region. However, the features of most of these sources are unknown and no detailed data regarding their geochemical characteristics and composition are available. The lithic assemblages of late Neolithic Malta are abundant with non-local chert finds and their origin will contribute to inferences about the role of Malta within the broader Mediterranean social landscape and raw-material network of this period.

The paper uses macroscopic examination to distinguish the different chert varieties in the assemblages and the non-destructive LA-ICP-MS technique to identify groups with specific geochemical characteristics/signature. The field and lab-based work suggest multiple sources for the chert artefacts and most significantly, presents strong evidence of artefacts having almost identical geochemical signature with specific chert sources from southeast Sicily. These are the first highly reliable results confirming a connection between these two locations and strongly suggests the existence of seafaring in this area during the late Neolithic.

Geoarchaeological Survey and Excavations at Burj-2010, Fatehabad, Haryana

Harappans, Excavations in proximity of Kunal and Bhirrana

Adaptation to Variable Environments, Resilience to Climate Change: InvestigatingLand, Water and Settlementin Indus Northwest India

Current Anthropology, 2017

This paper explores the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse... more This paper explores the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse and varied environmental and ecological context using the case study of South Asia's Indus Civilization (ca. 3000-1300 BC). Most early complex societies developed in regions where the climatic parameters faced by ancient subsistence farmers were varied but rain falls primarily in one season. In contrast, the Indus Civilization developed in a specific environmental context that spanned a very distinct environmental threshold, where winter and summer rainfall systems overlap. There is now evidence to show that this region was directly subject to climate change during the period when the Indus Civilization was at its height (ca. 2500-1900 BC). The Indus Civilization, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to understand how an ancient society coped with diverse and varied ecologies and change in the fundamental environmental parameters. This paper integrates research carried out as part of the Land, Water and Settlement project in northwest India between 2007 and 2014. Although coming from only one of the regions occupied by Indus populations, these data necessitate the reconsideration of several prevailing views about the Indus Civilization as a whole and invigorate discussion about human-environment interactions and their relationship to processes of cultural transformation. Adapting to Variable Environments, Being Resilient to Changing Climates Given the considerable importance of climate, climate change, and human/environment relationships in the present, it is perhaps no surprise that there is ongoing interest in the way that humans caused and/or responded to environmental and ecological change in the past (

Arqueología De La Punta Santa Ana: Reconstrucción De Secuencias De Ocupación De Cazadores-Recolectores Marinos Del Estrecho De Magallanes, Patagonia Austral, Chile

We present results of research focused on the identification of sites and the analysis of their a... more We present results of research focused on the identification of sites and the analysis of their archaeological evidence in order to reconstruct occupation sequences of marine hunter-gatherer groups at specific localities of Southernmost Patagonia. In this paper we address the characterization of three archaeological sites at Punta Santa Ana area, Strait of Magellan. The studied assemblages are from camp-sites located at different elevations above current sea level, with dates of 6300, 2700 and 700 years BP (not calibrated). These assemblages have been formed in short time periods and have a number of features that suggest discontinuity in technological traditions and subsistence strategies over time.

Survey and excavations at Dabli vas Chugta, Hanumangarh District, Rajasthan

Punta Santa Ana archaeology: reconstruction of marine hunter-gatherer occupation sequences from the Magellan Strait, Southernmost Patagonia, Chile

The Survey and Excavation of a Bronze Age Timber Circle at Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, 1998–9

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2003

In 1998 a circle of timber posts within the intertidal zone on the north Norfolk coast was brough... more In 1998 a circle of timber posts within the intertidal zone on the north Norfolk coast was brought to the attention of the Norfolk County Council Archaeological Service. A subsequent programme of archaeological recording and dating revealed that the structure was constructed in the spring or early summer of 2049 BC, during the Early Bronze Age. Because of the perceived threat of damage and erosion from the sea a rescue excavation was undertaken during the summer months of 1999. The structure was entirely excavated, involving the removal of the timbers and a programme of stratigraphic recording and environmental analysis. A survey was also undertaken within the environs of the site which has identified further timber structures dating from the Bronze Age. Detailed examination of the timber from the circle has produced a wealth of unexpected information which has added greatly to our understanding of Early Bronze Age woodworking, organisation of labour and the layout and construction ...

Expanding the research parameters of geoarchaeology: case studies from Aksum in Ethiopia and Haryana in India

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2014

A wide-ranging geoarchaeological approach is put forward using two case studies in northern highl... more A wide-ranging geoarchaeological approach is put forward using two case studies in northern highland Ethiopia at Aksum and in Haryana province of northwestern India where the authors are part of collaborative archaeological research projects. Geoarchaeological approaches are well placed to underpin archaeological project design and contribute to the understanding and modelling of the human ecosystem legacy. There is also the potential to use that data to both inform wider audiences of the importance of long-term landuse dynamics in shaping our landscapes today and influencing modern land-use policy and implementation.

Towards high-resolution shell midden archaeology: Experimental and ethnoarchaeology in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)

Quaternary International, 2011

This paper discusses the ongoing ethnoarchaeological research carried out in Yamana shell middens... more This paper discusses the ongoing ethnoarchaeological research carried out in Yamana shell middens of Tierra del Fuego. Ethnoarchaeology is used in this research as a tool to improve the archaeological methodology by testing it against anthropological, ethnographical and ethnological sources for achieving more accurate reconstructions of past societies. The ethnographical/ethnological information also is coupled with an experimental approach devised to understand physical and social processes, such as site formation processes and resource use and management. Specifically, this experimental approach was applied to the archaeological sites Túnel VII and Lanashuaia I (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina).

Arqueología de la Punta Santa Ana: recontrucción de secuencias de ocupación de cazadores-recolectores marinos del Estrecho de Magallanes, Patagonia Austral, Chile

Magallania (Punta Arenas), 2012

Presentamos los resultados obtenidos durante una investigación orientada a la identificación de y... more Presentamos los resultados obtenidos durante una investigación orientada a la identificación de yacimientos y análisis de sus evidencias para reconstruir secuencias de ocupación de cazadores-recolectores marinos en diferentes puntos específicos de Patagonia Meridional. En este trabajo abordamos la caracterización de tres yacimientos arqueológicos de la localidad de Punta Santa Ana, estrecho de Magallanes. Los conjuntos estudiados corresponden a campamentos emplazados a distinta elevación sobre el nivel del mar actual, con antigüedades de 6300, 2700 y 700 años AP (no calibrados). Estos conjuntos habrían sido originados en lapsos cortos de tiempo y presentan una serie de características que sugieren discontinuidad en cuanto las tradiciones tecnológicas y estrategias de subsistencia a lo largo del tiempo. PALABRAS CLAVE: cazadores-recolectores, adaptación marina, secuencia temporal, estrecho de Magallanes, Patagonia.

Flag Fen, Fengate, Peterborough I: Discovery, Reconnaissance and Initial Excavation (1982–85)

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 1986

The discovery and initial excavation of an unenclosed, timber platform settlement site of Late Br... more The discovery and initial excavation of an unenclosed, timber platform settlement site of Late Bronze Age date is described. The site is located in open Fen just off the Fen-edge at Fengate in an area of well-known prehistoric activity. The site includes the remains of a remarkably well-preserved three-aisled rectangular building, with at least two floor levels still intact. Finds include items of pottery, flint and wood. Current environmental research is outlined and the report concludes with a discussion of the site's role and status.

New geoarchaeological investigations of the valley systems in the Aksum area of northern Ethiopia

CATENA, 2009

Recent geoarchaeological investigations of the valley systems to the north and northeast of Aksum... more

An Interim Report on Excavations at Etton, Maxey, Cambridgeshire, 1982–1984

The Antiquaries Journal, 1985

This interim report is principally concerned with waterlogged lower ditch deposits of the Etton c... more This interim report is principally concerned with waterlogged lower ditch deposits of the Etton causewayed enclosure. The site is situated near the eastern edge of the Maxey complex of cropmarks, and owes its remarkable preservation to a high local water table and a blanket deposit of clayey alluvium which has protected the archaeological deposits from plough-damage. The description of the causewayed enclosure includes interim discussions of woodworking, the use of cattle as draught animals, and outlines of the environmental succession. Short statements on pottery and other finds are also included. Brief mention is also made of the earlier (Phase I) and later (Phase II) Neolithic sites at Etton Woodgate, immediately to the west of the causewayed enclosure. These sites, which were also partially waterlogged, were discovered during a watching brief of topsoil-removal work in the adjacent quarry. Etton Woodgate II produced very early evidence for textiles and for possible charcoal manu...

Social and environmental transitions in arid zones: the North Gujarat Archaeological ProjectNoGAP

Antiquity, 2010

Archaeological survey recently conducted in north Gujarat (Figure 1) has revealed the existence o... more

Dessication and Destruction: The Immediate Effects of De-Watering at Etton, Cambridgeshire

Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 1985

... paper presents the first results of a long-term project to monitor changes in ground water co... more

8000 years of coastal changes on a western Mediterranean island: A multiproxy approach from the Posada plain of Sardinia

Marine Geology, 2018

A multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental investigation was conducted to reconstruct the Holocene history... more A multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental investigation was conducted to reconstruct the Holocene history of coastal landscape change in the lower Posada coastal plain of eastern Sardinia. In the Mediterranean region, coastal modifications during the Holocene have been driven by a complex interplay between climate, geomorphological processes and human activity. In this paper, millennial-scale human-sea level-environment interactions are investigated near Posada, one of the largest coastal plains in eastern Sardinia. Biostratigraphic and palynological approaches were used to interpret the chrono-stratigraphy exhibited by a series of new cores taken from the coastal plain. This new study elucidates the main paleoecological changes, phases of shoreline migration and relative sea-level change during the last 8000 years. These results indicate the major role of sealevel stabilization and high sediment supply in driving major landscape changes, especially during the Neolithic period (6 th-4 th millennia BC), and the long-term settlement history of this coastal valley area. It is concluded that human occupation of the coastal plain, from prehistoric to historical times, was most likely constrained by the rapid and constant evolution of this coastal landscape.

New archaeological and geoarchaeological investigations of the prehistoric site of Zecovi, near Prijedor, Bosnia i Herzegovina

Godišnjak Centra za balkanološka ispitivanja, 2016

e article presents a project of an archaeological assessment of the very signi cant archaeologica... more e article presents a project of an archaeological assessment of the very signi cant archaeological site of Zecovi. It is based on multidisciplinary methodological research of the Zecovi and its surroundings. e aim of the research was to determine how the human factor in uenced the changes of the existing natural landscape the way how adjusted itself to this landscape. Project implementation was focused primarily to the centre of the site which has a speci c shape (oppidum, tell, hill-top) and secondary focus was on the immediate and remote surrounding in order to acquire more realistic picture about the landscape in di erent archaeological periods from prehistory to modern time.

De fronteras y enclaves: la presencia Nasca en la sierra de Ica (260 a.C. – 640 d.C.)

by Oliver Huaman Oros, Kevin Lane, and Charly French

Boletín de Arqueología PUCP, 2017

840 a 260 a.C.), lo cual significaría una presencia larga por parte de los grupos costeños en la ... more 840 a 260 a.C.), lo cual significaría una presencia larga por parte de los grupos costeños en la sierra. Ante este contexto, el objetivo del presente trabajo es indagar sobre los patrones de control, interacción y el tipo de frontera entre los Nasca y los grupos culturales serranos, vecinos, sincrónicos,

Grupos Domésticos De Élite en Viejo Sangayaico: Un Asentamiento Del Horizonte Tardío y La Colonia Temprana en Huancavelica (Perú)

by Oliver Huaman Oros, Kevin Lane, and Charly French

Chungará (Arica)

Recientes excavaciones llevadas a cabo al interior de dos estructuras domésticas (E19 y E12) en V... more Recientes excavaciones llevadas a cabo al interior de dos estructuras domésticas (E19 y E12) en Viejo Sangayaico B (Huancavelica, Perú) revelan como los habitantes de ambas estructuras poseyeron un estatus de élite asociado a la administración inca del asentamiento durante el Horizonte Tardío. Asimismo, diferencias en la calidad y cantidad de bienes europeos consumidos durante las primeras décadas de la Colonia reflejan dos distintas estrategias políticas asumidas por ambos grupos con el objetivo de mantener su estatus de élite en un contexto de profundos y rápidos cambios. Palabras claves: Andes Centrales, Huancavelica, Horizonte Tardío, periodo Colonial Temprano, grupos domésticos de élite. Recent excavations carried out inside two household structures (E19 and E12) in Viejo Sangayaico B (Huancavelica, Peru) reveal how the inhabitants of both structures possessed an elite status associated with the Inca administration of the settlement during the Late Horizon. Likewise, differences in the quality and quantity of European goods consumed during the early decades of the colonial period reflect two different political strategies assumed by both groups in order to maintain their elite status in a context of deep and rapid changes.

Soil erosion, agricultural terracing and site formation processes at Markiani, Amorgos, Greece: the micromorphological perspective

Geoarchaeology 14:151-89., 1999

Connecting chert sources of Sicily with Neolithic chert artefacts of Malta

by Petros Chatzimpaloglou and Charly French

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

This article presents the results of a provenance study between late-Neolithic chert artefacts fr... more This article presents the results of a provenance study between late-Neolithic chert artefacts from Malta and chert sources of Sicily. It is part of a larger geoarchaeological research dedicated to investigate whether the cherts used for stone artefacts represent indigenous exploitation or results from longer-distance networks. Chert is a raw material commonly used in prehistory for tool crafting and with abundant geological sources in the broader Mediterranean region. However, the features of most of these sources are unknown and no detailed data regarding their geochemical characteristics and composition are available. The lithic assemblages of late Neolithic Malta are abundant with non-local chert finds and their origin will contribute to inferences about the role of Malta within the broader Mediterranean social landscape and raw-material network of this period.

The paper uses macroscopic examination to distinguish the different chert varieties in the assemblages and the non-destructive LA-ICP-MS technique to identify groups with specific geochemical characteristics/signature. The field and lab-based work suggest multiple sources for the chert artefacts and most significantly, presents strong evidence of artefacts having almost identical geochemical signature with specific chert sources from southeast Sicily. These are the first highly reliable results confirming a connection between these two locations and strongly suggests the existence of seafaring in this area during the late Neolithic.

Testing soil fertility of Prehispanic terraces at Viejo Sangayaico in the upper Ica catchment of south-central highland Peru

by Charly French, David Beresford-Jones, and Oliver Huaman Oros

Catena, 2016

This study presents a pilot geoarchaeological investigation of terraced agricultural systems near... more This study presents a pilot geoarchaeological investigation of terraced agricultural systems near San Francisco de Sangayaico, in the upper Ica catchment of the Southern Peruvian Andes. It aims to assess the evidence for soil fertility associated with agricultural strategies practised throughout the Prehispanic, Spanish colonial and modern occupations in this region. A series of twenty-two test pits were hand excavated through two terraced field systems, and sampled to examine the changes in soil physical and chemical characteristics down-profile and downslope.

This study provides the first geoarchaeological analyses of the agrarian soil system surrounding Viejo Sangayaico in the upper Ica catchment. Results demonstrate that the soil system was much modified prior to the creation of the terrace systems, probably about 900 years ago. This system was characterised by a weakly acidic to slightly calcareous pH, a consistent but low electrical conductivity, reasonable-but-variable phosphorus content, and a loamy soil texture with a component of weathered volcanic tonalite parent material. The shallow terrace soil build-up on the slopes investigated indicates that slope modification was as minimal as possible. Moreover, the relatively low frequencies of organic material and phosphorus suggest that the terraces were not heavily fertilised in the past, making the stability and management of the nutrient-rich topsoil vital.

The results of these excavations and soil fertility analyses are situated within the context of the wider Andean ethno-historic and the archaeological record to address questions regarding how the terraces were built and maintained over time. Agricultural terraces undoubtedly mitigated the effects of slope erosion associated with cultivation. But, the terrace soil features observed at Sangayaico do not appear to be the same as those documented in other geoarchaeological studies of Andean terrace systems. These contrasts may be accounted for by a combination of differing geological substrate and hydrological conditions, as well as variable trajectories in past soil development, erosion factors, manuring/field management practises and crop selection.

Re-evaluating the Resource Potential of Lomas Fog Oasis Environments for Preceramic Hunter-Gatherers under Past ENSO Modes on the South Coast of Peru

by Alexander Pullen, David Beresford-Jones, Justin Moat, susana arce, Alfonso Orellana-Garcia, Manuel Gorriti, Patricia K Maita Agurto, Agathe Dupeyron, and Charly French

Quaternary Science Reviews, 2015

Lomas – ephemeral seasonal oases sustained by ocean fogs – were critical to ancient human ecology... more Lomas – ephemeral seasonal oases sustained by ocean fogs – were critical to ancient human ecology on the desert Pacific coast of Peru: one of humanity’s few independent hearths of agriculture and “pristine” civilisation. The role of climate change since the Late Pleistocene in determining productivity and extent of past lomas ecosystems has been much debated.
Here we reassess the resource potential of the poorly studied lomas of the south coast of Peru during the long Middle Pre-ceramic period (c. 8,000 – 4,500 BP): a period critical in the transition to agriculture, the onset of modern El Niño Southern Oscillation (‘ENSO’) conditions, and eustatic sea-level rise and stabilisation and beach progradation.
Our method combines vegetation survey and herbarium collection with archaeological survey and excavation to make inferences about both Preceramic hunter-gatherer ecology and the changed palaeoenvironments in which it took place. Our analysis of newly discovered archaeological sites – and their resource context – show how lomas formations defined human ecology until the end of the Middle Preceramic Period, thereby corroborating recent reconstructions of ENSO history based on other data.
Together, these suggest that a five millennia period of significantly colder seas on the south coast induced conditions of abundance and seasonal predictability in lomas and maritime ecosystems, that enabled Middle Preceramic hunter-gatherers to reduce mobility by settling in strategic locations at the conﬂuence of multiple eco-zones at the river estuaries. Here the foundations of agriculture lay in a Broad Spectrum Revolution that unfolded, not through population pressure in deteriorating environments, but rather as an outcome of resource abundance.

Sa Massaria T.I.pdf

by Giovanni Serreli, Federica Sulas, and Charly French

Sa massarìa: Ecologia storica dei sistemi di lavoro contadino in Sardegna a cura di Giovanni Serreli, Rita T. Melis, Charles French e Federica Sulas Cagliari, Istituto di Storia dell’Europa Mediterranea, 2017, 2017

Sa massarìa: Ecologia storica dei sistemi di lavoro contadino in Sardegna a cura di Giovanni Serr... more Sa massarìa: Ecologia storica dei sistemi di lavoro contadino in Sardegna
a cura di Giovanni Serreli, Rita T. Melis, Charles French e Federica Sulas
Cagliari, Istituto di Storia dell’Europa Mediterranea, 2017
Il libro è il frutto del progetto di ricerca triennale finanziato dalla Regione Autonoma della Sardegna (L.R. 7 / 2007 ‘Promozione della ricerca scientifica e dell’innovazione tecnologica in Sardegna’), nel quale si raccolgono i risultati della ricerca con numerosi altri saggi riguardanti paesaggio, uso del territorio, insediamento in varie aree della Sardegna dalla protostoria all’età contemporanea.
Il progetto è stato condotto dall’ISEM CNR e dal Dip. di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche dell’Università di Cagliari con la collaborazione del Charles McBurney Laboratory, Human Landscapes (University of Cambridge). Sono stati partner del progetto il Comune di Las Plassas e il museo MudA.
Nello specifico, il progetto ha visto la collaborazione interdisciplinare di storici, archeologi, geografi, geologi e geoarcheologi, per studiare tre aree campione: la Marmilla (e in particolare il territorio di Las Plassas), il bacino del rio Posada e le campagne di Assemini e Decimomannu.
Queste aree sono state studiate dal punto di vista storico, partendo dalla documentazione medievale e moderna, e da quello geoarcheologico, attraverso una serie di trivellazioni e carotaggi, i cui campioni sono stati poi analizzati in dipartimenti specialistici. Il fine era quello di stabilire una linea di evoluzione dell’uso dei territori in oggetto, del paesaggio, delle modalità di insediamento e dell’evoluzione paleoclimatica.
I risultati della ricerca, che si auspica possa continuare in futuro, oltre a proporsi come modello di approccio per lo studio del territorio e del paesaggio, in questo libro si confronta con esperienze di studio sull’uso del territorio in altre aree della Sardegna e non solo.
Al libro, in due volumi, hanno partecipato: Rita Ara, Anna Ardu, Danila Artizzu, Aldo Aveni Cirino, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Franco G.R. Campus, Alfredo Carannante, Francesco Carboni, Salvatore Chilardi, Riccardo Cicilloni, Alessandra Cioppi, Anna Depalmas, Guy D’Hallewin, Federico Di Rita, Bianca Fadda, Giacomo Floris, Charles French, Antonello V. Greco, Maria Grazia R. Mele, Rita T. Melis, Alex Metcalfe, Francesca Montis, Clizia Murgia, Giovanni Murgia, Martino Orrù, Mauro Perra, Elisa Pompianu, David Redhouse, Marco Sarigu, Silvia Sau, Giuseppe Seche, Luigi Serra, Maily Serra, Giovanni Serreli, Alessandro Soddu, Federica Sulas, Sean Taylor, Gabriella Uccheddu, Mariano Ucchesu, Alessandro Usai, Federica Usai, Alberto Virdis, Marco Zedda.

Sa Massaria T.II.pdf

by Giovanni Serreli, Federica Sulas, and Charly French

Sa massarìa: Ecologia storica dei sistemi di lavoro contadino in Sardegna a cura di Giovanni Serr... more Sa massarìa: Ecologia storica dei sistemi di lavoro contadino in Sardegna
a cura di Giovanni Serreli, Rita T. Melis, Charles French e Federica Sulas
Cagliari, Istituto di Storia dell’Europa Mediterranea, 2017
Il libro è il frutto del progetto di ricerca triennale finanziato dalla Regione Autonoma della Sardegna (L.R. 7 / 2007 ‘Promozione della ricerca scientifica e dell’innovazione tecnologica in Sardegna’), nel quale si raccolgono i risultati della ricerca con numerosi altri saggi riguardanti paesaggio, uso del territorio, insediamento in varie aree della Sardegna dalla protostoria all’età contemporanea.
Il progetto è stato condotto dall’ISEM CNR e dal Dip. di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche dell’Università di Cagliari con la collaborazione del Charles McBurney Laboratory, Human Landscapes (University of Cambridge). Sono stati partner del progetto il Comune di Las Plassas e il museo MudA.
Nello specifico, il progetto ha visto la collaborazione interdisciplinare di storici, archeologi, geografi, geologi e geoarcheologi, per studiare tre aree campione: la Marmilla (e in particolare il territorio di Las Plassas), il bacino del rio Posada e le campagne di Assemini e Decimomannu.
Queste aree sono state studiate dal punto di vista storico, partendo dalla documentazione medievale e moderna, e da quello geoarcheologico, attraverso una serie di trivellazioni e carotaggi, i cui campioni sono stati poi analizzati in dipartimenti specialistici. Il fine era quello di stabilire una linea di evoluzione dell’uso dei territori in oggetto, del paesaggio, delle modalità di insediamento e dell’evoluzione paleoclimatica.
I risultati della ricerca, che si auspica possa continuare in futuro, oltre a proporsi come modello di approccio per lo studio del territorio e del paesaggio, in questo libro si confronta con esperienze di studio sull’uso del territorio in altre aree della Sardegna e non solo.
Al libro, in due volumi, hanno partecipato: Rita Ara, Anna Ardu, Danila Artizzu, Aldo Aveni Cirino, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Franco G.R. Campus, Alfredo Carannante, Francesco Carboni, Salvatore Chilardi, Riccardo Cicilloni, Alessandra Cioppi, Anna Depalmas, Guy D’Hallewin, Federico Di Rita, Bianca Fadda, Giacomo Floris, Charles French, Antonello V. Greco, Maria Grazia R. Mele, Rita T. Melis, Alex Metcalfe, Francesca Montis, Clizia Murgia, Giovanni Murgia, Martino Orrù, Mauro Perra, Elisa Pompianu, David Redhouse, Marco Sarigu, Silvia Sau, Giuseppe Seche, Luigi Serra, Maily Serra, Giovanni Serreli, Alessandro Soddu, Federica Sulas, Sean Taylor, Gabriella Uccheddu, Mariano Ucchesu, Alessandro Usai, Federica Usai, Alberto Virdis, Marco Zedda.

Prehistoric landscape development and human impact in the upper Allen valley, Cranborne Chase, Dorset

by Helen Lewis and Charly French

Evoluzione del paesaggio e insediamento nel bacino del Rio Posada. Indagini geoarcheologiche e documentazione storica.

by Federica Sulas, Charly French, and Giovanni Serreli

Paper presented at the workshop: 'Sa massaria', 22-23 March, ISEM CNR, Cagliari, Italy

Ritual y abandono en la cuenca alta del río Ica. El caso de Viejo Sangayaico (SAN 1)

by David Beresford-Jones, Kevin Lane, Charly French, Oliver Huaman Oros, and Luis Vicente Javier Coll

Actas del I Congreso Nacional de Arqueología. Volumen II, pp. 153-164. Ministerio de Cultura, Lima Peru, 2016

Geo-statistical methods to analyse changes in pre-Hispanic settlement patterns in the Río Ica catchment, Peru

by Vincent Haburaj, David Beresford-Jones, Kevin Lane, Jonas Berking, and Charly French

Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 2017

Within arid regions allochthonous rivers as a main source of fresh water play a significant role ... more Within arid regions allochthonous rivers as a main source of fresh water play a significant role in the spatial organisation of human occupation.
This study aims at a comprehensive view on changes in the prehistoric occupation patterns within the Río Ica catchment on the southern coast of Peru. Results of different research projects are integrated. The heterogeneous character of the catchment allows us to define three sub-sections which differ greatly in terms of vegetation, relief and water regime.
Based on quantitative geo-statistical methods we analyse spatio-temporal changes in human occupation from the Early Horizon (c. 1000–200 BC) through to the Inca Late Horizon (AD 1450–1532) in the context
of environmental conditions, as well as socio-economic processes. Examining known archaeological sites we are able to assess the significance of environmental location factors for pre-Hispanic settlements. In addition, areas of high human interaction are identified on the basis of a classification of archaeological sites according to their function (craft/industry, cult, cooperation and trade). We thereby transfer the concept of central place theory to the spatial distribution of archaeological remains, introducing a novel approach to identifying central functions in a spatially explicit way.
Our results crystallise the changing character of occupation in the study area over more than two millennia. They contribute to the ongoing debate on the decline of the Nasca culture, endorsing a complex combination of natural and socio-economic reasons. Furthermore, the results support the concept of a more widespread exchange and cooperation during ‘Horizon’ periods in the study area and likewise indicate that the disappearance of a supra-regional administrative polity during ‘Intermediate’ periods might have led to higher human activity in smaller scale societies, as reflected in a more diverse spatial organisation in terms of geomorphometric units and central areas.

Caracterización paleoambiental de las cuencas de Samaca y Ullujaya, valle bajo de Ica: aportes a partir del estudio geoarqueológico

by Lady Santana, Charly French, and David Beresford-Jones

ACTAS DEl VI CNA, 2021

El estudio de los sitios arqueológicos y formación de los mismos, requiere de un análisis context... more El estudio de los sitios arqueológicos y formación de los
mismos, requiere de un análisis contextual que involucre
el medioambiente como agente activo de transformación. Por tanto, se debe considerar los aspectos culturales y naturales que generan estos procesos de cambio
(Butzer 1982; Schiffer 1972, 1983, 1987). Es decir, conocer el entorno en el que se inserta un sitio o un grupo de
sitios debe ser considerado uno de los primeros pasos en
nuestras investigaciones arqueológicas. Se pretende la
exploración y el desarrollo deliberado de un enfoque que
“trascienda la preocupación tradicional por los artefactos
y los sitios aislados y posibilite una apreciación realista
del aspecto medioambiental y de sus interacciones espaciales, económicas, sociales y potenciales con el sistema
de asentamiento” (Butzer 1989: 11).
Lo anterior puede ser abordado a partir del estudio de
suelos y sedimentos, utilizando herramientas metodológicas de las Ciencias de la Tierra. Los análisis de suelos y
sedimentos son un importante referente, pues estos son resultado de la síntesis de componentes del paisaje, como
el material parental, clima, biota, relieve y tiempo (Cuenya y
García 2004: 10). Estos pueden ser estudiados mediante la
aplicación de técnicas como la micromorfología o caracterización de suelos. El presente artículo6
aborda este enfoque desde una escala micro-espacial o microambiental
con un objetivo principal: caracterizar el paleoambiente de
las cuencas de Samaca y Ullujaya en el valle bajo de Ica.

by Giovanni Serreli, Charly French, and Federica Sulas

Tra il 14 e il 16 giugno 2017 verranno presentati i risultati della ricerca triennale e il libro ... more Tra il 14 e il 16 giugno 2017 verranno presentati i risultati della ricerca triennale e il libro
Sa massarìa: Ecologia storica dei sistemi di lavoro contadino in Sardegna
a cura di Giovanni Serreli, Rita T. Melis, Charles A.I. French e Federica Sulas
Cagliari, Istituto di Storia dell’Europa Mediterranea, 2017
Il libro è il frutto del progetto di ricerca triennale omonimo, finanziato dalla Regione Autonoma della Sardegna (L.R. 7 agosto 2007 ‘Promozione della ricerca scientifica e dell’innovazione tecnologica in Sardegna’), nel quale si raccolgono i risultati della ricerca assieme a numerosi altri saggi riguardanti il paesaggio, l’uso del territorio, l’insediamento in varie aree della Sardegna dalla protostoria all’età contemporanea.
Il progetto è stato condotto dall’Istituto di Storia dell’Europa mediterranea del CNR e dal Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche dell’Università di Cagliari con la collaborazione del Charles McBurney Laboratory, Human Landscapes (University of Cambridge). Sono stati partner del progetto il Comune di Las Plassas e il museo MudA.
Nello specifico, il progetto ha visto la collaborazione interdisciplinare di storici, archeologi, geografi, geologi e geoarcheologi, per studiare da vari punti di vista tre aree campione della Sardegna: la Marmilla (e in particolare il territorio di Las Plassas), il bacino del rio Posada e le campagne di Assemini e Decimomannu.
Queste aree campione sono state studiate dal punto di vista storico, partendo dalla documentazione medievale e di età moderna, e da quello geoarcheologico, attraverso una serie di trivellazioni e carotaggi, i cui campioni sono stati poi studiati nei migliori dipartimenti specialistici. Il fine era quello di stabilire una linea di evoluzione dell’uso dei territori in oggetto, del paesaggio, delle modalità di insediamento e dell’evoluzione paleoclimatica.
I risultati della ricerca, che si auspica possa continuare in futuro, oltre a proporsi come modello di approccio per lo studio del territorio e del paesaggio, in questo libro si confronta con esperienze di studio sull’uso del territorio in altre aree della Sardegna e non solo.