Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 13.8
The various environmental archives discussed in this chapter character-
ised on the basis of their temporal resolution and environmental sensitivity. See the
text for further explanation. Plotting the precise location of each archive is somewhat
subjective and one could discuss whether cave paintings should be plotted at all, but
the purpose of this exercise is to highlight the variability in the nature and quality of
data retrieved from different Quaternary archives. Plotting a range of archives using
these axes and then justifying their locations can be a very useful exercise for
students.
The problem is compounded because rockshelter sedimentary records lack preci-
sion and are commonly very 'noisy' with complex stratigraphies (e.g., Bailey and
Woodward, 1997) and a typical example with a very wide range of sediment particle
sizes is shown in fi gure 13.9. Furthermore, human occupation can disturb the sedi-
ment record and alter the fi ne sediment matrix through physical and chemical proc-
esses. This means it can be very diffi cult to decouple the cultural and environmental
signals in rockshelter and cave sediment records (Woodward and Goldberg, 2001).
On a positive note, some clastic rockshelter and cave sediment records in the Medi-
terranean with Middle and Upper Palaeolithic cultural assemblages have been
shown to record the infl uence of some rapid climate change events (e.g., Courty and
Vallverdu, 2001; Karkanas, 2001). However, such contexts are unusual and it is
diffi cult to make secure correlations if dating control is limited.
Mithen (1999, p. 481) has argued that archaeologists can only feel frustrated at
the relatively poor degree of chronological resolution that appears possible from
their data. This mismatch in resolution and dating control means that establishing
