Welcome to the Dark Side
Disclosing the invisible stages of medieval urbanisation through the integrated study of European Dark Earths
«Phytoliths are a bridge between Archaeobotany and Geoarchaeology. The combined study of phytoliths in thin sections and bulk samples is key to better understand the use of plants by past societies, and their environmental context.»
«The preservation of sediments and (micro-) artefacts (taphonomy) can tell us different stories about times long ago.»
«Dark Earth formation results from a complex interaction of human actions and natural events.»
«The two-pillar database system GEOARCHre & I-GEOARCHive are key tools for data collection and processing in this research project.»
«My PhD goal is to conduct an integrated geoarchaeological study of selected sites, using micromorphology in combination with related geochemical analyses, and to synthesize micromorphological data from intra-site (single site formation processes and taphonomy) to intra-town level (site biographies and town reconstructions), and ultimately into inter-town level (European Urbanization).»
«The secrets of Urban Dark Earths in Switzerland and Germany have still to be revealed. My thin section analysis will shed new light on urban processes between Roman times and the Middle Ages.»
«Creating and managing a website may not be as thrilling as piloting the Millennium Falcon, but it’s necessary for sharing our discoveries with the universe.»
(kindly supported by Bing AI)
«A plant remain in a Dark Earth thin section can tell us a little story: What kind of plant is it? Where did it grow? How did it get here? And what’s its preservation?»
Thick, dark-coloured homogeneous deposits, Dark Earths, are a common phenomenon in European towns. Their seeming absence of stratigraphy has in the past resulted in a lack of research or their discarding. Meanwhile, geoarchaeological research has demonstrated that they contain highly valuable information impossible to access with traditional methods.
Micromorphological data from numerous case studies, primarily in Belgium and Switzerland, are reevaluated in an integrated study. The aim is to answer fundamental questions about medieval towns and their development, through characterisation of human activities, natural processes, and taphonomical changes that shaped them. All data are entered into a novel two-pillar database system (I-GEOARCHrec and I-GEOARCHive). Thanks to this unique open access system and image reference collection, the project will have a significant and lasting impact on how Dark Earths are studied in the future, preventing further loss of irreplaceable information.
This weave Project is foundet by:
