The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural chan... more The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural changes in human history. This expansion reached the Iberian Peninsula with the replacement of the Visigothic Kingdom by the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate and the Muslim Emirate of Córdoba during the 8th century CE. In this study we made a compilation of western Mediterranean pollen records to gain insight about past climate conditions when this expansion took place. The pollen stack results, together with other paleohydrological records, archaeological data and historical sources, indicate that the statistically significant strongest droughts between the mid-5th and mid-10th centuries CE (450–950 CE) occurred at 545–570, 695–725, 755–770 and 900–935 CE, which could have contributed to the instability of the Visigothic and Muslim reigns in the Iberian Peninsula. Our study supports the great sensitivity of the agriculture-based economy and socio-political unrest of Early Medieval kingdoms to climatic variations.
The relationship between numismatic research and archaeological stratigraphy is one of the most s... more The relationship between numismatic research and archaeological stratigraphy is one of the most significant resources for defining the economic and social mechanisms of the Middle Ages. A numismatic assemblage comprising 146 coins – mostly unpublished – recovered from the late sixth-century Visigothic settlement of Reccopolis in Guadalajara, Spain, is the focus of this study. Through characterisation of the deposits and monetary finds it has been possible to establish a contextual interpretation in which indicators of durability, continuity and rituality in the use of currency can be observed. In connection with this, a substantial number of coins have been found concentrated in specific sectors of the site, especially in the neighbourhood of the church, where the foundational value of some hoards has been reinterpreted. This study establishes a constant connection between chronological dating and stratigraphic contextualisation, exploring the complex periods of continuity in use of certain specimens, while also stressing the importance of interpreting coinage within wider material assemblages.
Over the last decade, the concept of resilience has established itself in different fields as a k... more Over the last decade, the concept of resilience has established itself in different fields as a key phenomenon in the analysis of landscapes in their long-term dynamics. In fact, the landscape is continually subject to interactions between anthropogenic and natural dynamics, in which different reactions and adaptations to changes over time are produced. The resilience of historical landscapes has, therefore, been an object of interdisciplinary study between natural sciences and humanities. As we hope to demonstrate in this volume, the phenomena of resilience cannot be understood without the union of its driving forces, both anthropogenic and natural/environmental.
The aim of this Special Issue is to analyze different aspects of the resilience of historical landscapes according to multi and interdisciplinary approaches between science and humanities. How is the resilience of a landscape defined over time? How have ecological and environmental dynamics reacted to anthropogenic changes? What reaction and adaptation did human societies have in dealing with environmental changes? How can a “resilient landscape” be analyzed during historical periods of transition and change?
These general questions will be addressed in the following topics.
Resilience in land cover and vegetation changes in historical landscapes; Dynamics of the adaptive cycle to historical changes in settlement models; Reaction to climate and environmental changes; Change vs. long duration in the dynamics of formation of historical landscapes; Human–environment interactions in ages of transition. Papers with interdisciplinary approaches between science (landscape ecology, environmental and vegetation sciences, and geomorphology) and humanities (history, archaeology, and human geography) and with a diachronic/historical dimension (from the prehistory to pre-industrial age) concerning the resilience of landscapes are strongly encouraged for submission.
The assemblage of molluscs retrieved in an area lying next to the fishing installations in the Ec... more The assemblage of molluscs retrieved in an area lying next to the fishing installations in the Ecuadorian coastal site of Ligüiqui is reported. The small size of the collections, barely 1000 remains, does not preclude the richness of a sample that includes 55 taxa. The analysis reveals that the molluscs mostly represent consumption refuse from human meals with scarce evidence of craftwork and only one specimen of the Spiny Oyster, Spondylus princeps unicolor testifying trade. The faunal remains and the singular fishing installations for which this settlement is best known both indicate that the subsistence of the inhabitants clearly focussed on marine resources. Although the overall composition of the malacological assemblages appears to remain stable throughout the scarcely two centuries the occupation lasted, subtle shifts have been detected in the presence, frequency, and size of certain species that hint at an overexploitation of resources through time coupled with a move towards deeper water whose reasons remain debatable at this point.
There is a lack of individual and overarching studies of defensive systems after the Roman collap... more There is a lack of individual and overarching studies of defensive systems after the Roman collapse in the West, as well as of urban defences in Hispania during the Visigothic period. A key site for questioning the latter is the walled royal Visigothic foundation of Reccopolis. The first excavations on Reccopolis’ circuit wall began in the 1980s, and later investigations were carried out in some areas of the defensive system. However, until now no comprehensive analysis has brought together the evidence from all of these excavations, LiDAR scans, a 3 D survey of the extant structure, and a set of new radiocarbon dates. All of these data allow us to interpret what is so far the only Visigothic defensive curtain wall whose entire layout is known, as well as to explore parallels with Byzantine military forms. This paper highlights the urban and architectural value, but also the apparent uniqueness, of the Reccopolis enceinte within the Iberian Peninsula.
En temps dels visigots al territori de València: Museu de Prehistòria de València del 18 de desembre de 2019 al 28 de juny de 2020, 2019, ISBN 978-84-7795-838-3, págs. 45-49, 2019
La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el l... more La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el levantamiento o reconstrucción de varios conjuntos urbanos y de sus fortificaciones, de los que en las últimas décadas comenzamos a tener una información amplia (Valencia la Vella, Ribarroja; Tolmo de Minateda, Hellín; Punt del Cid, Almenara; Begastri, Cehegín). Entre todos ellos, destaca el núcleo urbano de Reccopolis dotado de un recinto amurallado de casi 2 km de perímetro, siendo uno de los más extensos hasta ahora conocidos en la península ibérica. El análisis de sus características constructivas a partir de un amplio estudio fotogramétrico, con apoyo de imágenes LIDAR, así como la revisión de las intervenciones arqueológicas ha permitido establecer un marco comparativo con otros recintos peninsulares y con la África bizantina, que señala la existencia de un contexto común de usos defensivos y de exaltación del poder a través del empleo de la arquitectura militar.
Patrimonio numismático y museos: Actas XV Congreso Nacional de Numismática, Madrid, 28-30 de octubre de 2014, 2016, ISBN 978-84-89157-73-6, págs. 1097-1114, 2016
La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el l... more La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el levantamiento o reconstrucción de varios conjuntos urbanos y de sus fortificaciones, de los que en las últimas décadas comenzamos a tener una información amplia (Valencia la Vella, Ribarroja; Tolmo de Minateda, Hellín; Punt del Cid, Almenara; Begastri, Cehegín). Entre todos ellos, destaca el núcleo urbano de Reccopolis dotado de un recinto amurallado de casi 2 km de perímetro, siendo uno de los más extensos hasta ahora conocidos en la península ibérica. El análisis de sus características constructivas a partir de un amplio estudio fotogramétrico, con apoyo de imágenes LIDAR, así como la revisión de las intervenciones arqueológicas ha permitido establecer un marco comparativo con otros recintos peninsulares y con la África bizantina, que señala la existencia de un contexto común de usos defensivos y de exaltación del poder a través del empleo de la arquitectura militar.
From the mid-6th century, the until then peri-urban area of the Vega Baja (Toledo) suffered an in... more From the mid-6th century, the until then peri-urban area of the Vega Baja (Toledo) suffered an intense urban development coinciding with the consolidation of the Visigoth State, which made Toledo a capital. In this paper, we present a detailed study of the known archaeological data, as well as the planimetric analysis developed from remote sensing, of the spatial and residential evolution of this area between the 1st and 8th centuries AD., characterized in the Roman period by the existence of industrial complexes, villas and entertainment buildings, such as the circus. Of special relevance was the transformative process shaped from the 8th century, when the systematic plundering started and the slow and intermittent abandonment, which was extended throughout the Middle Ages, coinciding with a new occupation model and converting this zone in a secondary space of the Islamic and Christian Toledo.
Localización: 3º Congresso de Arqueología Peninsular: UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal, setembro de 1999... more Localización: 3º Congresso de Arqueología Peninsular: UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal, setembro de 1999/coord. por Vítor Oliveira Jorge, Vol. 1, 2000 (Arqueología peninsular história, teoría y prática), ISBN 972-97613-2-9, págs. 311-320
• The study focused on the LiDAR research of the Cerro de Hojas-Jaboncillo, the most important pr... more • The study focused on the LiDAR research of the Cerro de Hojas-Jaboncillo, the most important pre-Hispanic site in the Manabi province (Ecuador). • LiDAR technology has allowed identifying an intense occupation in a forest area, where until now, it was impossible to detect archaeological structures. • The study has established the close relationship between the pre-Hispanic occupation model and the use of complex irrigation systems.
The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has revolutionised pre-Hispanic archaeo... more The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has revolutionised pre-Hispanic archaeology in large tracts of Central America (Canuto et. al. 2018; Fisher et al. 2016; Garrison et al. 2019; Chase & Weishampel, 2016). This contribution is especially significant in areas in which jungles and a complex orography had precluded the implementation of large-scale landscape archaeology studies.
Although this technology has not been used in South America as intensively as in Central America (Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, among others), LiDAR is beginning to be used to answer questions concerning the interaction between the landscape, pre-Hispanic societies and their economic exploitation strategies (Amazonia, Peru) (Van Valkenburg et al., 2020). This work presents an analysis of one of the most important archaeological areas in central Ecuador, Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo (Figs. 1 & 2), which has traditionally been identified as a major centre of the Manteña culture. This culture spanned the current provinces of Manabí, Santa Elena and Guayas between the 8th and 15th centuries AD.
Although the site was discovered in the early 20th century (Saville, 1907 & 1910; Estrada, 1957) on the slopes and summits of the Chongón-Colonche and Balzar hills range (formerly called Sierra de Bálsamo), has not been until recent moments that the characterization of its extension, its spatial conformation, and the main geoarchaeological characteristics of the site has begun to be possible (López, 2008; Delgado, 2009; Tobar, 2012; Lunniss, 2012; Veintimilla-Bustamante, 2012). The limitations of previous studies were largely due to the prevalence of thick sub-tropical forests, whose trees sometimes stand to 14 m tall.
In 2016, a large-scale LiDAR flight covering 147.78 km² at a density of 9 ppm² has revealed the main features of the archaeological complex, including various sites that illustrate a multi-nuclear settlement pattern (Figs. 5, 8 & 10). The study suggests that settlements, between 0.5 and 3 ha in size (Fig. 8), followed a common pattern, standing on small long hilltop plateaus. The complexes were visually connected and were linked by a road network.
There is little doubt that one of the most important discoveries concerns the relationship between archaeological sites and complex agrarian systems, which point to the exploitation of wide areas with irrigation systems that involved the retention of rainwater and the maximisation of water resources (Figs. 6 & 8). The system made intensive use of rainwater during the humid season (December-May) and also the coastal mists that ensure precipitations on the hilltops.
At the same time, the LiDAR survey has established differences between the settlement pattern in the north-eastern sector, in which the interaction between settlements and the agro-system is not so obvious, and the south-western sector, in which settlements are clearly related to wide terraced systems.
These results will allow for comparisons between Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo and other known Manteño sites, such as Japotó (Bouchard, 2010), Agua Blanca (McEwan & Silva, 1992) and Ligüiqui. All of them point to the continued occupation of the same areas, and the continuity of some sites at least between the Guangala period (500 BC.-600 AD) and the late Manteño period (12th-15th centuries), as we see in Salango and its territory (Béarez, Gay & Lunniss, 2012).
Most research in the 20th century has argued for an increase in social complexity during the classic Manteño period (8th-11th centuries), following a diffusionist explanatory pattern (Estrada, 1957). However, the LiDAR analysis of the site of Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo points to prolonged periods of stable management of the environment, a response to the need to make use of the available resources. Archaeology, through large-scale landscape studies and the in-depth characterisation of sites through wide-ranging sampling methodologies can contribute to answering the question as to whether environmental management led to the formation of a “Manteño state” or whether this society can be better defined as a chiefdom (Touchard-Houlbert, 2010).
Mediterranean Landscapes in Post Antiquity New frontiers and new perspectives edited by Sauro Gelichi and Lauro Olmo-Enciso in collaboration with Elisa Corro’ and Manuel Castro-Priego, 2019
Recent archaeological research in central Iberia suggests that Early Medieval landscapes were mor... more Recent archaeological research in central Iberia suggests that Early Medieval landscapes were more complex than previously believed. Archaeological evidence increasingly points to a landscape characterized by a dense network of peasant hamlets and villages, intermediate power centers and cities of different sizes. As a consequence, this investigation contemplates the landscape as a dynamic construction, providing basis for a multidimensional view of the social, palaeoenvironmental and climatic processes at stake, and demonstrates that the environment and climate can be more productively included in archaeological research. The contextualization of all these elements contributes to highlight a number of aspects that are essential for understanding a stratified society, with different degrees of closeness in the vertical social relationships between peasants and elites, which had to develop a social response to the effects of the climatic crisis. Through this, evident transformations in the agroecosystem and productive structures as well as in their relationship with the new settlement pattern were developed. All of this points to a society defined by spatial inequality, a society in which elites and non-elites lived different and unequal but intertwined lives.
Modelo de ruta turística patrimonial para impulsar bienes inmuebles patrimoniales culturales en e... more Modelo de ruta turística patrimonial para impulsar bienes inmuebles patrimoniales culturales en el desarrollo turístico en el cantón Jipijapa, Ecuador Heritage tourist route model to promote cultural heritage real estate in the development tour in the Jipijapa canton, Ecuador Modelo de rotas turísticas patrocinadas para impulsionar o patrimônio cultural do patrimônio no desenvolvimento do turismo no cantão de Jipijapa, Equador
The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural chan... more The Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean basin was one the most relevant and rapid cultural changes in human history. This expansion reached the Iberian Peninsula with the replacement of the Visigothic Kingdom by the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate and the Muslim Emirate of Córdoba during the 8th century CE. In this study we made a compilation of western Mediterranean pollen records to gain insight about past climate conditions when this expansion took place. The pollen stack results, together with other paleohydrological records, archaeological data and historical sources, indicate that the statistically significant strongest droughts between the mid-5th and mid-10th centuries CE (450–950 CE) occurred at 545–570, 695–725, 755–770 and 900–935 CE, which could have contributed to the instability of the Visigothic and Muslim reigns in the Iberian Peninsula. Our study supports the great sensitivity of the agriculture-based economy and socio-political unrest of Early Medieval kingdoms to climatic variations.
The relationship between numismatic research and archaeological stratigraphy is one of the most s... more The relationship between numismatic research and archaeological stratigraphy is one of the most significant resources for defining the economic and social mechanisms of the Middle Ages. A numismatic assemblage comprising 146 coins – mostly unpublished – recovered from the late sixth-century Visigothic settlement of Reccopolis in Guadalajara, Spain, is the focus of this study. Through characterisation of the deposits and monetary finds it has been possible to establish a contextual interpretation in which indicators of durability, continuity and rituality in the use of currency can be observed. In connection with this, a substantial number of coins have been found concentrated in specific sectors of the site, especially in the neighbourhood of the church, where the foundational value of some hoards has been reinterpreted. This study establishes a constant connection between chronological dating and stratigraphic contextualisation, exploring the complex periods of continuity in use of certain specimens, while also stressing the importance of interpreting coinage within wider material assemblages.
Over the last decade, the concept of resilience has established itself in different fields as a k... more Over the last decade, the concept of resilience has established itself in different fields as a key phenomenon in the analysis of landscapes in their long-term dynamics. In fact, the landscape is continually subject to interactions between anthropogenic and natural dynamics, in which different reactions and adaptations to changes over time are produced. The resilience of historical landscapes has, therefore, been an object of interdisciplinary study between natural sciences and humanities. As we hope to demonstrate in this volume, the phenomena of resilience cannot be understood without the union of its driving forces, both anthropogenic and natural/environmental.
The aim of this Special Issue is to analyze different aspects of the resilience of historical landscapes according to multi and interdisciplinary approaches between science and humanities. How is the resilience of a landscape defined over time? How have ecological and environmental dynamics reacted to anthropogenic changes? What reaction and adaptation did human societies have in dealing with environmental changes? How can a “resilient landscape” be analyzed during historical periods of transition and change?
These general questions will be addressed in the following topics.
Resilience in land cover and vegetation changes in historical landscapes; Dynamics of the adaptive cycle to historical changes in settlement models; Reaction to climate and environmental changes; Change vs. long duration in the dynamics of formation of historical landscapes; Human–environment interactions in ages of transition. Papers with interdisciplinary approaches between science (landscape ecology, environmental and vegetation sciences, and geomorphology) and humanities (history, archaeology, and human geography) and with a diachronic/historical dimension (from the prehistory to pre-industrial age) concerning the resilience of landscapes are strongly encouraged for submission.
The assemblage of molluscs retrieved in an area lying next to the fishing installations in the Ec... more The assemblage of molluscs retrieved in an area lying next to the fishing installations in the Ecuadorian coastal site of Ligüiqui is reported. The small size of the collections, barely 1000 remains, does not preclude the richness of a sample that includes 55 taxa. The analysis reveals that the molluscs mostly represent consumption refuse from human meals with scarce evidence of craftwork and only one specimen of the Spiny Oyster, Spondylus princeps unicolor testifying trade. The faunal remains and the singular fishing installations for which this settlement is best known both indicate that the subsistence of the inhabitants clearly focussed on marine resources. Although the overall composition of the malacological assemblages appears to remain stable throughout the scarcely two centuries the occupation lasted, subtle shifts have been detected in the presence, frequency, and size of certain species that hint at an overexploitation of resources through time coupled with a move towards deeper water whose reasons remain debatable at this point.
There is a lack of individual and overarching studies of defensive systems after the Roman collap... more There is a lack of individual and overarching studies of defensive systems after the Roman collapse in the West, as well as of urban defences in Hispania during the Visigothic period. A key site for questioning the latter is the walled royal Visigothic foundation of Reccopolis. The first excavations on Reccopolis’ circuit wall began in the 1980s, and later investigations were carried out in some areas of the defensive system. However, until now no comprehensive analysis has brought together the evidence from all of these excavations, LiDAR scans, a 3 D survey of the extant structure, and a set of new radiocarbon dates. All of these data allow us to interpret what is so far the only Visigothic defensive curtain wall whose entire layout is known, as well as to explore parallels with Byzantine military forms. This paper highlights the urban and architectural value, but also the apparent uniqueness, of the Reccopolis enceinte within the Iberian Peninsula.
En temps dels visigots al territori de València: Museu de Prehistòria de València del 18 de desembre de 2019 al 28 de juny de 2020, 2019, ISBN 978-84-7795-838-3, págs. 45-49, 2019
La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el l... more La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el levantamiento o reconstrucción de varios conjuntos urbanos y de sus fortificaciones, de los que en las últimas décadas comenzamos a tener una información amplia (Valencia la Vella, Ribarroja; Tolmo de Minateda, Hellín; Punt del Cid, Almenara; Begastri, Cehegín). Entre todos ellos, destaca el núcleo urbano de Reccopolis dotado de un recinto amurallado de casi 2 km de perímetro, siendo uno de los más extensos hasta ahora conocidos en la península ibérica. El análisis de sus características constructivas a partir de un amplio estudio fotogramétrico, con apoyo de imágenes LIDAR, así como la revisión de las intervenciones arqueológicas ha permitido establecer un marco comparativo con otros recintos peninsulares y con la África bizantina, que señala la existencia de un contexto común de usos defensivos y de exaltación del poder a través del empleo de la arquitectura militar.
Patrimonio numismático y museos: Actas XV Congreso Nacional de Numismática, Madrid, 28-30 de octubre de 2014, 2016, ISBN 978-84-89157-73-6, págs. 1097-1114, 2016
La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el l... more La expansión del reino visigodo en la segunda mitad del siglo VI se apoyó en buena medida en el levantamiento o reconstrucción de varios conjuntos urbanos y de sus fortificaciones, de los que en las últimas décadas comenzamos a tener una información amplia (Valencia la Vella, Ribarroja; Tolmo de Minateda, Hellín; Punt del Cid, Almenara; Begastri, Cehegín). Entre todos ellos, destaca el núcleo urbano de Reccopolis dotado de un recinto amurallado de casi 2 km de perímetro, siendo uno de los más extensos hasta ahora conocidos en la península ibérica. El análisis de sus características constructivas a partir de un amplio estudio fotogramétrico, con apoyo de imágenes LIDAR, así como la revisión de las intervenciones arqueológicas ha permitido establecer un marco comparativo con otros recintos peninsulares y con la África bizantina, que señala la existencia de un contexto común de usos defensivos y de exaltación del poder a través del empleo de la arquitectura militar.
From the mid-6th century, the until then peri-urban area of the Vega Baja (Toledo) suffered an in... more From the mid-6th century, the until then peri-urban area of the Vega Baja (Toledo) suffered an intense urban development coinciding with the consolidation of the Visigoth State, which made Toledo a capital. In this paper, we present a detailed study of the known archaeological data, as well as the planimetric analysis developed from remote sensing, of the spatial and residential evolution of this area between the 1st and 8th centuries AD., characterized in the Roman period by the existence of industrial complexes, villas and entertainment buildings, such as the circus. Of special relevance was the transformative process shaped from the 8th century, when the systematic plundering started and the slow and intermittent abandonment, which was extended throughout the Middle Ages, coinciding with a new occupation model and converting this zone in a secondary space of the Islamic and Christian Toledo.
Localización: 3º Congresso de Arqueología Peninsular: UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal, setembro de 1999... more Localización: 3º Congresso de Arqueología Peninsular: UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal, setembro de 1999/coord. por Vítor Oliveira Jorge, Vol. 1, 2000 (Arqueología peninsular história, teoría y prática), ISBN 972-97613-2-9, págs. 311-320
• The study focused on the LiDAR research of the Cerro de Hojas-Jaboncillo, the most important pr... more • The study focused on the LiDAR research of the Cerro de Hojas-Jaboncillo, the most important pre-Hispanic site in the Manabi province (Ecuador). • LiDAR technology has allowed identifying an intense occupation in a forest area, where until now, it was impossible to detect archaeological structures. • The study has established the close relationship between the pre-Hispanic occupation model and the use of complex irrigation systems.
The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has revolutionised pre-Hispanic archaeo... more The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has revolutionised pre-Hispanic archaeology in large tracts of Central America (Canuto et. al. 2018; Fisher et al. 2016; Garrison et al. 2019; Chase & Weishampel, 2016). This contribution is especially significant in areas in which jungles and a complex orography had precluded the implementation of large-scale landscape archaeology studies.
Although this technology has not been used in South America as intensively as in Central America (Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, among others), LiDAR is beginning to be used to answer questions concerning the interaction between the landscape, pre-Hispanic societies and their economic exploitation strategies (Amazonia, Peru) (Van Valkenburg et al., 2020). This work presents an analysis of one of the most important archaeological areas in central Ecuador, Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo (Figs. 1 & 2), which has traditionally been identified as a major centre of the Manteña culture. This culture spanned the current provinces of Manabí, Santa Elena and Guayas between the 8th and 15th centuries AD.
Although the site was discovered in the early 20th century (Saville, 1907 & 1910; Estrada, 1957) on the slopes and summits of the Chongón-Colonche and Balzar hills range (formerly called Sierra de Bálsamo), has not been until recent moments that the characterization of its extension, its spatial conformation, and the main geoarchaeological characteristics of the site has begun to be possible (López, 2008; Delgado, 2009; Tobar, 2012; Lunniss, 2012; Veintimilla-Bustamante, 2012). The limitations of previous studies were largely due to the prevalence of thick sub-tropical forests, whose trees sometimes stand to 14 m tall.
In 2016, a large-scale LiDAR flight covering 147.78 km² at a density of 9 ppm² has revealed the main features of the archaeological complex, including various sites that illustrate a multi-nuclear settlement pattern (Figs. 5, 8 & 10). The study suggests that settlements, between 0.5 and 3 ha in size (Fig. 8), followed a common pattern, standing on small long hilltop plateaus. The complexes were visually connected and were linked by a road network.
There is little doubt that one of the most important discoveries concerns the relationship between archaeological sites and complex agrarian systems, which point to the exploitation of wide areas with irrigation systems that involved the retention of rainwater and the maximisation of water resources (Figs. 6 & 8). The system made intensive use of rainwater during the humid season (December-May) and also the coastal mists that ensure precipitations on the hilltops.
At the same time, the LiDAR survey has established differences between the settlement pattern in the north-eastern sector, in which the interaction between settlements and the agro-system is not so obvious, and the south-western sector, in which settlements are clearly related to wide terraced systems.
These results will allow for comparisons between Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo and other known Manteño sites, such as Japotó (Bouchard, 2010), Agua Blanca (McEwan & Silva, 1992) and Ligüiqui. All of them point to the continued occupation of the same areas, and the continuity of some sites at least between the Guangala period (500 BC.-600 AD) and the late Manteño period (12th-15th centuries), as we see in Salango and its territory (Béarez, Gay & Lunniss, 2012).
Most research in the 20th century has argued for an increase in social complexity during the classic Manteño period (8th-11th centuries), following a diffusionist explanatory pattern (Estrada, 1957). However, the LiDAR analysis of the site of Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo points to prolonged periods of stable management of the environment, a response to the need to make use of the available resources. Archaeology, through large-scale landscape studies and the in-depth characterisation of sites through wide-ranging sampling methodologies can contribute to answering the question as to whether environmental management led to the formation of a “Manteño state” or whether this society can be better defined as a chiefdom (Touchard-Houlbert, 2010).
Mediterranean Landscapes in Post Antiquity New frontiers and new perspectives edited by Sauro Gelichi and Lauro Olmo-Enciso in collaboration with Elisa Corro’ and Manuel Castro-Priego, 2019
Recent archaeological research in central Iberia suggests that Early Medieval landscapes were mor... more Recent archaeological research in central Iberia suggests that Early Medieval landscapes were more complex than previously believed. Archaeological evidence increasingly points to a landscape characterized by a dense network of peasant hamlets and villages, intermediate power centers and cities of different sizes. As a consequence, this investigation contemplates the landscape as a dynamic construction, providing basis for a multidimensional view of the social, palaeoenvironmental and climatic processes at stake, and demonstrates that the environment and climate can be more productively included in archaeological research. The contextualization of all these elements contributes to highlight a number of aspects that are essential for understanding a stratified society, with different degrees of closeness in the vertical social relationships between peasants and elites, which had to develop a social response to the effects of the climatic crisis. Through this, evident transformations in the agroecosystem and productive structures as well as in their relationship with the new settlement pattern were developed. All of this points to a society defined by spatial inequality, a society in which elites and non-elites lived different and unequal but intertwined lives.
Modelo de ruta turística patrimonial para impulsar bienes inmuebles patrimoniales culturales en e... more Modelo de ruta turística patrimonial para impulsar bienes inmuebles patrimoniales culturales en el desarrollo turístico en el cantón Jipijapa, Ecuador Heritage tourist route model to promote cultural heritage real estate in the development tour in the Jipijapa canton, Ecuador Modelo de rotas turísticas patrocinadas para impulsionar o patrimônio cultural do patrimônio no desenvolvimento do turismo no cantão de Jipijapa, Equador
Over the last decade, the concept of resilience has established itself in different fields as a key phenomenon in the analysis of landscapes in their long-term dynamics. In fact, the landscape is continually subject to interactions between anthropogenic and natural dynamics, in which different reactions and adaptations to changes over time are produced. The resilience of historical landscapes has, therefore, been an object of interdisciplinary study between natural sciences and humanities. As we hope to demonstrate in this volume, the phenomena of resilience cannot be understood without the union of its driving forces, both anthropogenic and natural/environmental.
The aim of this Special Issue is to analyze different aspects of the resilience of historical landscapes according to multi and interdisciplinary approaches between science and humanities. How is the resilience of a landscape defined over time? How have ecological and environmental dynamics reacted to anthropogenic changes? What reaction and adaptation did human societies have in dealing with environmental changes? How can a “resilient landscape” be analyzed during historical periods of transition and change?
These general questions will be addressed in the following topics.
Resilience in land cover and vegetation changes in historical landscapes;
Dynamics of the adaptive cycle to historical changes in settlement models;
Reaction to climate and environmental changes;
Change vs. long duration in the dynamics of formation of historical landscapes;
Human–environment interactions in ages of transition.
Papers with interdisciplinary approaches between science (landscape ecology, environmental and vegetation sciences, and geomorphology) and humanities (history, archaeology, and human geography) and with a diachronic/historical dimension (from the prehistory to pre-industrial age) concerning the resilience of landscapes are strongly encouraged for submission.
Dr. Angelo Castrorao Barba
Dr. Pilar Diarte-Blasco
Dr. Manuel Castro-Priego
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Bazan
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
resilience
historical ecology
landscape archaeology
vegetation history
paleoecology and archaeobotany
human geography and environmental anthropology
world/global history
long-term human–environment interactions
landscape changes
geospatial (GIS) analyses
Landscape Archaeology Conference 2020
Open Session (#004):
Post-classical resilient landscapes a... more Landscape Archaeology Conference 2020 Open Session (#004): Post-classical resilient landscapes and urbanscapes: continuities, breakdowns and afterlife in Mediterranean during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (AD 400 – 1000) Organizers: Angelo Castrorao Barba (CSIC, EEA, LAAC), castroraobarba@eea.csic.es Pilar Diarte-Blasco (Universidad de Alcalá), pilar.diarte@uah.es Manuel Castro-Priego (Universidad de Alcalá), manuel.castro@uah.es
Session abstract: Over the last decade, knowledge about Mediterranean landscapes during the long-term has Sgrown exponentially, thanks to a multidisciplinary approach and the application of innovative technologies. A landscape perspective, beyond a sito-centric vision, represented a way to combine settlement patterns and humanenvironment interactions as a crucial point to understand societies in transition. In particular, one of the big-narrative in historical breakdowns and change is the end of the Roman world and its transformation from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle ages. Particularly significant and valuable are results generated by projects which tackle the last centuries of the Roman Empire and the consolidation of the Early Medieval kingdoms the rise and expansion of Islam, when upheavals, conflict, migration combined to cause drastic change in the character of settlements in both town and countryside. The human dynamics were key in this transformation process, in which the movement of people generated more fluid sociopolitical landscapes, not simply ones dominated by conflict and sense of insecurity. In this sense, recent landscape analyses, where refining sequences and trends of change are crucial, have been able to focus on issues of resilience as a determinant element in this process. While we can recognize the movement and settlement of groups of new incomers or or new conquerors around Europe and Mediterranean in this epoch, more emphasis should go on the underlying or native population, to ask of their resilience in this period of change, to see how they adapted their lives and places to a new reality and rulers, whether able to maintain different degrees of economic and settlement strategies. This session thus aims to explore the varied mosaic of responses to change in the Mediterranean basin in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (400 – 1000 AD) and to debate and compare different approaches to the evaluation and the meanings of landscape and settlement change in various macro- and micro- regional areas, in particular after key historical transitions, such as the end of Roman control in specific zones, the conquest by Arabs, and the imposition of new kingdoms. How altered were human-environment interactions and settlement patterns when politico-military change occurred? What was the response of rural societies after macro-economic and political transformations and crises? Did the countryside suffer an immediate effect or can we see survivals and continuities in settlement, economics, social practice, etc.? There were changes also evident in the urbanscapes? And, above all, how well does the material record (finds, buildings, etc.) attest possible reconfigurations of space and people? These, as we will discuss in this session, are all essential questions for assessing cultural, environmental and settlement adaptations and impositions over this important timespan.
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The aim of this Special Issue is to analyze different aspects of the resilience of historical landscapes according to multi and interdisciplinary approaches between science and humanities. How is the resilience of a landscape defined over time? How have ecological and environmental dynamics reacted to anthropogenic changes? What reaction and adaptation did human societies have in dealing with environmental changes? How can a “resilient landscape” be analyzed during historical periods of transition and change?
These general questions will be addressed in the following topics.
Resilience in land cover and vegetation changes in historical landscapes;
Dynamics of the adaptive cycle to historical changes in settlement models;
Reaction to climate and environmental changes;
Change vs. long duration in the dynamics of formation of historical landscapes;
Human–environment interactions in ages of transition.
Papers with interdisciplinary approaches between science (landscape ecology, environmental and vegetation sciences, and geomorphology) and humanities (history, archaeology, and human geography) and with a diachronic/historical dimension (from the prehistory to pre-industrial age) concerning the resilience of landscapes are strongly encouraged for submission.
Although this technology has not been used in South America as intensively as in Central America (Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, among others), LiDAR is beginning to be used to answer questions concerning the interaction between the landscape, pre-Hispanic societies and their economic exploitation strategies (Amazonia, Peru) (Van Valkenburg et al., 2020). This work presents an analysis of one of the most important archaeological areas in central Ecuador, Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo (Figs. 1 & 2), which has traditionally been identified as a major centre of the Manteña culture. This culture spanned the current provinces of Manabí, Santa Elena and Guayas between the 8th and 15th centuries AD.
Although the site was discovered in the early 20th century (Saville, 1907 & 1910; Estrada, 1957) on the slopes and summits of the Chongón-Colonche and Balzar hills range (formerly called Sierra de Bálsamo), has not been until recent moments that the characterization of its extension, its spatial conformation, and the main geoarchaeological characteristics of the site has begun to be possible (López, 2008; Delgado, 2009; Tobar, 2012; Lunniss, 2012; Veintimilla-Bustamante, 2012). The limitations of previous studies were largely due to the prevalence of thick sub-tropical forests, whose trees sometimes stand to 14 m tall.
In 2016, a large-scale LiDAR flight covering 147.78 km² at a density of 9 ppm² has revealed the main features of the archaeological complex, including various sites that illustrate a multi-nuclear settlement pattern (Figs. 5, 8 & 10). The study suggests that settlements, between 0.5 and 3 ha in size (Fig. 8), followed a common pattern, standing on small long hilltop plateaus. The complexes were visually connected and were linked by a road network.
There is little doubt that one of the most important discoveries concerns the relationship between archaeological sites and complex agrarian systems, which point to the exploitation of wide areas with irrigation systems that involved the retention of rainwater and the maximisation of water resources (Figs. 6 & 8). The system made intensive use of rainwater during the humid season (December-May) and also the coastal mists that ensure precipitations on the hilltops.
At the same time, the LiDAR survey has established differences between the settlement pattern in the north-eastern sector, in which the interaction between settlements and the agro-system is not so obvious, and the south-western sector, in which settlements are clearly related to wide terraced systems.
These results will allow for comparisons between Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo and other known Manteño sites, such as Japotó (Bouchard, 2010), Agua Blanca (McEwan & Silva, 1992) and Ligüiqui. All of them point to the continued occupation of the same areas, and the continuity of some sites at least between the Guangala period (500 BC.-600 AD) and the late Manteño period (12th-15th centuries), as we see in Salango and its territory (Béarez, Gay & Lunniss, 2012).
Most research in the 20th century has argued for an increase in social complexity during the classic Manteño period (8th-11th centuries), following a diffusionist explanatory pattern (Estrada, 1957). However, the LiDAR analysis of the site of Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo points to prolonged periods of stable management of the environment, a response to the need to make use of the available resources. Archaeology, through large-scale landscape studies and the in-depth characterisation of sites through wide-ranging sampling methodologies can contribute to answering the question as to whether environmental management led to the formation of a “Manteño state” or whether this society can be better defined as a chiefdom (Touchard-Houlbert, 2010).
believed. Archaeological evidence increasingly points to a landscape characterized by a dense network of peasant hamlets and
villages, intermediate power centers and cities of different sizes. As a consequence, this investigation contemplates the landscape
as a dynamic construction, providing basis for a multidimensional view of the social, palaeoenvironmental and climatic processes
at stake, and demonstrates that the environment and climate can be more productively included in archaeological research.
The contextualization of all these elements contributes to highlight a number of aspects that are essential for understanding a
stratified society, with different degrees of closeness in the vertical social relationships between peasants and elites, which had
to develop a social response to the effects of the climatic crisis. Through this, evident transformations in the agroecosystem
and productive structures as well as in their relationship with the new settlement pattern were developed. All of this points to
a society defined by spatial inequality, a society in which elites and non-elites lived different and unequal but intertwined lives.
The aim of this Special Issue is to analyze different aspects of the resilience of historical landscapes according to multi and interdisciplinary approaches between science and humanities. How is the resilience of a landscape defined over time? How have ecological and environmental dynamics reacted to anthropogenic changes? What reaction and adaptation did human societies have in dealing with environmental changes? How can a “resilient landscape” be analyzed during historical periods of transition and change?
These general questions will be addressed in the following topics.
Resilience in land cover and vegetation changes in historical landscapes;
Dynamics of the adaptive cycle to historical changes in settlement models;
Reaction to climate and environmental changes;
Change vs. long duration in the dynamics of formation of historical landscapes;
Human–environment interactions in ages of transition.
Papers with interdisciplinary approaches between science (landscape ecology, environmental and vegetation sciences, and geomorphology) and humanities (history, archaeology, and human geography) and with a diachronic/historical dimension (from the prehistory to pre-industrial age) concerning the resilience of landscapes are strongly encouraged for submission.
Although this technology has not been used in South America as intensively as in Central America (Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, among others), LiDAR is beginning to be used to answer questions concerning the interaction between the landscape, pre-Hispanic societies and their economic exploitation strategies (Amazonia, Peru) (Van Valkenburg et al., 2020). This work presents an analysis of one of the most important archaeological areas in central Ecuador, Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo (Figs. 1 & 2), which has traditionally been identified as a major centre of the Manteña culture. This culture spanned the current provinces of Manabí, Santa Elena and Guayas between the 8th and 15th centuries AD.
Although the site was discovered in the early 20th century (Saville, 1907 & 1910; Estrada, 1957) on the slopes and summits of the Chongón-Colonche and Balzar hills range (formerly called Sierra de Bálsamo), has not been until recent moments that the characterization of its extension, its spatial conformation, and the main geoarchaeological characteristics of the site has begun to be possible (López, 2008; Delgado, 2009; Tobar, 2012; Lunniss, 2012; Veintimilla-Bustamante, 2012). The limitations of previous studies were largely due to the prevalence of thick sub-tropical forests, whose trees sometimes stand to 14 m tall.
In 2016, a large-scale LiDAR flight covering 147.78 km² at a density of 9 ppm² has revealed the main features of the archaeological complex, including various sites that illustrate a multi-nuclear settlement pattern (Figs. 5, 8 & 10). The study suggests that settlements, between 0.5 and 3 ha in size (Fig. 8), followed a common pattern, standing on small long hilltop plateaus. The complexes were visually connected and were linked by a road network.
There is little doubt that one of the most important discoveries concerns the relationship between archaeological sites and complex agrarian systems, which point to the exploitation of wide areas with irrigation systems that involved the retention of rainwater and the maximisation of water resources (Figs. 6 & 8). The system made intensive use of rainwater during the humid season (December-May) and also the coastal mists that ensure precipitations on the hilltops.
At the same time, the LiDAR survey has established differences between the settlement pattern in the north-eastern sector, in which the interaction between settlements and the agro-system is not so obvious, and the south-western sector, in which settlements are clearly related to wide terraced systems.
These results will allow for comparisons between Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo and other known Manteño sites, such as Japotó (Bouchard, 2010), Agua Blanca (McEwan & Silva, 1992) and Ligüiqui. All of them point to the continued occupation of the same areas, and the continuity of some sites at least between the Guangala period (500 BC.-600 AD) and the late Manteño period (12th-15th centuries), as we see in Salango and its territory (Béarez, Gay & Lunniss, 2012).
Most research in the 20th century has argued for an increase in social complexity during the classic Manteño period (8th-11th centuries), following a diffusionist explanatory pattern (Estrada, 1957). However, the LiDAR analysis of the site of Cerros de Hojas-Jaboncillo points to prolonged periods of stable management of the environment, a response to the need to make use of the available resources. Archaeology, through large-scale landscape studies and the in-depth characterisation of sites through wide-ranging sampling methodologies can contribute to answering the question as to whether environmental management led to the formation of a “Manteño state” or whether this society can be better defined as a chiefdom (Touchard-Houlbert, 2010).
believed. Archaeological evidence increasingly points to a landscape characterized by a dense network of peasant hamlets and
villages, intermediate power centers and cities of different sizes. As a consequence, this investigation contemplates the landscape
as a dynamic construction, providing basis for a multidimensional view of the social, palaeoenvironmental and climatic processes
at stake, and demonstrates that the environment and climate can be more productively included in archaeological research.
The contextualization of all these elements contributes to highlight a number of aspects that are essential for understanding a
stratified society, with different degrees of closeness in the vertical social relationships between peasants and elites, which had
to develop a social response to the effects of the climatic crisis. Through this, evident transformations in the agroecosystem
and productive structures as well as in their relationship with the new settlement pattern were developed. All of this points to
a society defined by spatial inequality, a society in which elites and non-elites lived different and unequal but intertwined lives.
Over the last decade, the concept of resilience has established itself in different fields as a key phenomenon in the analysis of landscapes in their long-term dynamics. In fact, the landscape is continually subject to interactions between anthropogenic and natural dynamics, in which different reactions and adaptations to changes over time are produced. The resilience of historical landscapes has, therefore, been an object of interdisciplinary study between natural sciences and humanities. As we hope to demonstrate in this volume, the phenomena of resilience cannot be understood without the union of its driving forces, both anthropogenic and natural/environmental.
The aim of this Special Issue is to analyze different aspects of the resilience of historical landscapes according to multi and interdisciplinary approaches between science and humanities. How is the resilience of a landscape defined over time? How have ecological and environmental dynamics reacted to anthropogenic changes? What reaction and adaptation did human societies have in dealing with environmental changes? How can a “resilient landscape” be analyzed during historical periods of transition and change?
These general questions will be addressed in the following topics.
Resilience in land cover and vegetation changes in historical landscapes;
Dynamics of the adaptive cycle to historical changes in settlement models;
Reaction to climate and environmental changes;
Change vs. long duration in the dynamics of formation of historical landscapes;
Human–environment interactions in ages of transition.
Papers with interdisciplinary approaches between science (landscape ecology, environmental and vegetation sciences, and geomorphology) and humanities (history, archaeology, and human geography) and with a diachronic/historical dimension (from the prehistory to pre-industrial age) concerning the resilience of landscapes are strongly encouraged for submission.
Dr. Angelo Castrorao Barba
Dr. Pilar Diarte-Blasco
Dr. Manuel Castro-Priego
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Bazan
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
resilience
historical ecology
landscape archaeology
vegetation history
paleoecology and archaeobotany
human geography and environmental anthropology
world/global history
long-term human–environment interactions
landscape changes
geospatial (GIS) analyses
Open Session (#004):
Post-classical resilient landscapes and urbanscapes: continuities, breakdowns and afterlife in Mediterranean during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (AD 400 – 1000)
Organizers:
Angelo Castrorao Barba (CSIC, EEA, LAAC), castroraobarba@eea.csic.es Pilar Diarte-Blasco (Universidad de Alcalá), pilar.diarte@uah.es Manuel Castro-Priego (Universidad de Alcalá), manuel.castro@uah.es
Please submit your paper by the given deadline of February 14th, 2020 only electronically via the online
submission system:
https://travelbox.eventszone.net/myAbstracts/site.php?page=index&congressCode=lac2020&languageCode=en
Session abstract:
Over the last decade, knowledge about Mediterranean landscapes during the long-term has Sgrown exponentially, thanks to a multidisciplinary approach and the application of innovative technologies. A landscape perspective, beyond a sito-centric vision, represented a way to combine settlement patterns and humanenvironment interactions as a crucial point to understand societies in transition. In particular, one of the big-narrative in historical breakdowns and change is the end of the Roman world and its transformation from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle ages. Particularly significant and valuable are results generated by projects which tackle the last centuries of the Roman Empire and the consolidation of the Early Medieval kingdoms the rise and expansion of Islam, when upheavals, conflict, migration combined to cause drastic change in the character of settlements in both town and countryside. The human dynamics were key in this transformation process, in which the movement of people generated more fluid sociopolitical landscapes, not simply ones dominated by conflict and sense of insecurity. In this sense, recent landscape analyses, where refining sequences and trends of change are crucial, have been able to focus on issues of resilience as a determinant element in this process. While we can recognize the movement and settlement of groups of new incomers or or new conquerors around Europe and Mediterranean in this epoch, more emphasis should go on the underlying or native population, to ask of their resilience in this period of change, to see how they adapted their lives and places to a new reality and rulers, whether able to maintain different degrees of economic and settlement strategies. This session thus aims to explore the varied mosaic of responses to change in the Mediterranean basin in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (400 – 1000 AD) and to debate and compare different approaches to the evaluation and the meanings of landscape and settlement change in various macro- and micro- regional areas, in particular after key historical transitions, such as the end of Roman control in specific zones, the conquest by Arabs, and the imposition of new kingdoms. How altered were human-environment interactions and settlement patterns when politico-military change occurred? What was the response of rural societies after macro-economic and political transformations and crises? Did the countryside suffer an immediate effect or can we see survivals and continuities in settlement, economics, social practice, etc.? There were changes also evident in the urbanscapes? And, above all, how well does the material record (finds, buildings, etc.) attest possible reconfigurations of space and people? These, as we will discuss in this session, are all essential questions for assessing cultural, environmental and settlement adaptations and impositions over this important timespan.