Geoarchaeological evaluation of the soil profiles and collapsed Neolithic structures in Trenches XIX, XXII and XXIII at Drenovac, Serbia

Abstract

Evaluative geoarchaeological investigations using thin section micromorphology, physical, geochemical and infrared spectroscopy analyses of the Neolithic structures in Trenches XIX, XXII and XXIII at Drenovac have revealed that the site was built on disturbed clay-enriched brown forest soils. The collapsed structures were highly burnt and appear to have been kept very clean and free from the buildup of settlement-derived rubbish material, both inside and outside the buildings. These promising results suggest that further systematic geoarchaeological investigations of the floor and ground surfaces inside and outside the structures will provide very valuable new information on the use of space and activity areas in this Neolithic settlement.