This thesis presents the results of geoarchaeological investigations of several archaeological sites along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River in north central Texas. Archaeological data recorded from mitigation excavations in Denton and Cooke counties were analyzed to understand the geologic impacts on faunal preservation resulting from site formation processes. The faunal assemblages are highly fragmented, even in settings known for good preservation. A combined approach using geoarchaeological and taphonomic techniques was implemented to examine how fragmentation, evidence of soil weathering, and differential preservation were impacted by differing geologic conditions throughout the river basin. Intrasite and intersite results of the sites show that a great deal of variability of faunal preservation is present at difference scales of analysis.

Archaeological sites are not static records of the past. They exist within a dynamic environment, and, as part of this environment, they undergo changes upon deposition. In order to make confident interpretations of past human behavior based on patterns observed in the archaeological record, it is first necessary to determine if these patterns were produced by human behavior or if they are the result of geogenic or biogenic process following burial. This investigation of site formation processes of farm middens at three Viking Age farms (Reynistaður, Stóra-Seyla and Syðra Skörðugil) in Skagafjörður, Northern Iceland, uses micromorphological analysis of thin sections to discern between cultural and natural processes which have contributed to the formation and preservation of the middens. My interpretations of the depositional and post-depositional processes of these three middens is based on micromorphological analysis of thin sections of 11 resin-impregnated intact sediment samples.

Following the unauthorized ground disturbance at two undiscovered Early/Middle Archaic sites (WO2 and WO5) within the Trail of Tears protective corridor on the Nantahala National Forest, NC, archaeological investigations undertaken have yielded data potentially important to the understanding of early inhabitants in the Appalachian Summit region. Archaeological investigations at sites WO2 and WO5 have shown that both sites have single occupations as evidenced by statistical analysis of data collected. Also, the two sites have minimal disturbance based on statistical analyses of the dip and strike data of piece-plotted artifacts at the two locales. The thesis outlines the work done at the two sites, provides evidence of the level of disturbance at each site, and argues for the sites’ eligibility for inclusion in the NRHP.

Foraminifera are single cell protozoa that are ubiquitous in marine environments. The hard casings, or tests, of foraminifera are routinely studied in the earth sciences, particularly for palaeoenvironmental information. Foraminifera have been little studied by archaeologists, however, despite their potential to contribute to understandings of coastal site formation processes and localised palaeoenvironments. In this study techniques and methods of foraminiferal analysis are developed and applied to the problem of distinguishing between natural and cultural marine shell deposits, using the Mort Creek Site Complex, central Queensland, as a case study. Results allow unambiguous demarcation of the natural and cultural deposits studied based on patterns of foraminiferal density. Natural deposits were found to have more than 1000 foraminifera per 100g of sediment, while cultural deposits exhibited less than 50 foraminifera per 100g of sediment. The range of taxa represented in the foraminiferal assemblage is consistent with a shallow water sub-tropical marine ecosystem, indicating general environmental stability throughout the period of deposit formation. Findings are applied to re-evaluate previous models of site formation at the Mort Creek Site Complex.

Foraminifera are single cell protozoa that are ubiquitous in marine environments. The hard casings, or tests, of foraminifera are routinely studied in the earth sciences, particularly for palaeoenvironmental information. Foraminifera have been little studied by archaeologists, however, despite their potential to contribute to understandings of coastal site formation processes and localised palaeoenvironments. In this study techniques and methods of foraminiferal analysis are developed and applied to the problem of distinguishing between natural and cultural marine shell deposits, using the Mort Creek Site Complex, central Queensland, as a case study. Results allow unambiguous demarcation of the natural and cultural deposits studied based on patterns of foraminiferal density. Natural deposits were found to have more than 1000 foraminifera per 100g of sediment, while cultural deposits exhibited less than 50 foraminifera per 100g of sediment. The range of taxa represented in the foraminiferal assemblage is consistent with a shallow water sub-tropical marine ecosystem, indicating general environmental stability throughout the period of deposit formation. Findings are applied to re-evaluate previous models of site formation at the Mort Creek Site Complex.

The “Lower Town” archaeological site in Mycenae, Argolis, Greece has been excavated since 2007 and multiple periods of occupation and abandonment are represented in the stratigraphy uncovered. Sedimentary deposits were grouped into two general categories during excavation and these categories shaped fieldwork decisions: yellow-orange sediment with denser artifact concentrations representing potential occupation and red sediment with sparser artifacts representing abandonment. The distributions of point locations of artifacts within these bodies of sediment are analyzed statistically for spatial homogeneity using Ripley’s K in a GIS environment to test these site formation assumptions. Statistically significant spatial clustering in artifacts is assumed for autochthonous occupation deposits. These analyses were designed to be used to explicitly test otherwise implicit assumptions during fieldwork in future fieldwork. Results are mixed, with several factors complicating the interpretation of results without the hindsight of postieldwork artifactual and geoarchaeological analyses.

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This thesis deals with questions on various applications using soils and sediments as sources of information in archaeological research. Human environmental impact on soils and sediments, in terms of pollution, is a well known phenomenon as the industrialisation intensified during historical times and onwards and has left strong pollutive marks. However, humans have always accumulated or emitted matter and various compounds in connection to their habitats for subsistence, but these earlier traces are not always detectable, depending on soil and sediment state of preservation. Bioessential elements are intimately linked to humans and their dwellings and especially phosphate has been evident in this respect. It was established already in the 1930s, that even Stone Age settlements could be located through elevated phosphate content in extensive soil phosphate mappings. This thesis is a compilation on results from several sites and excavations from the southern to the northern parts of Sweden. There is a wide variety of soil types and chronological setting in the material, from highly acid podzols to calcareous soils, and sediments dated to Younger Dryas to current top soils. Sites from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Early and Late Iron Age and Medieval are all represented. Methods that have been implemented are firstly various forms of analysis in regards to soil phosphate, magnetic susceptibility and organic matter. Furthermore, metal and non-metal elements have been considered, as well as lead isotopes. A multiproxy approach is applied in some examples where biological and chemical data is combined to interpret past events. In this thesis there are also five papers presented. The first paper deals with methodological issues concerning multi-element analyses of various soil samples (off-site to feature) from an archaeological excavation. The second paper is about the possibilities that may be used when analysing the soil organic phosphate in relation to prehistoric agriculture. Paper three and fourth are compilations of large scale contract archaeological project. These papers deal with theoretical, methodological and practical issues concerning environmental archaeology in relation to contract archaeology. Studies on landscape development and erosion are among the cases presented. The last paper deals with a late Mesolithic - early Neolithic settlement in Vuollerim, N. Sweden, and spatial dimensions on the human use of settlement (off-site to on-site) and house floors (intra-site), are discussed.

The study of archaeological site formation processes, although commonly undertaken in prehistoric sites, is only carried out in historical archaeological sites in a limited way. Understanding the processes which formed the archaeological record of a site is an important first step towards developing justifiable inferences about past behaviour and past societies regardless of the age of the site. This thesis identifies and examines the cultural and noncultural processes that formed the archaeological record at the Commissariat Store, in Brisbane, Australia. The history of the site, from its construction in 1829 as part of the Moreton Bay penal settlement to the present, is examined and the expected impacts and processes on the archaeological record are identified. The archaeological evidence from the salvage excavation of the site undertaken in 1978/79 is analysed to identify the cultural and noncultural site formation processes. This study identified the presence of the cultural formation processes of discard, loss, abandonment and re-use from an examination of the historical and archaeological evidence. Non-cultural formation processes at work in the site include faunalturbation, floralturbation, flooding and aquaturbation. This research also identified deficiencies in Schiffer's model for identifying and categorising cultural formation processes. The activity of construction of the site's drainage system did not clearly fit within a single type of formation process. Water as a formation agent is only discussed in the literature as a non-cultural formation process, while at this site water can be seen as a cultural formation process. This thesis demonstrates the value and importance of understanding site formation processes as a firm basis for future interpretation of the archaeology of the Commissariat Store site.

Conflict Event theory has the potential to change how archaeologists investigate battlefield sites. As a theoretical paradigm, eventful archaeology allows us to give agency to social-structure changing events, going beyond collect artifacts after the battle is over. Coupled with site formation processes, this model allows us to project battle elements to re-create the historical events that occurred at conflict sites. Within this theoretical framework, we can begin to understand why the conflict unfolded in a particular manner. Two site of the Texian Revolution are particularly appropriate to this new theoretical model: the San Jacinto Battleground (SJB), the location of the last battle of the Texian Revolution, and Washington-on-the-Brazos (WOB), the location of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Merging this theoretical model with an investigation of site formation processes (understanding the matrix in which the artifacts lie) and pulse-domain electromagnetic surveying allows for a much more robust approach to Battlefield Archaeology. Pulse-induction allows for the detection of discrete artifacts in the soil, and is a much more reliable method than the more commonly used magnetometry. Analyzing characteristics of the soil surrounding the artifacts then gives us a third line of inquiry as to why artifacts are in certain locations in the archaeological record, allowing for an explanation as to their quality and quantity. La teoría del Acontecimiento del conflicto tiene el potencial para cambiar cómo arqueólogos investigan sitios de campo de batalla. Como un paradigma teórico, la arqueología llena de acontecimientos nos permite dar agencia a la social-estructura que cambia acontecimientos, yendo más allá de reúne artefactos después de que la batalla esté sobre. Asociado con procesos de formación de sitio, este modelo nos permite proyectar batalla elementos para recrear los acontecimientos históricos que ocurrieron en sitios de conflicto. Dentro de esta armazón teórica, nosotros podemos comenzar a comprender por qué el conflicto desplegó en una manera particular. Dos sitio de la Revolución de Texian es especialmente apropiado a este nuevo modelo teórico: el San Campo de batalla de Jacinto (SJB), la ubicación de la última batalla de la Revolución de Texian, y de Washington en el Brazos (WOB), la ubicación del firmar de la Declaración de Tejas de Independencia. Unir este modelo teórico con una investigación de sitúa procesos de formación (comprendiendo la matriz en la que los artefactos están) y el pulso-dominio inspeccionar electromagnético tiene en cuenta un enfoque mucho más robusto a la Arqueología del Campo de batalla. La pulso-inducción tiene en cuenta el descubrimiento de artefactos distintos en la tierra, y es un método mucho más seguro que el magnetometry más comúnmente utilizado. Analizar características de la tierra que rodea los artefactos entonces nos dan una tercera línea de indagación en cuanto a por qué artefactos están en ciertas ubicaciones en el registro arqueológico, teniendo en cuenta una explicación en cuanto a su calidad y la cantidad.