| Popis: |
Long-term dynamics of terraced fields are undervalued as archaeology traditionally expressed little interest and faced difficulties in dating these features. However, sediments and soils underpin the agricultural production process and are repositories of landscape dynamics, particularly in mountainous regions where the quality of information is enhanced by the steep slopes, with the presence of thick pedosedimentary stratifications due to colluvial deposits. Crop fields and societies which shape them can be examined through agrarian archaeology, which incorporates the study of soils and palaeosols. The Eastern Pyrenees case-study questions the visibility of farming practices at high altitude in landscapes that were considered as pastures for sheep and goat grazing in ancient times, as they are today. A pedoarchaeological survey and an excavation project were undertaken between 1500 and 2000 m altitude. There, the mapping of terraced areas and subsequent identification, characterization and dating of palaeosols brought to light a period of cultivation on the sunny slope of the granitic Carlit Mountain as early as the Late Neolithic and the Bronze Age (mainly from 2890–2620 cal. BC to 2028–1874 cal. BC). |
