A Geomorphological Approach to Reconstructing Archaeological Settlement Patterns Based on Surficial Artifact Distribution

Physical and cultural landscapes evolve in response to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Therefore any attempt to understand landscape evolution requires the integration of anthropology and the physical sciences. As such, both landscape archaeology and geomorphology are interdependent and interdisciplinary endeavors. Unfortunately, we are hampered in our re-creation of past landscapes by the set of assumptions and the scientific language we bring to this endeavor. This chapter attempts to present a geomorphological approach to re-creating physical and cultural landscapes and in this process elucidates the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.