Papers by Moritz Nykamp
Journal of Maps, 2022
The monumental Late Bonze Age royal tomb of Seddin is located in the old morainic landscape of th... more The monumental Late Bonze Age royal tomb of Seddin is located in the old morainic landscape of the Prignitz region, northeastern Germany. Together with other richly equipped burials and a row of stone pits in its direct vicinity, it provides evidence for the presence of an elite from the nineth to sixth centuries BCE in this region. Our map emphasizes the well-chosen location of the royal tomb in relation to the spatial arrangement of other archaeological monuments that together form an ensemble of a ritual landscape. We trace legacies of land use from the Bronze Age to the present against the backdrop of Late Quaternary landscape evolution. These include the Bronze Age landscape (re-)organization for ritual and economic purposes, its medieval use for arable farming, its economic use and settlement history in historic times, and modern times melioration of agricultural areas that together form the palimpsest of the present-day landscape.
eTopoi. Journal for Ancient Studies, 2015
For the environs of the Late Bronze Age fortification enclosure Iarcuri the hydro-morphological r... more For the environs of the Late Bronze Age fortification enclosure Iarcuri the hydro-morphological relief characteristics are combined with archaeological evidences. Target of the study is to evaluate the impact of settlement activities in the surroundings of Iarcuri on the development of the channel network. Data analysis is based on topographic map-derived and high resolution DEMs provided by LiDAR scanning; derivatives of the DEMs are used to characterize the different sub-catchments that show varying influences by the fortification ramparts. The tributaries reaching the receiving stream close to the central settlement area source close to the gates in the ramparts in the Late Bronze Age built-up areas. Additionally, also the geometry of these tributaries differs from that of other tributaries. The distinct character of the channel network with repeatedly occurring rectangular bends indicates the capture of channels, which developed as gullies along paths by retrogressive erosion
Data in Brief, 2020
This dataset comprises the detailed descriptions and labora- tory measurements of sediment profil... more This dataset comprises the detailed descriptions and labora- tory measurements of sediment profiles from the semi-arid environs of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey—one of the oldest monumental struc- tures of humankind dating to c. 11.5–10 ka BP. Focus of the descriptions are the architectural elements of the deposits al- lowing to conduct facies interpretations and the reconstruc- tion of different depositional environments. This is supported by bulk geochemical sediment analyses (pH, electrical con- ductivity, magnetic susceptibility, and loss on ignition) and the determination of total and inorganic carbon contents and chemical element concentrations. The Late Holocene chronol- ogy is based on radiocarbon dating of charcoal pieces and bulk samples containing organic matter from buried organic- rich topsoil horizons and soil sediments. Lithic artifacts from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic provide additional age estimates. Nykamp et al. [1] provide the synthesis that is based on the presented datasets.
Heritage, 2020
Quantitative sediment analyses performed in the laboratory are often used throughout archaeologic... more Quantitative sediment analyses performed in the laboratory are often used throughout archaeological excavations to critically reflect on-site stratigraphic delineation. Established methods are, however, often time-consuming and expensive. Recent studies suggest that systematic image analysis can objectivise the delineation of stratigraphic layers based on fast quantitative spectral measurements. The presented study examines how these assumptions prevail when compared to modern techniques of sediment analysis. We examine an archaeological cross-section at a Bronze Age burial mound near Seddin (administrative district Prignitz, Brandenburg, Germany), consisting of several layers of construction-related material. Using detailed on-site descriptions supported by quantitatively measured sediment properties as a measure of quality, we compare clustering results of (i) extensive colour measurements conducted with an RGB and a multispectral camera during fieldwork, as well as (ii) selective...
Cornesti-Iarcuri is the largest known fortification enclosure of prehistoric Europe. The site is ... more Cornesti-Iarcuri is the largest known fortification enclosure of prehistoric Europe. The site is located in the Romanian Banat, at the southeastern edge of the Mures alluvial fan (Fig. 1). Four earth filled wooden ramparts with a total length of about 33 km enclose an area of more than 17.2 km². Even today, after centuries of intensive arable farming, these walls represent significant obstacles in the undulating landscape of the Vinga plain. Radiocarbon dates, most recently achieved by ongoing archaeological research date the construction to the Late Bronze Age (Szentmiklosi et al. 2011, Heeb et al. 2008, Micle et al. 2009). The Mures alluvial fan started to develop in the Pliocene and with its extent of about 10.000 km² it is one of the most extensive landscape features of the eastern Pannonian Basin (Urdea et al. 2012). Extensive parts of the fan are covered with Quaternary loess and loess-like deposits. Thick chernozem or chernozem-like soils have developed in these sediments (Borsy 1990).
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 1-17, 2021
This study uses an integrated multi-method geoarcheological and geochronological approach to cont... more This study uses an integrated multi-method geoarcheological and geochronological approach to contribute to the understanding of the timing and stratigraphy of the monumental burial mound royal tomb (Königsgrab) of Seddin. We show that the hitherto established radiocarbon-based terminus post quem time frame for the construction of the burial mound of 910-800 BCE is supported by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The radiocarbon samples were obtained from a substrate directly underneath the burial mound which supposedly represents the late glacial/Holocene soil that was buried below the structure. We use sedimentological (grain-size analyses) and geochemical analyses (element analyses, carbon, pH, and electric conductivity determinations) to reassess and confirm this hypothesis. In addition to the burial age associated with the last anthropogenic reworking during construction of the burial mound, the OSL dating results provide new insights into the primary deposi-tion history of the original substrates used for the structure. In combination with regional information about the middle and late Quaternary development of the environment, our data allow us to provide a synoptic genetic model of the landscape development and the multiphase stratigraphy of the royal tomb of Seddin within the Late Bronze Age cultural group "Seddiner Gruppe" of northern Germany. Based on our initial experiences with OSL dating applied to the sediments of a burial mound-to the best of our knowledge the first attempt in Europe-we propose a minimal invasive approach to obtain datable material from burial mounds and discuss related opportunities and challenges.
This study presents a meta-analysis of radiocarbon ages for the environs of Göbekli Tepe-one of t... more This study presents a meta-analysis of radiocarbon ages for the environs of Göbekli Tepe-one of the oldest monumental structures worldwide-using cumulative probability functions to diachronically assess phases of geomorphodynamic activity as controlled by natural or anthropogenic drivers. We employ sediment cascades as a heuristic framework to study the complex responses of the geomorphological system to various triggers at local to supra-regional scales. Possible triggers include climatic variability as documented by supra-regional hydroclimatic proxy data, regional demographic trends, and local to regional socioeconomic developments such as the emergence of sedentism or the introduction and dispersal of livestock herding. Our results show that phases of intensified geomorphodynamic activity occurred between ca. 7.4-7.0 and 5.8-3.3 ka BP. These phases roughly coincide with phases of population growth in southern Turkey and climatic variations in Turkey and the Levant. The phase between ca. 5.8-3.3 ka BP also corresponds to the time when organized agriculture and the seeder plough were introduced. Also, the identified phases are in agreement with the general trend of varying geomorphodynamic activity in the Eastern Mediterranean as driven by human impact and climatic change. However, neither the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition nor the development of herding during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic left a clear signature. We demonstrate how the different depositional environments in the studied landscape compartments vary with respect to their spatiotemporal coverage and discuss challenges when trying to understand processes that once shaped landscapes of past societies.
Land, 2020
The relation between human activities, climate variability, and geomorphodynamics in the Mediterr... more The relation between human activities, climate variability, and geomorphodynamics in the Mediterranean region is widely discussed. For the western lower Bakırçay plain in the ancient Pergamon Micro-Region, geoarchaeological studies have shown changes in geomorphodynamics primarily on a site-basis. We reconstruct past geomorphodynamics in the area based on a meta-analysis of 108 14C ages obtained from 25 sediment sequences mainly from colluvial and alluvial deposits by analyzing cumulative probability functions of the 14C ages. Accounting for biases in the database, we applied different approaches and compared the empirical probability functions with simulated functions. Reconstructed geomorphodynamics in the western lower Bakırçay plain during the Holocene principally coincide with a trend of climate-driven sensitivity to erosion and population dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean, but are also related to the local settlement history. Our data analysis shows that transformations of the Pergamon Micro-Region between the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial times is contemporary to increasing geomorphodynamics that peak in Roman Imperial times. However, a cause-effect relationship between geomorphodynamics and settlement dynamics should be further evaluated. A comparison with data from other settlement centers in Anatolia shows that a coincidence between the peak in geomorphodynamics and a peak in settlement activity are not obvious and may be influenced by soil conservation measures, preferred settlement location, and inherited soil exhaustion.
Catena, 2020
This study traces the geomorphological development in the environs of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic s... more This study traces the geomorphological development in the environs of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site Göbekli Tepe by means of radiocarbon dated sediment profiles from its close vicinity. Based on facies interpretation we identify different depositional environments and discuss the involved process dynamics. Our results show that the sediments from the foot slopes are characterized by soil creep and slope wash. Further downstream, in the prox- imal piedmont zone, fluvial deposition prevails forming a channel and an overbank facies. The sediments at the foot slopes were mainly deposited during Roman and Byzantine times, while those from the proximal piedmont zone cover the period from the Bronze Age to the Roman times. Phases of geomorphological activity and stability can be distinguished in the course of the later Holocene, where organic rich topsoils were buried at c. 4750, 4200, and 3650 cal. a BP documenting phases of landscape stability followed by enhanced geomorphodynamics. These phases fall into the Bronze Age in Anatolia and coincide with an increasing population, pronounced hu- man impact, and climatic aridization that occurred in Turkey around 5.3–4.1 ka BP. Our findings provide among the first insights into the environmental development including the involved process dynamics in the vicinity of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Göbekli Tepe during the later Holocene, also allowing to further develop hypotheses for the period of its occupation.
Land, 2019
This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surr... more This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Göbekli Tepe. We base our analyses on a literature review that covers the environmental components of prevailing bedrock and soils, model-and proxy-based climatic development, and vegetation. The spatio-temporal scales that are covered are mainly the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Late Quaternary-whereby special attention is given to available data from the close vicinity of Göbekli Tepe. Information on Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics is largely absent for the environs of Göbekli Tepe, we therefore included remote sensing data, different terrain modeling approaches and field-based geomorphological mapping to gain insights into past process dynamics. The findings indicate that the environmental conditions at Göbekli Tepe during its time of occupation differed significantly from today, showing denser vegetation and a wide spread sediment cover. Different hypotheses are developed that aim to guide future research on environmental changes and their variations during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. These activities are crucial for a more profound understanding of the environment of the site, its potential perception by humans and therefore for the development of narratives on their landscape creation motives.
Land 8(4), 2019
This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surr... more This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Göbekli Tepe. We base our analyses on a literature review that covers the environmental components of prevailing bedrock and soils, model-and proxy-based climatic development, and vegetation. The spatio-temporal scales that are covered are mainly the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Late Quaternary-whereby special attention is given to available data from the close vicinity of Göbekli Tepe. Information on Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics is largely absent for the environs of Göbekli Tepe, we therefore included remote sensing data, different terrain modeling approaches and field-based geomorphological mapping to gain insights into past process dynamics. The findings indicate that the environmental conditions at Göbekli Tepe during its time of occupation differed significantly from today, showing denser vegetation and a wide spread sediment cover. Different hypotheses are developed that aim to guide future research on environmental changes and their variations during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. These activities are crucial for a more profound understanding of the environment of the site, its potential perception by humans and therefore for the development of narratives on their landscape creation motives.
This study introduces an easy-to-apply approach to studying historic landscape development and ti... more This study introduces an easy-to-apply approach to studying historic landscape development and tillage-induced wind-driven soil erosion of a loess-like sediment. It discusses the implications of these processes for the preservation of cultural remains in the environs of the largest known European ground monument – Corneşti-Iarcuri. This Late Bronze Age enclosure is located in the loess-covered, undulating plains of western Romania and consists of four earth-filled wooden ramparts. Interpretation of historic and modern maps is combined with the study of written sources to qualitatively record historic landscape development. It is shown that major changes in the natural environment, including the intensification of arable farming and the regular establishment of straight field paths, occurred in the study area between c. 1770 and c. 1865. The amount of surface lowering due to wind-driven soil erosion is estimated using a combination of systematic feature extraction from the historic and modern maps, high resolution modeling of the topography based on LiDAR data, subsurface compaction measurements and grain size analyses. The surface lowering on the arable fields of the high plain since c. 1865 totals between 10 and 40 cm. This, together with the actual plowing depth of c. 30 cm, implies that archaeological structures must have penetrated the subsurface to between 40 and 70 cm in order to be preserved in the present-day subsurface. Thus, this study shows that a considerable portion of the cultural heritage has presumably been lost. Moreover, the still intact lower-lying stratigraphy is threatened by the destructive impact of plowing that successively reaches greater depths due to ongoing tillage-induced wind-driven soil erosion on the arable fields. However, bioturbation causing distortion of the systemic context of the cultural remains cannot be excluded, as Luvic Phaeozems and Luvic Chernozems prevail in the study area.
This study exemplifies the theoretical and methodological process of integration of disciplinary r... more This study exemplifies the theoretical and methodological process of integration of disciplinary results, the joint development of new hypotheses and its interdisciplinary interpretation in the framework of landscape archaeological research. A conceptual model is introduced to visualize the integration process. The findings of two recently published studies and the archaeological state of the art regarding the largest known prehistoric enclosure in Europe – Corneşti-Iarcuri – are used as exemplary data to demonstrate the applicability of the conceptual model. The presented discussion shows how integration of disciplinary findings leads to a more holistic and more rigorous interpretation and opens the opportunity to jointly develop new hypotheses that can be integrated subsequently.
Quaternary International, 2013
The presented study combines data from geomorphological, geochemical, sedimentological, chronomet... more The presented study combines data from geomorphological, geochemical, sedimentological, chronometric and archaeological records providing first insights into the Holocene landscape development in the environs of the Late Bronze Age fortification enclosure Corneşti-Iarcuri. This large-scale archaeological site is located in a loess-covered, undulating landscape at the eastern edge of the Great Hungarian Plain, in western Romania. Sediment archives from geomorphologically different locations, closely related to the Copper Age to Late Bronze Age settlements, are presented. Mainly stable geomorphic conditions throughout the Holocene occurred on the high plains of the Vinga Plain as indicated by chemical alteration of the loess deposits and soil formation processes exceeding 2 m. In contrast, two cores from an alluvial fan of a minor drainage system in direct vicinity of the archaeological site document varying morphodynamics throughout the Holocene. Phases of geomorphic activity and stability are indicated by the formation of fan deposits and paleosols developed in these sediments. 14C datings from charcoal extracted from the fan sediments show maximum deposition ages between c. 4400 cal. BP and c. 2900 cal. BP, thus the formation of the charcoal coincides with the Copper Age to Late Bronze Age development of the settlement sites. Daub pieces, incorporated into the reworked soil sediments, provide evidence for human activities in the catchment. This, in turn, may indicate that the erosion processes that led to the fan formation are linked to those activities. However, reworking and redeposition of the charcoal and daub bearing sediments due to retrogressive erosion during the last millennia cannot be excluded.
For the environs of the Late Bronze Age fortification enclosure Iarcuri the hydro-morphological r... more For the environs of the Late Bronze Age fortification enclosure Iarcuri the hydro-morphological relief characteristics are combined with archaeological evidences. Target of the study is to evaluate the impact of settlement activities in the surroundings of Iarcuri on the development of the channel network. Data analysis is based on topographic map-derived and high resolution DEMs provided by LiDAR scanning; derivatives of the DEMs are used to characterize the different sub-catchments that show varying influences by the fortification ramparts. The tributaries reaching the receiving stream close to the central settlement area source close to the gates in the ramparts in the Late Bronze Age built-up areas. Additionally, also the geometry of these tributaries differs from that of other tributaries. The distinct character of the channel network with repeatedly occurring rectangular bends indicates the capture of channels, which developed as gullies along paths by retrogressive erosion
Thesis Chapters by Moritz Nykamp
This doctoral thesis focuses on human–environment interactions in the environs of the Late Bronze... more This doctoral thesis focuses on human–environment interactions in the environs of the Late Bronze Age enclosure Corneşti-Iarcuri – the largest known settlement of European prehistory. Varying interactions among humans and the environment are considered on different spatial and temporal scales aiming to enhance our understanding of their impacts on the Holocene development of the landscape in the surroundings of Corneşti-Iarcuri and in which ways they were involved in the formation of the respective archaeological context. Moreover, this thesis aims at exemplifying how the integration of results from the disciplines of archaeology and geography can be achieved successfully. It is demonstrated that through the application of geoarchaeological and landscape archaeological approaches the point of view of a hitherto purely archaeological research at Corneşti-Iarcuri is extended.
Corneşti-Iarcuri is located in the region of the Romanian Banat at the southern rim of the loess-covered, undulating plains of the Vinga Plain, c. 20 km north of the city of Timişoara. The region is characterized by fertile soils like Chernozems and Phaeozems, intensive arable farming and a moderate temperate climate with mean annual precipitation of 550 mm.
The findings that contribute to enhance our understanding of the impact of past and present-day human–environment interactions on the landscape development and on the formation of the archaeological context in the area of Corneşti-Iarcuri as well as the illustration of the integration of disciplinary results are presented in four case studies. They demonstrate that extensive parts of the high plain are affected by an intensification of wind-driven soil erosion that is induced by plowing of the arable fields and causes the ongoing lowering of the surface since historic times. The surface lowering in combination with plowing has a considerable impact on the preservation of the archaeological record, because the destructive impact of the plow continuously reaches greater depths affecting the systemic context of the cultural remains or may even cause its complete destruction. In specific locations on the high plains hollow ways are identified that mainly formed during the Late Bronze Age as a consequence of trampling along frequently used footpaths, i.e. connecting settlements or leading through the gates of the enclosure. The trampling-induced compaction of the surface leads to reduced infiltration capacity and accelerated surface runoff finally facilitating the formation of path-oriented gullies. As these hollow ways ultimately form part of the archaeological context they provide first evidence of how people moved through the built-up area of Corneşti-Iarcuri and the adjacent landscape and how their regular movement transformed the landscape in the Late Bronze Age. The process of integrating disciplinary results is illustrated applying a conceptual model that also considers possible feedbacks back into the disciplines. The model exemplifies that close cooperation and intellectual exchange among the disciplines of archaeology and geography leads to the development of new hypotheses that are subsequently integrated into more holistic and rigorous interdisciplinary interpretations.
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Papers by Moritz Nykamp
Thesis Chapters by Moritz Nykamp
Corneşti-Iarcuri is located in the region of the Romanian Banat at the southern rim of the loess-covered, undulating plains of the Vinga Plain, c. 20 km north of the city of Timişoara. The region is characterized by fertile soils like Chernozems and Phaeozems, intensive arable farming and a moderate temperate climate with mean annual precipitation of 550 mm.
The findings that contribute to enhance our understanding of the impact of past and present-day human–environment interactions on the landscape development and on the formation of the archaeological context in the area of Corneşti-Iarcuri as well as the illustration of the integration of disciplinary results are presented in four case studies. They demonstrate that extensive parts of the high plain are affected by an intensification of wind-driven soil erosion that is induced by plowing of the arable fields and causes the ongoing lowering of the surface since historic times. The surface lowering in combination with plowing has a considerable impact on the preservation of the archaeological record, because the destructive impact of the plow continuously reaches greater depths affecting the systemic context of the cultural remains or may even cause its complete destruction. In specific locations on the high plains hollow ways are identified that mainly formed during the Late Bronze Age as a consequence of trampling along frequently used footpaths, i.e. connecting settlements or leading through the gates of the enclosure. The trampling-induced compaction of the surface leads to reduced infiltration capacity and accelerated surface runoff finally facilitating the formation of path-oriented gullies. As these hollow ways ultimately form part of the archaeological context they provide first evidence of how people moved through the built-up area of Corneşti-Iarcuri and the adjacent landscape and how their regular movement transformed the landscape in the Late Bronze Age. The process of integrating disciplinary results is illustrated applying a conceptual model that also considers possible feedbacks back into the disciplines. The model exemplifies that close cooperation and intellectual exchange among the disciplines of archaeology and geography leads to the development of new hypotheses that are subsequently integrated into more holistic and rigorous interdisciplinary interpretations.
Corneşti-Iarcuri is located in the region of the Romanian Banat at the southern rim of the loess-covered, undulating plains of the Vinga Plain, c. 20 km north of the city of Timişoara. The region is characterized by fertile soils like Chernozems and Phaeozems, intensive arable farming and a moderate temperate climate with mean annual precipitation of 550 mm.
The findings that contribute to enhance our understanding of the impact of past and present-day human–environment interactions on the landscape development and on the formation of the archaeological context in the area of Corneşti-Iarcuri as well as the illustration of the integration of disciplinary results are presented in four case studies. They demonstrate that extensive parts of the high plain are affected by an intensification of wind-driven soil erosion that is induced by plowing of the arable fields and causes the ongoing lowering of the surface since historic times. The surface lowering in combination with plowing has a considerable impact on the preservation of the archaeological record, because the destructive impact of the plow continuously reaches greater depths affecting the systemic context of the cultural remains or may even cause its complete destruction. In specific locations on the high plains hollow ways are identified that mainly formed during the Late Bronze Age as a consequence of trampling along frequently used footpaths, i.e. connecting settlements or leading through the gates of the enclosure. The trampling-induced compaction of the surface leads to reduced infiltration capacity and accelerated surface runoff finally facilitating the formation of path-oriented gullies. As these hollow ways ultimately form part of the archaeological context they provide first evidence of how people moved through the built-up area of Corneşti-Iarcuri and the adjacent landscape and how their regular movement transformed the landscape in the Late Bronze Age. The process of integrating disciplinary results is illustrated applying a conceptual model that also considers possible feedbacks back into the disciplines. The model exemplifies that close cooperation and intellectual exchange among the disciplines of archaeology and geography leads to the development of new hypotheses that are subsequently integrated into more holistic and rigorous interdisciplinary interpretations.