scholarly journals Geoarchaeological insights into the location of Indus settlements on the plains of northwest India

2019 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 137-155
Author(s):  
Sayantani Neogi ◽  
Charles A.I. French ◽  
Julie A. Durcan ◽  
Ravindra N. Singh ◽  
Cameron A. Petrie
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Cultural Adaptations ◽  
Recent Modification ◽  
Indus Civilisation ◽  
Northwest India ◽  
Locational Context ◽  
Fine Organic

AbstractThis article presents a geomorphological and micromorphological study of the locational context of four Indus civilisation archaeological sites—Alamgirpur, Masudpur I and VII, and Burj—all situated on the Sutlej-Yamuna interfluve in northwest India. The analysis indicates a strong correlation between settlement foundation and particular landscape positions on an extensive alluvial floodplain. Each of the analysed sites was located on sandy levees and/or riverbank deposits associated with former channels. These landscape positions would have situated settlements above the level of seasonal floodwater resulting from the Indian summer monsoon. In addition, the sandy soils on the margins of these elevated landscape positions would have been seasonally replenished with water, silt, clay, and fine organic matter, considerably enhancing their capacity for water retention and fertility and making them particularly suitable for agriculture. These former landscapes are obscured by recent modification and extensive agricultural practices. These geoarchaeological evaluations indicate that there is a hidden landscape context for each Indus settlement. This specific type of interaction between humans and their local context is an important aspect of Indus cultural adaptations to diverse, variable, and changing environments.

scholarly journals Local Knowledge about Ecosystem Services Provided by Trees in Coffee Agroforestry Practices in Northwest Vietnam

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 486
Author(s):  
Mai Phuong Nguyen ◽  
Philippe Vaast ◽  
Tim Pagella ◽  
Fergus Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Coffee Agroforestry ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Agroforestry Practices

In recent decades in northwest Vietnam, Arabica coffee has been grown on sloping land in intensive, full sun monocultures that are not sustainable in the long term and have negative environmental impacts. There is an urgent need to reverse this negative trend by promoting good agricultural practices, including agroforestry, to prevent further deforestation and soil erosion on slopes. A survey of 124 farmers from three indigenous groups was conducted in northwest Vietnam to document coffee agroforestry practices and the ecosystem services associated with different tree species used in them. Trees were ranked according to the main ecosystem services and disservices considered to be locally relevant by rural communities. Our results show that tree species richness in agroforestry plots was much higher for coffee compared to non-coffee plots, including those with annual crops and tree plantations. Most farmers were aware of the benefits of trees for soil improvement, shelter (from wind and frost), and the provision of shade and mulch. In contrast, farmers had limited knowledge of the impact of trees on coffee quality and other interactions amongst trees and coffee. Farmers ranked the leguminous tree species Leucaena leucocephala as the best for incorporating in coffee plots because of the services it provides to coffee. Nonetheless, the farmers’ selection of tree species to combine with coffee was highly influenced by economic benefits provided, especially by intercropped fruit trees, which was influenced by market access, determined by the proximity of farms to a main road. The findings from this research will help local extension institutions and farmers select appropriate tree species that suit the local context and that match household needs and constraints, thereby facilitating the transition to a more sustainable and climate-smart coffee production practice.

scholarly journals Agroforestry Benefits and Challenges for Adoption in Europe and Beyond

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 7001
Author(s):  
Maya Sollen-Norrlin ◽  
Bhim Bahadur Ghaley ◽  
Naomi Laura Jane Rintoul
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Global Concern

Soil degradation is a global concern, decreasing the soil’s ability to perform a multitude of functions. In Europe, one of the leading causes of soil degradation is unsustainable agricultural practices. Hence, there is a need to explore alternative production systems for enhanced agronomic productivity and environmental performance, such as agroforestry systems (AFS). Given this, the objective of the study is to enumerate the major benefits and challenges in the adoption of AFS. AFS can improve agronomic productivity, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, soil biodiversity, water retention, and pollination. Furthermore, they can reduce soil erosion and incidence of fire and provide recreational and cultural benefits. There are several challenges to the adoption and uptake of AFS in Europe, including high costs for implementation, lack of financial incentives, limited AFS product marketing, lack of education, awareness, and field demonstrations. Policies for financial incentives such as subsidies and payments for ecosystem services provided by AFS must be introduced or amended. Awareness of AFS products must be increased for consumers through appropriate marketing strategies, and landowners need more opportunities for education on how to successfully manage diverse, economically viable AFS. Finally, field-based evidence is required for informed decision-making by farmers, advisory services, and policy-making bodies.

scholarly journals Lipid residues in pottery from the Indus Civilisation in northwest India

2021 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 105291
Author(s):  
Akshyeta Suryanarayan ◽  
Miriam Cubas ◽  
Oliver E. Craig ◽  
Carl P. Heron ◽  
Vasant S. Shinde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indus Civilisation ◽  
Northwest India

scholarly journals Late Roman Forest in the Delta of the River Po (Italy): Remote Sensing and 3D Maps Computation for Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction

Heritage ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 782-795
Author(s):  
Giovanna Bucci
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction ◽  
Elevation Measurement ◽  
River Po ◽  
Archaeological Excavations ◽  
River Banks ◽  
Late Roman

Literary and historical sources provide information about Late Roman forests in the Delta of the River Po, in the district of Ferrara (Italy), between Vicus Aventiae (Voghenza), Sandalo, Gambulaga, Caput Gauri (Codigoro) and Castrum Cumiacli (Comacchio). Toponymy, archaeological excavations and geoarchaeological studies support the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of this land. In this work, after a brief examination of the ancient texts, we are going to introduce some new data concerning archaeobotanical evidence, detected by remote sensing in combination with direct surveys (on land and underwater). On the technical side, we are going to present a geomatic application for underwater measurements of ancient trunks related to discoveries in the palaeo-watercourses of the River Po (geomatic measurements, thanks to remote sensing surveys, allows us to have detailed length and diameters of trunks and trees, which are not always visible and detectable while diving) together with some satellite elevation measurement of the river banks and 3D map supported by geocomputation. Thanks to botanical data, we are able to illustrate the local context of the paleoenvironmental/archaeological sites, offering a reconstruction of the landscape and of the use of the wood.

scholarly journals Lipids as carriers of anthropogenic signals from prehistory

1999 ◽  
Vol 354 (1379) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Evershed ◽  
Stephanie N. Dudd ◽  
Stephanieation Charters ◽  
Hazel Mottram ◽  
Andrew W. Stott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Ratio ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Dietary Lipids ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Isotope Measurements

Studies performed during the last two decades have shown that lipids are preserved in association with a wide range of artefacts and ecofacts recovered from archaeological sites, e.g. pottery vessels and skeletal remains. The majority of work in this area has focused on the use of molecular structures (‘biomarkers’) and distributions (‘fingerprints’) to assess the nature and origin of commodities associated with past cultural, economic and agricultural practices. However, since lipids, like all other classes of biomolecule, are affected by degradation (both pre– and post–burial), emphasis is now being placed on the complementary use of diagenetically robust, compound–specific stable isotope measurements to enhance the scope and reliability of archaeological interpretations. A feature of the δ 13 C values of individual lipids, rather than bulk measurements of biochemically more heterogeneous materials, lies in their capacity to reflect differences in both the isotopic composition of the carbon sources used in their biosynthesis and the routing of dietary lipids and their metabolites in consumer organisms. This isotopic information, accessible by gas chromatography–combustion–isotope ratio mass spectrometry, has opened up new avenues of investigation concerning human activity in prehistory.

scholarly journals Re-Discovering Ancient Landscapes: Archaeological Survey of Mound Features from Historical Maps in Northwest India and Implications for Investigating the Large-Scale Distribution of Cultural Heritage Sites in South Asia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 2089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Green ◽  
Orengo ◽  
Alam ◽  
Garcia-Molsosa ◽  
Green ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Ancient Landscapes ◽  
Northwest India

Incomplete datasets curtail the ability of archaeologists to investigate ancient landscapes, and there are archaeological sites whose locations remain unknown in many parts of the world. To address this problem, we need additional sources of site location data. While remote sensing data can often be used to address this challenge, it is enhanced when integrated with the spatial data found in old and sometimes forgotten sources. The Survey of India 1” to 1-mile maps from the early twentieth century are one such dataset. These maps documented the location of many cultural heritage sites throughout South Asia, including the locations of numerous mound features. An initial study georeferenced a sample of these maps covering northwest India and extracted the location of many potential archaeological sites—historical map mound features. Although numerous historical map mound features were recorded, it was unknown whether these locations corresponded to extant archaeological sites. This article presents the results of archaeological surveys that visited the locations of a sample of these historical map mound features. These surveys revealed which features are associated with extant archaeological sites, which were other kinds of landscape features, and which may represent archaeological mounds that have been destroyed since the maps were completed nearly a century ago. Their results suggest that there remain many unreported cultural heritage sites on the plains of northwest India and the mound features recorded on these maps best correlate with older archaeological sites. They also highlight other possible changes in the large-scale and long-term distribution of settlements in the region. The article concludes that northwest India has witnessed profound changes in its ancient settlement landscapes, creating in a long-term sequence of landscapes that link the past to the present and create a foundation for future research and preservation initiatives.

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