From Micro to Macro Spatial Dynamics in the Villaggio Delle Macine
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The access to the contents of this doctoral thesis it is limited to the acceptance of the use conditions set by the following Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres Departament de Prehistòria Doctorat en arqueologia prehistòrica FROM MICRO TO MACRO SPATIAL DYNAMICS IN THE VILLAGGIO DELLE MACINE BETWEEN XIX-XVI CENTURY BC by Katia Francesca Achino Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor in Prehistoric Archaeology Supervisor: Prof. Juan Antonio Barceló Álvarez, UAB Co-Supervisor: Prof. Alberto Cazzella, Università degli Studi di Roma“La Sapienza” 2016 1 2 A Pier e alla mia famiglia, le mie insostituibili colonne portanti 3 4 CONTENTS 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLANATION 15 1.1 Where did social action happen? 15 1.2 The nature of spatial problems in Archaeology 17 1.2.1 Introduction and preliminary definitions 17 1.2.2 The nature of archaeological spatial problems 21 1.2.3 From count data to spatial probabilities 23 1.2.4 Scalar field and spatial gradients 26 1.2.5 Multivariate spatial prediction 30 1.2.6 The implicit problems of spatial prediction at the Intra-site scale 33 1.2.6.1 The problem of raw count data 33 1.2.6.2 The problem of fragmentation 34 1.2.6.3 The problem of categorisation 35 1.2.6.4 The problem of empty areas 36 1.2.6.5 The problem of post-depositional alteration 38 2. THE FORMATION- DEFORMATION OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD 40 2.1 Introduction 40 2.2 The “zero status”: a methodology 42 2.2.1 The natural formation processes 46 2.2.1.1 The natural pre-depositional formation processes: soils and sediments 47 2.2.2 Cultural formation processes 49 2.2.2.1 The first cultural deposition process: use and discard 50 2.3 The settlement abandonment 54 2.3.1 The different settlement abandonment modes 54 2.3.2 The causes of settlement abandonment 57 2.4 The post-abandonment processes 58 2.5 The post-depositional processes 58 2.5.1 The natural post-depositional processes 60 2.5.1.1 The natural post-depositional processes: the artefact scale 60 2.5.1.2 The natural post-depositional processes: the site scale 61 2.5.1.3 The pedoturbation processes in a regional analysis scale 68 2.5.2 The cultural post-depositional processes 72 5 2.5.2.1 The cultural post-depositional processes: reclamation 72 2.5.2.2 The cultural post-depositional processes: the disturbance 74 2.6 The natural and cultural formation processes: “there is strength in numbers” 77 2.7 The identification and analysis of formation and deformation processes 78 2.7.1 How to codify the formation and deformation archaeological processes: 79 geoarchaeology and palaeoecology 2.7.2 How to codify the formation and deformation archaeological processes: the 81 taphonomic approach 2.7.3 How to codify the formation and deformation archaeological processes: 83 ethnoarchaeology and experimentalism 2.8 Discussion 85 3. THE LAKE-DWELLING PHENOMENON: FORMATION AND DEFORMATION PROCESSES 87 3.1 Introduction: diversity and variety of wetland archaeology 87 3.1.1 Lake-Dwellings: “triumph and tragedy” of the Pompeii hypothesis 88 3.2 The pre-depositional status 89 3.2.1 The first natural formation process 90 3.2.2 The wetland ecosystems: features and formation 90 3.2.3 The pre-depositional status of wetland lacustrine archaeological contexts 95 3.3 The intra-depositional phase 100 3.3.1 The first anthropogenic intra-depositional process: the biography of houses in 102 wetland context 3.3.2 The Living Floors of Lake-side settlements 114 3.3.3 Fire events as expression of natural process as well as anthropogenic activity 120 3.3.4 Natural intra-depositional processes 121 3.3.5 Lake-Level fluctuations 126 3.4 The lakeside settlement abandonment: introduction 127 3.4.1 Different abandonment modes in the lakeside settlements context 130 3.4.2 The causes of abandonment in the lakeside settlements context 130 3.5 Post-depositional processes in the lakeside settlements context 137 3.5.1 Natural post-depositional processes 138 3.5.1.1 Natural post-depositional processes on an artefact scale 139 3.5.1.2 Natural post-depositional processes in a semi micro scale: the lakeside 140 settlements perspective 3.5.1.3 Pedoturbation processes in a regional analysis scale 143 6 3.5.2 Cultural post-depositional processes 143 3.5.2.1 Cultural post-depositional processes: reclamation and scavenging in the lakeside 144 settlements context 3.5.2.2 Cultural post-depositional processes in lakeside settlements: the disturbance 144 3.5.3 Natural and cultural post-depositional processes: “diversity in unity” 147 3.6 The identification and analysis of formation and deformation processes 147 3.6.1 How to codify formation and deformation archaeological processes: 148 geoarchaeology and palaeoecology 3.6.2 How to codify formation and deformation archaeological processes: taphonomic 149 approach 3.6.3 How to codify formation and deformation archaeological processes: ethnography 150 and experimentalism 3.7 Discussion 151 4. ANALYZING INTRA-SITE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS. THE MATHEMATICS OF 153 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTIONS 4.1 Towards a formal model of accumulation at the intra-site scale 153 4.2 An alternative model based on count data and spatial frequencies 157 4.3 When the model does not fit. Introductory remarks 165 4.3.1 When the model does not fit. Overdispersion 167 4.3.2 When the model does not fit. Outliers and multimodality 176 4.3.3 When the model does not fit. Skewness and anisotropy 185 4.4 From Spatial Dependence to Spatial Concordance. An introduction to Multivariate 186 Analysis of spatial variation. 5. THE SITE OF VILLAGGIO DELLE MACINE: FORMATION AND DEFORMATION 194 PROCESSES 5.1 Introduction 194 5.2 The pre-depositional or zero status of our wetland lacustrine archaeological context: 195 the formation of Lake Albano 5.3 The first anthropogenic intra-depositional phase: the biography of houses in the 204 wetland context 5.3.1 The living floors of the site 206 5.3.2 Fire events and lake-level fluctuations as intra-depositional episodes 209 5.4 The last phase of site occupation and its abandonment: introduction 210 5.4.1 The mode and cause of abandonment: some hypothetical reconstructions 210 7 5.5 Post-depositional processes in the lakeside settlement of the Villaggio delle Macine 211 5.5.1 Natural post-depositional processes 212 5.5.1.1 Natural post-depositional processes: the artefact scale 212 5.5.1.2 Natural post-depositional processes on a semi-micro scale 213 5.6 Cultural post-depositional processes: artefact and site scale 215 5.7 Discussion 216 5.8 Space and time at the site 216 5.9 Space and time in a regional perspective 218 6. MATERIALS AND METHODS 221 6.1 Introduction: Surface Surveys 221 6.1.1 Issues in surface surveys: how to live and work outside a “Garden of Eden” 223 6.1.2 Surface survey design at the Villaggio delle Macine: premise 225 6.1.3 Surface survey design at the Villaggio delle Macine: strategy versus sampling issues 228 6.1.4 The database: contents and data structure 229 6.1.4.1 The dataset of categories: a methodological premise 230 6.2 Posts: discovery and meaning 230 6.2.1 Posts recovered during the surveys of 2001 231 6.2.2 Posts recovered during the surveys of 2009 232 6.2.3 Posts recovered during the surveys of 2012 232 6.2.4 The creation of the unitary dataset 232 6.3 Grindstones and millstones: old data and new perspectives 233 6.3.1 Millstones of the Villaggio delle Macine 234 6.3.1.1 Saddle querns recovered in 2001 235 6.3.1.2 Saddle querns recovered in 2009 and 2012 235 6.3.1.3 The creation of unitary dataset 236 6.4 Faunal remains recovered during surveys at the site 237 6.4.1 Faunal remains retrieved in 2001 238 6.4.2 Faunal remains retrieved in 2009 239 6.4.3 Faunal remains retrieved in 2012 240 6.4.4 “Catalogue raisonné” of faunal remains: the creation of the database 241 6.5 Pottery 243 6.5.1 Pottery from surveys: a required methodological premise 243 6.5.2 Fragment thickness experiment: preliminary results 244 6.5.3 Fragments of pottery ascribable to specific functional and/or typological 245 8 categories: preliminary considerations 6.5.4 The main vessel parts 246 6.5.5 The main vessel forms 248 6.5.6 The ceramic artefacts recovered in 2001 250 6.5.7 The ceramic artefacts recovered in 2009 251 6.5.8 The ceramic artefacts recovered in 2012 251 6.6 The lithic industry recovered at the Villaggio delle Macine: early collection and 251 excavations 6.6.1 Lithics retrieved during surveys in 2001 and 2012 252 6.6.2 Lithics recovered during surveys of 2009 252 6.6.2.1 Pebbles and chopping tools/choppers 253 6.6.2.2 Lithic tools 253 6.6.2.3 Debitage 253 6.6.2.4 Cores, fragments and core retouching 253 6.6.2.5 The creation of the unitary dataset 254 6.7 Wooden evidence: wooden structures and debris 254 6.7.1 Wooden remains recovered during surveys of 2001 254 6.7.2 Wooden remains recovered during the surveys of 2009 255 6.7.3 The creation of the unitary dataset 255 6.8 Concotto slabs and fragments at the Villaggio delle Macine 255 6.8.1 Concotto slabs and fragments from 2001 and 2012 256 6.8.2 Concotto slabs and fragments retrieved during surveys of 2009 256 6.8.3 The creation of the unitary dataset 256 6.9 Clay fishing weights and spindle-whorls recovered at the site: early collection 256 6.9.1 Clay fishing weights and spindles retrieved during the 2001, 2009 and 2012 surveys 256 6.9.2 Discussion 257 7.