Tracing post-depositional processes and preservation of architectural materials and deposits in the semi-arid environment of southern Cyprus: A micromorphological approach

Post-depositional processes have a significant role in the analysis of archaeological deposits and materials as, through the synergic combination of their action, depositional contexts may be disturbed and modified, thus affecting archaeological analysis and interpretations. In this paper, the effects of post depositional alterations in semi-arid environment of southern Cyprus are presented using the example of Middle Bronze Age Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou. Combined stratigraphic and micromorphological analysis have indicated that a variety of natural and anthropogenic agents impacted on archaeological deposits after their accumulation and burial. The climatic fluctuations between more humid and dry periods, which occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Holocene, have strongly impacted on processes of calcium carbonate dissolution, mobilisation and re-precipitation, contributing to development of calcitic pedofeatures, which are ubiquitous in all the depositional sequences at Erimi. Oscillation in water saturation as consequence of climatic variations also promoted processes of oxidation and organic decay in sediments analysed. Biogenic activity, including roots infiltration and microorganism actions, has produced diffused reworking and homogenisation of deposits, and – in combination with processes of compaction by trampling – has modified the horizontal distribution of artefacts and micro-materials embedded in sediments by introducing new patterns in their spatial distribution. On the contrary, post-depositional fire recorded in few buildings of the settlement contributed to the preservation of organic materials and deposits, especially mudbricks, through the backing and strengthening of their internal structure. The evaluation of agents of transformations in depositional sequences analysed was key for enhancing analysis and reconstruction of the macro and micro-history of the study-context. The present study, despite preliminary, provides a documented example of post-depositional features in support of further integrative geoarchaeological analysis in the southern region of Cyprus.