Lessons from Star Carr on the vulnerability of organic archaeological remains to environmental change.
Lessons from Star Carr on the vulnerability of organic archaeological remains to environmental change.
复制标题
斯塔卡尔关于有机考古遗迹对环境变化的脆弱性的教训。
DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1609222113
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发表时间：
2016
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
High K
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
High K
湿地沉积物的例子可以在地球仪上找到，并以保存有机考古和环境遗迹而闻名，这些遗迹对我们了解过去的人类与环境的相互作用至关重要。星星卡尔（英国约克郡）的中石器时代遗址代表了人类对北方末次冰川末期气候变化反应的最有影响力的档案之一。自1948年发现以来，该遗址的一个标志是其有机遗迹的特殊保存。令人不安的是，最近的挖掘表明，该遗址的地球化学不再有利于有机考古和环境材料的如此显着的生存。已经进行了微观（基于实验室的）埋葬实验，同时分析了从现场挖掘出的文物，以评估这些地球化学变化对剩余考古材料的影响。通过应用一套宏观和分子分析，我们证明，在星星卡尔的地球化学变化是造成宝贵的考古和古环境信息的必然和迅速的损失。我们的研究结果对其他湿地遗址，特别是原地保存的考古遗址具有全球意义。
Examples of wetland deposits can be found across the globe and are known for preserving organic archaeological and environmental remains that are vitally important to our understanding of past human–environment interactions. The Mesolithic site of Star Carr (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) represents one of the most influential archives of human response to the changing climate at the end of the last glacial in Northern Europe. A hallmark of the site since its discovery in 1948 has been the exceptional preservation of its organic remains. Disturbingly, recent excavations have suggested that the geochemistry of the site is no longer conducive to such remarkable survival of organic archaeological and environmental materials. Microcosm (laboratory-based) burial experiments have been undertaken, alongside analysis of artifacts excavated from the site, to assess the effect of these geochemical changes on the remaining archaeological material. By applying a suite of macroscopic and molecular analyses, we demonstrate that the geochemical changes at Star Carr are contributing to the inexorable and rapid loss of valuable archaeological and paleoenvironmental information. Our findings have global implications for other wetland sites, particularly archaeological sites preserved in situ.