ABSTRACT This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos River, sout... more ABSTRACT This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos River, south central Cyprus and examine linkages to regional and local archaeological records. Three stratigraphic profiles (Sp1, Sp2 and Sp3) located in the lower valley have been investigated using sedimentology and magnetic parameters. The 14C dating of 10 samples reveals mid-Holocene ages for Sp1 and Sp2 while the upper most part of Sp3 can be attributed to the early to mid-Holocene. Two main phases of vertical accretion have been recognized: the first, recorded in the lower most part of Sp3, could not be dated but might relate to the late Glacial period. It is not associated with any archaeological artefacts. The second, recorded in all profiles, dating from ca. 5000 to ca. 2800 cal BC, spans the Late Neolithic Sotira (4800/4000 cal BC) and Late Chalcolithic (2900-2500 cal BC) cultures. The sediments of Sp1 and Sp2 are up to 8 to 10 meters thick and mainly composed of fine material. However, an intercalated phase of coarse sediment has been identified at the beginning of the third millennium BC, indicating a sudden change in river dynamics, potentially associated with the 5.2 ka Rapid Climate Change (RCC) regional event. Typical mid-Chalcolithic (ca. 3300-3050 cal BC) ceramics found in a palaeosol in Sp2 indicate for the first time human occupation of the Tremithos river terraces. Two other palaeosols have also been recognized in Sp3 and radiocarbon dated to ca. 5600-4100 cal BC and ca. 2900-2600 cal BC, respectively. These results make it possible to propose a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Holocene evolution in the Tremithos valley and to make a preliminary assessment of the relative roles of tectonics, climate, and anthropogenic forcing.
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, on... more In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
M. Pasqualini : Fréjus romaine, la ville et son histoire. Les agglomérations de Narbonnaise, des Alpes-Maritimes et de Cisalpine à travers la recherche archéologique, actes du 8e colloque historique de Fréjus, oct. 2010. Nice, APDCA, 2011, p. 75-88., 2011
Scientific research conducted over the past decade at the outskirt of Fréjus help to trace
the c... more Scientific research conducted over the past decade at the outskirt of Fréjus help to trace
the change in the landscape, especially in relation to the river Argens. It is now possible
to delimit the shoreline in the Antic period. Those results have renewed our understanding
of the Antic town layout, its suburbs and have shed a new light on the conditions for
development of port infrastructure and their evolution.
Big storm events represent a major risk for populations inhabiting the coastal areas. In the NW M... more Big storm events represent a major risk for populations inhabiting the coastal areas. In the NW Mediterranean, where human societies developed from the Neolithic, the lagoonal sequences provide good sedimentary records for the reconstruction of the storm events during the last millennia. Here is presented a sedimentological multi-proxy study (ED-XRF spectrometry, laser grain-sizing, magnetic susceptibility, colorimetry) from an 11 m-depth core in the Bagnas lagoon (Languedoc, Southern France). An age/depth model from thirteen 14C datings yields the timeframe of the sedimentary sequence for the late Holocene. PCA analysis and mapping of the geochemistry and magnetic susceptibility of sediments in the catchment area and the coastal zone were undertaken in order to track the terrestrial or marine origin of the sediments in the lagoon. The sedimentological signature of palaeostorm levels is generally characterized by coarser particles, lower magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry with higher contents for elements representative of a coastal influence (Sr, Ca, Cl, S). It is evidenced a series of six major ca. 200 yrs storm episodes during the last 3,500 years (S6 to S1). A cross-comparison with global and regional palaeoclimatic proxies shows that these storm events are well correlated to the periods of colder sea surface temperature in Northern Atlantic and higher storm activity inWestern Europe. The S1 and S2 episodes are proposed to be related to the Little Ice Age. Given the high sedimentation rates in the Bagnas lagoon during the last 2,000 years, the four last episodes S1 to S4 are particularly well documented with the individualization of 2 or 3 sub-events for each storm period.
On the coast of Northern Dobrogea, south of the Danube delta, the Greek settlement of Orgame was
... more On the coast of Northern Dobrogea, south of the Danube delta, the Greek settlement of Orgame was founded in the mid 7th c. BC, probably by Milesian colonists. The ancient city was located on the Cape Dolojman which today overlooks a large lagoon complex. We undertook a chronostratigraphic study to: (i) understand coastal changes around Cape Dolojman since ca. 5000 years BP in connection with the construction of the Danube delta lobes, and (ii) identify potential sediment impacts related to human occupation of the site. Three cores were extracted from the lagoon area. Sedimentological and biological analyses were undertaken to reconstruct the evolution of the coastal palaeoenvironments. The results show a closure of the marine bay around 3500 cal. BP and its transformation into a lagoon environment. The first major environmental change was due to the construction of the lobe St. George I and the formation of the barrier Lupilor. Around 2000 cal. BP, the formation of an intra-lagoonal lobe, the Dunavatz, led to the gradual transformation of the lagoon into a fluvial-dominated system. Paradoxically, lagoon waters today still wash the ancient Greek harbour environment, which has not been totally infilled by alluvial sediments. To understand this paradox, in a context of coastal progradation, we compared and contrasted the geomorphological data with the nearby city of Istros/Histria, which was already landlocked at this time. The location of these two Greek colonies relative to the coastal sediment cell and barriers partly explains their contrasting palaeoenvironmental evolution. Until 2650 cal. BP, the increase in charcoal and organic matter in sedimentary archives is interpreted as an anthropogenic signal for a more extensive use of the vegetation cover following the foundation of the city of Orgame (e.g. for domestic use and funeral rites).
The Journal of Human Palaeoecology, 20, 2, pp. 184-201.
This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos river, Cyprus and ex... more This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos river, Cyprus and examine linkages to regional and local archaeological records. Two main phases of vertical accretion have been recognised: the first, might relate to the late Glacial period. It is not associated with any archaeological artefacts. The second, dating from ca. 5000 to ca. cal 2800 BC, spans the Late Neolithic Sotira and Late Chalcolithic cultures. An intercalated phase of coarse sediment has been identified at the beginning of the third millennium BC, indicating a sudden change in river dynamics. Typical mid-Chalcolithic (ca. cal 3300–3050 BC) ceramics found in a palaeosol indicate for the first time human occupation of the Tremithos river terraces. These results make it possible to propose a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Holocene evolution in the Tremithos valley and to make
a preliminary assessment of the relative roles of tectonics, climate and anthropogenic forcing.
GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS
In coa... more GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
2000 ans de colmatage du port antique de Frejus (Forum Julii), France : une double metamorphose l... more 2000 ans de colmatage du port antique de Frejus (Forum Julii), France : une double metamorphose littorale
A Byzantine harbour (Theodosian harbour) has been uncovered during excavations at Yenikapı, with ... more A Byzantine harbour (Theodosian harbour) has been uncovered during excavations at Yenikapı, with a
stratigraphic sequence spanning the past 7000 BP. In the marine part of the sedimentary sequence,
a high-energy deposit has been interpreted as being of tsunami origin and related to the earthquake of
557 AD. This paper presents a bio-sedimentological analysis of this facies. The unit is characterised by
coarse sands and gravels containing reworked material such as woods, bones, marble blocks, amphora
fragments, ceramics, coins, shells and plant remains. The thickness of the facies varies between 10 and
100 cm. The sediment matrix is poorly sorted with skewness values indicative of a sub-tidal fine-sand
environment. Many of the marine taxa have been reworked and diverse ecological assemblages are
represented (lagoonal, coastal and open marine species). This unit is divided into three facies consistent
with different phases of the tsunami drowning and water retreat. The basal facies corresponds to two
tsunami wave trains, and the upper facies indicates the backwash flow.
2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
Comme l'ont déjà souvent écrit les géographes et les historiens depuis la Renaissance, l'humani... more Comme l'ont déjà souvent écrit les géographes et les historiens depuis la Renaissance, l'humanité exerce son action sur un espace anisotrope, lourd d'héritages. Cet environnement « reçu » est un élément important d'explication de la différenciation spatiale le long des littoraux méditerranéens. Il est le produit à la fois de processus géologiques, géomorphologiques, biologiques et météo-marins et des actions anthropologiques d'aménagement des territoires des générations antérieures. Nous nous proposons dans cette contribution de développer plus précisément cette idée en l'appliquant aux environnements lagunaires depuis 3000 ans.
Nous présenterons plusieurs exemples de travaux (souvent) récents sur différents types de ports lagunaires parfois encore inédits comme le cothon de Lechaion, les ports antiques du lac Mariout en Egypte, le port lagunaire de Cumes, le port d'Orgame du Danube ou les bassins de Kition-Bamboula et Kathari de Chypre...).
Nous développerons les principales questions environnementales en termes de contraintes et de potentialités naturelles qui expliquent la localisation des ports lagunaires qui sont :
•Problème d'accessibilité et de mobilité des graus
•Problème de circulation endolagunaire en relation avec le colmatage rapide de l'espace d'accommodation
•Question des ressources halieutiques spécifiques
•Question de la protection naturelle et des catastrophes...
Sans tomber dans le déterminisme téléologique de l'histoire technologique, cette mise en espace du littoral lagunaire dépend en partie des maîtrises technologiques comme, par exemple, la découverte du ciment hydraulique à l'époque romaine. Nous insisterons donc sur la diversité et la mobilité des contextes physiques et la diversité des aménagements portuaires sur la longue durée.
ABSTRACT This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos River, sout... more ABSTRACT This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos River, south central Cyprus and examine linkages to regional and local archaeological records. Three stratigraphic profiles (Sp1, Sp2 and Sp3) located in the lower valley have been investigated using sedimentology and magnetic parameters. The 14C dating of 10 samples reveals mid-Holocene ages for Sp1 and Sp2 while the upper most part of Sp3 can be attributed to the early to mid-Holocene. Two main phases of vertical accretion have been recognized: the first, recorded in the lower most part of Sp3, could not be dated but might relate to the late Glacial period. It is not associated with any archaeological artefacts. The second, recorded in all profiles, dating from ca. 5000 to ca. 2800 cal BC, spans the Late Neolithic Sotira (4800/4000 cal BC) and Late Chalcolithic (2900-2500 cal BC) cultures. The sediments of Sp1 and Sp2 are up to 8 to 10 meters thick and mainly composed of fine material. However, an intercalated phase of coarse sediment has been identified at the beginning of the third millennium BC, indicating a sudden change in river dynamics, potentially associated with the 5.2 ka Rapid Climate Change (RCC) regional event. Typical mid-Chalcolithic (ca. 3300-3050 cal BC) ceramics found in a palaeosol in Sp2 indicate for the first time human occupation of the Tremithos river terraces. Two other palaeosols have also been recognized in Sp3 and radiocarbon dated to ca. 5600-4100 cal BC and ca. 2900-2600 cal BC, respectively. These results make it possible to propose a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Holocene evolution in the Tremithos valley and to make a preliminary assessment of the relative roles of tectonics, climate, and anthropogenic forcing.
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, on... more In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
M. Pasqualini : Fréjus romaine, la ville et son histoire. Les agglomérations de Narbonnaise, des Alpes-Maritimes et de Cisalpine à travers la recherche archéologique, actes du 8e colloque historique de Fréjus, oct. 2010. Nice, APDCA, 2011, p. 75-88., 2011
Scientific research conducted over the past decade at the outskirt of Fréjus help to trace
the c... more Scientific research conducted over the past decade at the outskirt of Fréjus help to trace
the change in the landscape, especially in relation to the river Argens. It is now possible
to delimit the shoreline in the Antic period. Those results have renewed our understanding
of the Antic town layout, its suburbs and have shed a new light on the conditions for
development of port infrastructure and their evolution.
Big storm events represent a major risk for populations inhabiting the coastal areas. In the NW M... more Big storm events represent a major risk for populations inhabiting the coastal areas. In the NW Mediterranean, where human societies developed from the Neolithic, the lagoonal sequences provide good sedimentary records for the reconstruction of the storm events during the last millennia. Here is presented a sedimentological multi-proxy study (ED-XRF spectrometry, laser grain-sizing, magnetic susceptibility, colorimetry) from an 11 m-depth core in the Bagnas lagoon (Languedoc, Southern France). An age/depth model from thirteen 14C datings yields the timeframe of the sedimentary sequence for the late Holocene. PCA analysis and mapping of the geochemistry and magnetic susceptibility of sediments in the catchment area and the coastal zone were undertaken in order to track the terrestrial or marine origin of the sediments in the lagoon. The sedimentological signature of palaeostorm levels is generally characterized by coarser particles, lower magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry with higher contents for elements representative of a coastal influence (Sr, Ca, Cl, S). It is evidenced a series of six major ca. 200 yrs storm episodes during the last 3,500 years (S6 to S1). A cross-comparison with global and regional palaeoclimatic proxies shows that these storm events are well correlated to the periods of colder sea surface temperature in Northern Atlantic and higher storm activity inWestern Europe. The S1 and S2 episodes are proposed to be related to the Little Ice Age. Given the high sedimentation rates in the Bagnas lagoon during the last 2,000 years, the four last episodes S1 to S4 are particularly well documented with the individualization of 2 or 3 sub-events for each storm period.
On the coast of Northern Dobrogea, south of the Danube delta, the Greek settlement of Orgame was
... more On the coast of Northern Dobrogea, south of the Danube delta, the Greek settlement of Orgame was founded in the mid 7th c. BC, probably by Milesian colonists. The ancient city was located on the Cape Dolojman which today overlooks a large lagoon complex. We undertook a chronostratigraphic study to: (i) understand coastal changes around Cape Dolojman since ca. 5000 years BP in connection with the construction of the Danube delta lobes, and (ii) identify potential sediment impacts related to human occupation of the site. Three cores were extracted from the lagoon area. Sedimentological and biological analyses were undertaken to reconstruct the evolution of the coastal palaeoenvironments. The results show a closure of the marine bay around 3500 cal. BP and its transformation into a lagoon environment. The first major environmental change was due to the construction of the lobe St. George I and the formation of the barrier Lupilor. Around 2000 cal. BP, the formation of an intra-lagoonal lobe, the Dunavatz, led to the gradual transformation of the lagoon into a fluvial-dominated system. Paradoxically, lagoon waters today still wash the ancient Greek harbour environment, which has not been totally infilled by alluvial sediments. To understand this paradox, in a context of coastal progradation, we compared and contrasted the geomorphological data with the nearby city of Istros/Histria, which was already landlocked at this time. The location of these two Greek colonies relative to the coastal sediment cell and barriers partly explains their contrasting palaeoenvironmental evolution. Until 2650 cal. BP, the increase in charcoal and organic matter in sedimentary archives is interpreted as an anthropogenic signal for a more extensive use of the vegetation cover following the foundation of the city of Orgame (e.g. for domestic use and funeral rites).
The Journal of Human Palaeoecology, 20, 2, pp. 184-201.
This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos river, Cyprus and ex... more This study aims to reconstruct the Holocene fluvial history of the Tremithos river, Cyprus and examine linkages to regional and local archaeological records. Two main phases of vertical accretion have been recognised: the first, might relate to the late Glacial period. It is not associated with any archaeological artefacts. The second, dating from ca. 5000 to ca. cal 2800 BC, spans the Late Neolithic Sotira and Late Chalcolithic cultures. An intercalated phase of coarse sediment has been identified at the beginning of the third millennium BC, indicating a sudden change in river dynamics. Typical mid-Chalcolithic (ca. cal 3300–3050 BC) ceramics found in a palaeosol indicate for the first time human occupation of the Tremithos river terraces. These results make it possible to propose a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Holocene evolution in the Tremithos valley and to make
a preliminary assessment of the relative roles of tectonics, climate and anthropogenic forcing.
GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS
In coa... more GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL TYPOLOGY OF ANCIENT HARBOURS IN LAGOONAL CONTEXTS
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
2000 ans de colmatage du port antique de Frejus (Forum Julii), France : une double metamorphose l... more 2000 ans de colmatage du port antique de Frejus (Forum Julii), France : une double metamorphose littorale
A Byzantine harbour (Theodosian harbour) has been uncovered during excavations at Yenikapı, with ... more A Byzantine harbour (Theodosian harbour) has been uncovered during excavations at Yenikapı, with a
stratigraphic sequence spanning the past 7000 BP. In the marine part of the sedimentary sequence,
a high-energy deposit has been interpreted as being of tsunami origin and related to the earthquake of
557 AD. This paper presents a bio-sedimentological analysis of this facies. The unit is characterised by
coarse sands and gravels containing reworked material such as woods, bones, marble blocks, amphora
fragments, ceramics, coins, shells and plant remains. The thickness of the facies varies between 10 and
100 cm. The sediment matrix is poorly sorted with skewness values indicative of a sub-tidal fine-sand
environment. Many of the marine taxa have been reworked and diverse ecological assemblages are
represented (lagoonal, coastal and open marine species). This unit is divided into three facies consistent
with different phases of the tsunami drowning and water retreat. The basal facies corresponds to two
tsunami wave trains, and the upper facies indicates the backwash flow.
2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
Comme l'ont déjà souvent écrit les géographes et les historiens depuis la Renaissance, l'humani... more Comme l'ont déjà souvent écrit les géographes et les historiens depuis la Renaissance, l'humanité exerce son action sur un espace anisotrope, lourd d'héritages. Cet environnement « reçu » est un élément important d'explication de la différenciation spatiale le long des littoraux méditerranéens. Il est le produit à la fois de processus géologiques, géomorphologiques, biologiques et météo-marins et des actions anthropologiques d'aménagement des territoires des générations antérieures. Nous nous proposons dans cette contribution de développer plus précisément cette idée en l'appliquant aux environnements lagunaires depuis 3000 ans.
Nous présenterons plusieurs exemples de travaux (souvent) récents sur différents types de ports lagunaires parfois encore inédits comme le cothon de Lechaion, les ports antiques du lac Mariout en Egypte, le port lagunaire de Cumes, le port d'Orgame du Danube ou les bassins de Kition-Bamboula et Kathari de Chypre...).
Nous développerons les principales questions environnementales en termes de contraintes et de potentialités naturelles qui expliquent la localisation des ports lagunaires qui sont :
•Problème d'accessibilité et de mobilité des graus
•Problème de circulation endolagunaire en relation avec le colmatage rapide de l'espace d'accommodation
•Question des ressources halieutiques spécifiques
•Question de la protection naturelle et des catastrophes...
Sans tomber dans le déterminisme téléologique de l'histoire technologique, cette mise en espace du littoral lagunaire dépend en partie des maîtrises technologiques comme, par exemple, la découverte du ciment hydraulique à l'époque romaine. Nous insisterons donc sur la diversité et la mobilité des contextes physiques et la diversité des aménagements portuaires sur la longue durée.
Au Sud-Est de l'île de Chypre, sur les rives de la baie de Larnaca, ouverte vers le levant, l'ant... more Au Sud-Est de l'île de Chypre, sur les rives de la baie de Larnaca, ouverte vers le levant, l'antique cité de Kition fut fondée au 13ème siècle avant J.-C. Installée sur une ancienne terrasse marine et entourée par un mur d'enceinte cyclopéen, la cité se distingue au Sud-Est (quartier de Bamboula) par la présence d'un port militaire d'époque classique abritant des rampes de hallages très bien préservées (Yon, 2000 ; Morhange et al., 2000 ; Sourisseau et al., 2003). Au Nord de la cité, le quartier de Kathari, situé en face d'une nécropole classique de la ville, abrite une zone de temples ainsi que des ateliers de travail du cuivre. L'organisation interne des ports phéniciens laisse à penser que la cité pouvait abriter un port de commerce éventuellement localisé au pied du quartier de Kathari dans une ancienne petite baie aujourd'hui colmaté. Afin de reconstituer l'évolution paléo-environnementale du littoral dans ce secteur et de comprendre l'organisation de la cité phénicienne, nous avons réalisé une série de 9 carottages répartis dans l'ancienne baie de Kathari. Les résultats bio-sédimentologiques révèlent une mobilité des rivages dictée par les apports sédimentaires fluviaux du Tremithos. Vers le 5ème siècle avant J.-C., des apports sédimentaires grossiers sont responsables de la transformation de la baie de Kathari en un milieu lagunaire, évoluant ensuite progressivement en un marais d'eau douce. Cet environnement lagunaire protégé naturellement par ce cordon de galets a donc favorisé l'installation d'une activité portuaire militaire à Bamboula et probablement commerciale à Kathari.
The aim of this presentation is to cross data from the rich archaeological documentation and good... more The aim of this presentation is to cross data from the rich archaeological documentation and good quality of the lower Herault valley with natural sedimentary archives or unpublished geoarcheological (geomorphology, palynology, micropaleontology). We propose to identify and characterize river-coastal biophysical and paleogeographic changes in this area, but also characterize the successive contexts of environmental habitats, consider the nature and place of societal and economic setting in relation to other factors in the changes observed. This project will primarily study geomorphological ruptures and dynamics that have deep historical implications but also the successive regulations made by the Human activities for controling their environment. Datas shows, for the first time in this area, the presence of a lagoonary complexe until the Neolitic period. This ”ria valley under siltation” shows a filling coastline dynamic high contrast, the marine lake, brackish and freshwater succeeds quickly and are evidence of a rapid metamorphosis of the coast. This dynamic of contrasting environments raises the question of attractiveness for human activities and processing (adaptation?) of land tenure during their metamorphosis. Datas are produced by the DYLITAG multidisciplinary project (Dir. B. Devillers) (ARCHIMEDE LABEX project)and ”La Motte excavation” (Dir. J. Gasco and T. Lachenal)
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Papers by Guénaëlle Bony
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
the change in the landscape, especially in relation to the river Argens. It is now possible
to delimit the shoreline in the Antic period. Those results have renewed our understanding
of the Antic town layout, its suburbs and have shed a new light on the conditions for
development of port infrastructure and their evolution.
societies developed from the Neolithic, the lagoonal sequences provide good sedimentary records for the reconstruction of the
storm events during the last millennia. Here is presented a sedimentological multi-proxy study (ED-XRF spectrometry, laser
grain-sizing, magnetic susceptibility, colorimetry) from an 11 m-depth core in the Bagnas lagoon (Languedoc, Southern France).
An age/depth model from thirteen 14C datings yields the timeframe of the sedimentary sequence for the late Holocene. PCA
analysis and mapping of the geochemistry and magnetic susceptibility of sediments in the catchment area and the coastal zone
were undertaken in order to track the terrestrial or marine origin of the sediments in the lagoon. The sedimentological signature
of palaeostorm levels is generally characterized by coarser particles, lower magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry with higher
contents for elements representative of a coastal influence (Sr, Ca, Cl, S). It is evidenced a series of six major ca. 200 yrs storm
episodes during the last 3,500 years (S6 to S1). A cross-comparison with global and regional palaeoclimatic proxies shows
that these storm events are well correlated to the periods of colder sea surface temperature in Northern Atlantic and higher storm
activity inWestern Europe. The S1 and S2 episodes are proposed to be related to the Little Ice Age. Given the high sedimentation rates in the Bagnas lagoon during the last 2,000 years, the four last episodes S1 to S4 are particularly well documented with the individualization of 2 or 3 sub-events for each storm period.
founded in the mid 7th c. BC, probably by Milesian colonists. The ancient city was located on the Cape
Dolojman which today overlooks a large lagoon complex. We undertook a chronostratigraphic study to:
(i) understand coastal changes around Cape Dolojman since ca. 5000 years BP in connection with the
construction of the Danube delta lobes, and (ii) identify potential sediment impacts related to human
occupation of the site. Three cores were extracted from the lagoon area. Sedimentological and biological
analyses were undertaken to reconstruct the evolution of the coastal palaeoenvironments. The results
show a closure of the marine bay around 3500 cal. BP and its transformation into a lagoon environment.
The first major environmental change was due to the construction of the lobe St. George I and the formation
of the barrier Lupilor. Around 2000 cal. BP, the formation of an intra-lagoonal lobe, the Dunavatz,
led to the gradual transformation of the lagoon into a fluvial-dominated system. Paradoxically, lagoon
waters today still wash the ancient Greek harbour environment, which has not been totally infilled by
alluvial sediments. To understand this paradox, in a context of coastal progradation, we compared and
contrasted the geomorphological data with the nearby city of Istros/Histria, which was already landlocked
at this time. The location of these two Greek colonies relative to the coastal sediment cell and
barriers partly explains their contrasting palaeoenvironmental evolution. Until 2650 cal. BP, the increase
in charcoal and organic matter in sedimentary archives is interpreted as an anthropogenic signal for a
more extensive use of the vegetation cover following the foundation of the city of Orgame (e.g. for
domestic use and funeral rites).
a preliminary assessment of the relative roles of tectonics, climate and anthropogenic forcing.
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
stratigraphic sequence spanning the past 7000 BP. In the marine part of the sedimentary sequence,
a high-energy deposit has been interpreted as being of tsunami origin and related to the earthquake of
557 AD. This paper presents a bio-sedimentological analysis of this facies. The unit is characterised by
coarse sands and gravels containing reworked material such as woods, bones, marble blocks, amphora
fragments, ceramics, coins, shells and plant remains. The thickness of the facies varies between 10 and
100 cm. The sediment matrix is poorly sorted with skewness values indicative of a sub-tidal fine-sand
environment. Many of the marine taxa have been reworked and diverse ecological assemblages are
represented (lagoonal, coastal and open marine species). This unit is divided into three facies consistent
with different phases of the tsunami drowning and water retreat. The basal facies corresponds to two
tsunami wave trains, and the upper facies indicates the backwash flow.
2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
Video by Guénaëlle Bony
Nous présenterons plusieurs exemples de travaux (souvent) récents sur différents types de ports lagunaires parfois encore inédits comme le cothon de Lechaion, les ports antiques du lac Mariout en Egypte, le port lagunaire de Cumes, le port d'Orgame du Danube ou les bassins de Kition-Bamboula et Kathari de Chypre...).
Nous développerons les principales questions environnementales en termes de contraintes et de potentialités naturelles qui expliquent la localisation des ports lagunaires qui sont :
•Problème d'accessibilité et de mobilité des graus
•Problème de circulation endolagunaire en relation avec le colmatage rapide de l'espace d'accommodation
•Question des ressources halieutiques spécifiques
•Question de la protection naturelle et des catastrophes...
Sans tomber dans le déterminisme téléologique de l'histoire technologique, cette mise en espace du littoral lagunaire dépend en partie des maîtrises technologiques comme, par exemple, la découverte du ciment hydraulique à l'époque romaine. Nous insisterons donc sur la diversité et la mobilité des contextes physiques et la diversité des aménagements portuaires sur la longue durée.
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
the change in the landscape, especially in relation to the river Argens. It is now possible
to delimit the shoreline in the Antic period. Those results have renewed our understanding
of the Antic town layout, its suburbs and have shed a new light on the conditions for
development of port infrastructure and their evolution.
societies developed from the Neolithic, the lagoonal sequences provide good sedimentary records for the reconstruction of the
storm events during the last millennia. Here is presented a sedimentological multi-proxy study (ED-XRF spectrometry, laser
grain-sizing, magnetic susceptibility, colorimetry) from an 11 m-depth core in the Bagnas lagoon (Languedoc, Southern France).
An age/depth model from thirteen 14C datings yields the timeframe of the sedimentary sequence for the late Holocene. PCA
analysis and mapping of the geochemistry and magnetic susceptibility of sediments in the catchment area and the coastal zone
were undertaken in order to track the terrestrial or marine origin of the sediments in the lagoon. The sedimentological signature
of palaeostorm levels is generally characterized by coarser particles, lower magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry with higher
contents for elements representative of a coastal influence (Sr, Ca, Cl, S). It is evidenced a series of six major ca. 200 yrs storm
episodes during the last 3,500 years (S6 to S1). A cross-comparison with global and regional palaeoclimatic proxies shows
that these storm events are well correlated to the periods of colder sea surface temperature in Northern Atlantic and higher storm
activity inWestern Europe. The S1 and S2 episodes are proposed to be related to the Little Ice Age. Given the high sedimentation rates in the Bagnas lagoon during the last 2,000 years, the four last episodes S1 to S4 are particularly well documented with the individualization of 2 or 3 sub-events for each storm period.
founded in the mid 7th c. BC, probably by Milesian colonists. The ancient city was located on the Cape
Dolojman which today overlooks a large lagoon complex. We undertook a chronostratigraphic study to:
(i) understand coastal changes around Cape Dolojman since ca. 5000 years BP in connection with the
construction of the Danube delta lobes, and (ii) identify potential sediment impacts related to human
occupation of the site. Three cores were extracted from the lagoon area. Sedimentological and biological
analyses were undertaken to reconstruct the evolution of the coastal palaeoenvironments. The results
show a closure of the marine bay around 3500 cal. BP and its transformation into a lagoon environment.
The first major environmental change was due to the construction of the lobe St. George I and the formation
of the barrier Lupilor. Around 2000 cal. BP, the formation of an intra-lagoonal lobe, the Dunavatz,
led to the gradual transformation of the lagoon into a fluvial-dominated system. Paradoxically, lagoon
waters today still wash the ancient Greek harbour environment, which has not been totally infilled by
alluvial sediments. To understand this paradox, in a context of coastal progradation, we compared and
contrasted the geomorphological data with the nearby city of Istros/Histria, which was already landlocked
at this time. The location of these two Greek colonies relative to the coastal sediment cell and
barriers partly explains their contrasting palaeoenvironmental evolution. Until 2650 cal. BP, the increase
in charcoal and organic matter in sedimentary archives is interpreted as an anthropogenic signal for a
more extensive use of the vegetation cover following the foundation of the city of Orgame (e.g. for
domestic use and funeral rites).
a preliminary assessment of the relative roles of tectonics, climate and anthropogenic forcing.
In coastal areas, under a context of relative sea-level stability during the past 6,000 years, one important question relates to
the impact of environmental conditions on human settlements around lagoons. Historiography has developed a number of
deterministic models but how do these fair in the light of recent palaeo-environmental data? What was the impact of these occupations on the evolution of the coastline? How did ancient societies use and overcome, or not, the environmental potentialities and specific constraints linked to the occupation of lagoonal environments, including accessibility, navigation conditions, sediment infilling and the draught depth. Here we present a number of multidisciplinary case study examples of lagoonal harbours. We attempt to estimate the weight of natural forcing agents on the different harbour sites and underline the important roles of coastline changes and the sedimentary infilling of the lagoons at different spatial scales. These processes impacted upon the infrastructure and the viability
of the lagoonal harbours to varying degrees. We present five main types of lagoonal harbour that show the great diversity of these environments, their potentiality and also their constraints:
(1) artificially-dug lagoonal harbours, known in the ancient literature as “cothons”
(2) infilled lagoonal harbours in deltaic contexts
(3) lagoonal harbours still in water
(4) estuarine harbours
(5) mixed lagoon systems.
stratigraphic sequence spanning the past 7000 BP. In the marine part of the sedimentary sequence,
a high-energy deposit has been interpreted as being of tsunami origin and related to the earthquake of
557 AD. This paper presents a bio-sedimentological analysis of this facies. The unit is characterised by
coarse sands and gravels containing reworked material such as woods, bones, marble blocks, amphora
fragments, ceramics, coins, shells and plant remains. The thickness of the facies varies between 10 and
100 cm. The sediment matrix is poorly sorted with skewness values indicative of a sub-tidal fine-sand
environment. Many of the marine taxa have been reworked and diverse ecological assemblages are
represented (lagoonal, coastal and open marine species). This unit is divided into three facies consistent
with different phases of the tsunami drowning and water retreat. The basal facies corresponds to two
tsunami wave trains, and the upper facies indicates the backwash flow.
2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
Nous présenterons plusieurs exemples de travaux (souvent) récents sur différents types de ports lagunaires parfois encore inédits comme le cothon de Lechaion, les ports antiques du lac Mariout en Egypte, le port lagunaire de Cumes, le port d'Orgame du Danube ou les bassins de Kition-Bamboula et Kathari de Chypre...).
Nous développerons les principales questions environnementales en termes de contraintes et de potentialités naturelles qui expliquent la localisation des ports lagunaires qui sont :
•Problème d'accessibilité et de mobilité des graus
•Problème de circulation endolagunaire en relation avec le colmatage rapide de l'espace d'accommodation
•Question des ressources halieutiques spécifiques
•Question de la protection naturelle et des catastrophes...
Sans tomber dans le déterminisme téléologique de l'histoire technologique, cette mise en espace du littoral lagunaire dépend en partie des maîtrises technologiques comme, par exemple, la découverte du ciment hydraulique à l'époque romaine. Nous insisterons donc sur la diversité et la mobilité des contextes physiques et la diversité des aménagements portuaires sur la longue durée.
historical implications but also the successive regulations made by the Human activities for controling their environment.
Datas shows, for the first time in this area, the presence of a lagoonary complexe until the Neolitic period. This ”ria valley under
siltation” shows a filling coastline dynamic high contrast, the marine lake, brackish and freshwater succeeds quickly and are
evidence of a rapid metamorphosis of the coast. This dynamic of contrasting environments raises the question of attractiveness
for human activities and processing (adaptation?) of land tenure during their metamorphosis.
Datas are produced by the DYLITAG multidisciplinary project (Dir. B. Devillers) (ARCHIMEDE LABEX project)and ”La
Motte excavation” (Dir. J. Gasco and T. Lachenal)