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XI/1/2020
InterdIscIplInarIa archaeologIca
natural scIences In archaeology
homepage: http://www.iansa.eu
A look at the region
Laboratory of Geoarchaeology of Institute of Geology
of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Lenka Lisá
a*
a
Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, Prague 6, 165 00, Czech Republic
1. Introduction
Geoarchaeology is, or at least should be, an integral part of
modern archaeological research. However, the integration of
geoarchaeology into archaeological research – in essence,
the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach – depends on
several aspects. Archaeological research usually takes place
either as a so-called rescue excavation or as part of a pre-
planned project. In the case of the latter, there should be no
doubt about the inclusion of a multidisciplinary approach in
the fnancial plans of the project, but in the case of rescue
excavation, the fnancial possibilities always depend on
the investor’s options or the strategy of the archaeological
institution (company).
A geoarchaeological approach means the application of
geological methodological approaches for the interpretation
of formation processes within archaeological situations.
However, it is often understood on several levels and can
include, for example: study of the provenance of building
materials; the petroarchaeological study of ceramics
(archaeometry); and also, the study of formation processes
that have played a role in the formation of a contemporary
landscape. Another geoarchaeological approach is, for
example, the study of anthropogenic sediments, both in terms
of their geochemical signal and in terms of a sediment’s
structural elements. The sedimentary and related pedological
record represents an environmental archive, which (with the
appropriate methods) can provide invaluable information
for the interpretation of the archaeological record in both a
narrower and broader context.
At present, several institutions (and/or companies)
specialize in geoarchaeological research in the Czech
Republic, and most of these workplaces apply slightly
diferent approaches. However, this paper does not aim to map
in detail the Czech Republic’s specialized geoarchaeological
workplaces. But to give an idea of the variability of
specialization of individual laboratories, it can be mentioned
(taken at random) that: the Institute of Geological Sciences
of the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University in Brno
ofers archaeometrical approaches (Přichystal, 2013), and
approaches related to alluvial geoarchaeology (Petřík
et al.
,
2019); while Mendel University in Brno, for example,
specializes in the study of pedological characteristics within
archaeological sites (Rejšek
et al.
, 2019); and archaeometric
Volume XI ● Issue 1/2020 ● Pages 123–130
*Corresponding author. E-mail: lisa@gli.cas.cz
ARtICle Info
Article history:
Received: 29
th
June 2020
Accepted: 13
th
July 2020
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2020.1.9
Key words:
geoarcheology
archaeological research
formation processes
chemical analyses
micromorphology
AbStRACt
Geoarchaeology is an established feld of science in which geological principles are applied for the
interpretation of archaeological situations. However, geoarchaeological laboratories are still not a
self-evident part of archaeological institutions or archaeological companies. For this cooperation,
specialized workplaces at universities, laboratories of the Geological Survey or institutes of the Czech
Academy of Sciences usually serve. One such laboratory that specializes directly in geoarchaeology
is the Laboratory of Geoarchaeology within the Department of Geological Processes of Institute of
Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. The Geoarchaeological Laboratory participates
in research both in the form of joint grant projects and on the basis of commercial cooperation. In the
last ten years, several dozen studies published in impact publications, as well as several dozen projects
published in the form of research reports, have been produced. The activities of the Georcheological
Laboratory are not limited to the territory of the Czech Republic, as cooperation on projects in the rest
of Europe, Africa and Asia have also taken place.
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IANSA 2020 ● XI/1 ● 123–130
Lenka Lisá: Laboratory of Geoarchaeology of Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences
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