Can plant traces and soil chemistry reveal what happened in Bronze Age storage pits better than artifacts alone?

Details

The study assessed whether detailed sampling and correlations among different indicators could explain the origin and formation of secondary deposits in underground storage facilities. Researchers studied the stratigraphy, soil chemistry, and distribution of artifacts, animal bones, and microscopic remains in the backfills of two bell-shaped storage pits at Fidvár, an early Bronze Age site dating to approximately 2000–1600 BC near Vráble in southwestern Slovakia.

The data showed several correlations among archaeological, biological, and geochemical indicators. Soil chemistry and microscopic remains indicated a complex history of deposit formation. Phosphorus content varied throughout the pits and correlated with the distribution of plant remains, indicating that deposits in different parts of the pits had different origins. Mineralized Chenopodiaceae remains and burned plant material, in particular, correlated with high phosphorus content, probably because animal dung was present in parts of the pit fills.

In contrast, there was no clear correlation between the distribution of archaeological finds and the other indicators. This suggests that relying exclusively on artifacts to identify the origin of pit deposits may be problematic.

The study demonstrates that combining different indicators can provide better insight into the taphonomic history—how deposits formed and were subsequently altered—of underground features, and that this evidence can be related to particular human activities nearby. In regions and periods where pits are the main or only archaeological features at prehistoric sites, such detailed analyses can offer valuable insights into the economic, social, and ritual practices of past societies.