Geoarchaeological Approaches to Pictish Settlement Sites: Assessing Heritage at Risk

该项目将使用一套创新的地质考古技术来评估毕比士时期建筑的保存情况，以及如果使用地质考古方法进行分析，支离破碎的建筑必须重建中世纪早期苏格兰日常生活的潜力。目前，我们对中世纪早期苏格兰日常生活的理解存在着巨大的差距，这是由于对皮克士建筑的保护不力，以及其中的占有性矿藏(Hall and Price，2012)。在低地和沿海地区，由于深耕(例如Rhynie、Clarkly Hill)、海岸侵蚀(例如Dunniaer)或城市发展(例如Burghead)，Picish建筑通常被截断，而那些在高地地区发现的建筑由于尚不清楚的原因似乎没有保存下来的地板沉积物(例如Glenshee的Lair)。地质考古技术阐明了遗址的形成过程，是一种强大的研究工具，可以识别地板沉积物，区分它们的组成，并将这种组成与日常活动、地板维护过程和生活条件联系起来(Milek和Roberts，2013年)，但它们尚未应用于皮卡什时期的住宅。该项目将是第一个采用一套地质考古技术的项目，该技术已被证明在维京时代遗址以及苏格兰和冰岛的民族志案例研究中非常有效(图1)。受聘从事这项研究的学生将分析过去三年从Rhynie(Noble 2014)、Burghead、Clarly Hill(Hunter 2012)、Dunniaer(Stalker 2015)和Lair(Glenshee考古项目2016)发掘的残缺不全的Picish建筑中收集的一组约250个沉积物样本。首先将使用土壤微形态、X射线荧光(XRF)、磁化率、点火损失、pH和微量垃圾分析来分析样本，以确定保存条件和遗址形成过程，并评估重建中世纪早期苏格兰聚落日常生活和生活条件的理想技术组合。第一个分析阶段的结果将决定哪些额外的技术应该应用于样本，如粪便脂肪生物标记物分析和可变压力扫描电子显微镜(VP9扫描电子显微镜)。此外，监督小组将获得预定纪念碑的同意，重新开放皮蒂什皮特卡米克遗址的旧挖掘战壕(Carver等人。2012年；2013年)，以便从各部分暴露的地板沉积物、9个洞后的填充物和草坪墙中采集微形态和大量沉积物样本。对这些样本的分析将为我们提供至关重要的新数据，以帮助我们了解(A)影响Picish住宅的地板形成过程的范围，(B)是否可以使用Post9孔洞填充来了解被犁截断的建筑物的原始地板组成和空间使用，以及(C)建筑物自22年前重新埋葬以来的保存变化。该项目的成果将包括遗址挖掘者和高等教育机构的地质考古报告、共同撰写的出版物和会议演示文稿，以及苏格兰历史环境地质考古指南文件。作为一个整体，这一创新项目将提供关于以下方面的重要新信息：(A)在各种环境背景下对毕比士时期建筑的保护；(B)如果用科学方法分析，支离破碎或损坏的建筑的研究潜力，以提供有关中世纪早期日常生活的重要信息；以及(C)这组文化遗址现在和未来生存的主要风险。该项目将实现苏格兰考古战略(苏格兰历史环境2015)的几个关键目标，特别是增进我们对中世纪早期时期的了解，提高我们照顾和保护文化遗产资源的能力。

This project will use an innovative suite of geoarchaeological techniques to evaluate the preservation of Pictish Period buildings and the potential that fragmentary buildings have to reconstruct daily life in early medieval Scotland if analysed using geoarchaeological methods. There is currently a tremendous gap in our understanding of daily life in early medieval Scotland due to the poor preservation of Pictish buildings and the occupation deposits within them (Hall and Price 2012). In lowland and coastal areas, Pictish buildings are generally truncated by deep ploughing (e.g. Rhynie, Clarkly Hill), coastal erosion (e.g. Dunnicaer), or urban development (e.g. Burghead), while those uncovered in upland areas seem to have no preserved floor deposits for reasons that are yet to be understood (e.g. Lair in Glenshee). Geoarchaeological techniques clarify site formation processes and are a powerful research tool for identifying floor deposits, distinguishing their composition, and linking this composition to daily activities, floor maintenance processes, and living conditions (Milek and Roberts 2013), but they have yet to be applied to Pictish Period dwellings. This project will be the first to employ a suite of geoarchaeological techniques already proven to be highly effective on Viking Age sites as well as ethnographic case studies in Scotland and Iceland (Fig. 1). The student engaged to undertake this research will analyse a set of around 250 sediment samples collected over the last three years from fragmentary Pictish buildings excavated at Rhynie (Noble 2014), Burghead, Clarkly Hill (Hunter 2012), Dunnicaer (Stalker 2015), and Lair (Glenshee Archaeology Project 2016). The samples will in the first instance be analysed using integrated soil micromorphology, X9ray fluorescence (XRF), magnetic susceptibility, loss9on9ignition, pH, and micro9refuse analysis to determine preservation conditions and site formation processes, and to evaluate the ideal combination of techniques for reconstructing aspects of daily life and living conditions in early medieval Scottish settlements. The results of this first analytical stage will determine which additional state9of9the9art techniques should be applied to the samples, such as faecal lipid biomarker analysis and variable pressure9scanning electron microscopy (VP9 SEM). In addition, the supervisory team will obtain Scheduled Monument Consent to re9open old excavation trenches at the Pictish site of Pitcarmick (Carver et al. 2012; 2013) in order to take micromorphology and bulk sediment samples from floor deposits, post9hole fills, and turf walls exposed in the sections. The analysis of these samples will provide new data crucial for our understanding of (a) the range of floor9formation processes affecting Pictish dwellings, (b) whether post9 hole fills can be used to understand the original floor composition and use of space in buildings truncated by ploughing, and (c) changes in the preservation of the buildings since they were re9buried 22 years ago. Outputs of the project will include geoarchaeological reports for the site excavators and HES, co9authored publications and conference presentations, and a geoarchaeological guidelines document for Historic Environment Scotland. As a whole, this innovative project will provide crucial new information about (a) the preservation of Pictish Period buildings in a range of environmental settings, (b) the research potential of fragmentary or damaged buildings to provide crucial information about daily life in the early medieval period if analysed using scientific methods, and (c) the major risks to the survival of this group of cultural heritage sites now and in the future. The project will fulfil several key aims of the Scottish Archaeology Strategy (Historic Environment Scotland 2015), especially enhancing our understanding of the early medieval period, improving our ability to care for and protect cultural heritage resources.