This multi-part project comprised my dissertation, which I am in the process of publishing as a series of articles. It centers on the use of sediment chemistry (also known as soil chemistry) as a method for elucidating the use of space in the past. Sediment chemistry is based on the understanding that most human activities—from midden accumulation to burning to metalworking—will deposit chemical residues in the sediment upon which these activities are conducted. By collecting soil samples, measuring the concentration of various elements and/or chemical compounds, and mapping the results, we are able to certain aspects of how space was used and structured in the past. This might mean identifying “cleaner” and “dirtier” areas of a settlement or locating specific activities in the past (e.g., for metalworking). Sediment chemistry is a particularly powerful tool for identifying “invisible” activities, or those that are not associated with extant architecture and/or artifact scatters.
Collecting soil cores from Kaymakçı
In this study, I collected samples from three diachronic settlements in the Gediz River valley in western Turkey: a modern Yörük courtyard, an abandoned Turkish village built in the early 20th century, and the 2nd millennium BCE citadel of Kaymakçı.
Publications
Articles In Prep
Scott, Catherine B. “Sample Preparation and Analytical Instrumentation for Sediment Chemistry Analysis: A Comparative Study.” Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
Related Presentations
Scott, Catherine B., and Christopher H. Roosevelt. 2019. “Sediments and Citadels: Using Geochemistry to Explore Spatial Organization at Kaymakçı, Western Turkey.” American Schools of Oriental Research Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA (Paper).
Scott, Catherine B. 2017. “A Comparison of Elemental Analysis Methods for Sediment Geochemistry,” Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Poster).
Scott, Catherine B. 2016. “Preliminary Results from Sediment Geochemistry at the Bronze Age site of Kaymakçı,” Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations Annual Symposium, Istanbul, Turkey (Paper).