Publicação
Capacidade humana de adaptação às alterações ambientais durante o Quaternário na Península Ibérica através de uma análise geoarqueológica
| Resumo: | Climate and environment have played a crucial role in shaping human behaviour throughout history. For this reason, the relationship between humans and the environment has long been the subject of scientific attention in numerous fields, including geoarchaeology. In this context, this thesis aims to contribute to the paleoenvironmental reconstruction and understanding of the dynamics of human occupation in different areas of the Iberian Peninsula during the Quaternary period, through the integrated application of geochemical analyses on archaeological sediments.The study focuses on the joint use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF), loss on fire (LOI) and stable carbon isotope analysis (δ¹³C), applied to sediments from fluvial, colluvial and cave contexts. These techniques have made it possible to assess the chemical and organic composition of sediments, and to identify the nature and evolution of vegetation cover, which is closely linked to climatic variations and anthropogenic activities. Carbon isotope analysis, performed on the inorganic fraction of sediments, provided significant data on the prevalence of different vegetation types – C3, C4 and CAM – associated with different environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, aridity). The results reflect both natural oscillations (such as marine isotopic phases and Heinrich events) and transformations related to human intervention, particularly since the Holocene with the introduction of agropastoral practices.The analysed sites, occupied at different times between the Pleistocene and Holocene, show that during the Pleistocene, human occupation predominantly followed the natural dynamics of the landscape, while in the Holocene period an increasing anthropic impact on the territory and ecosystems is observed. The data that emerged not only make it possible to reconstruct vegetation cover on a regional scale, but also highlight the great resilience shown by human communities in adapting to changing, often extreme, environmental conditions.This study confirms the validity of integrating geochemical techniques, and particularly δ¹³C isotopic analysis, as a tool for interpreting past landscapes and human-environment interactions, promoting an innovative and multidisciplinary geoarchaeological perspective. |
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| Autores principais: | Lattao, Virginia |
| Assunto: | Península Ibérica Quaternário geoquímica isótopos estáveis paleoambientes Iberian Peninsula Quaternary geochemestry paleoenvironments stable isotopes |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Idioma: | português |
| Origem: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Resumo: | Climate and environment have played a crucial role in shaping human behaviour throughout history. For this reason, the relationship between humans and the environment has long been the subject of scientific attention in numerous fields, including geoarchaeology. In this context, this thesis aims to contribute to the paleoenvironmental reconstruction and understanding of the dynamics of human occupation in different areas of the Iberian Peninsula during the Quaternary period, through the integrated application of geochemical analyses on archaeological sediments.The study focuses on the joint use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF), loss on fire (LOI) and stable carbon isotope analysis (δ¹³C), applied to sediments from fluvial, colluvial and cave contexts. These techniques have made it possible to assess the chemical and organic composition of sediments, and to identify the nature and evolution of vegetation cover, which is closely linked to climatic variations and anthropogenic activities. Carbon isotope analysis, performed on the inorganic fraction of sediments, provided significant data on the prevalence of different vegetation types – C3, C4 and CAM – associated with different environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, aridity). The results reflect both natural oscillations (such as marine isotopic phases and Heinrich events) and transformations related to human intervention, particularly since the Holocene with the introduction of agropastoral practices.The analysed sites, occupied at different times between the Pleistocene and Holocene, show that during the Pleistocene, human occupation predominantly followed the natural dynamics of the landscape, while in the Holocene period an increasing anthropic impact on the territory and ecosystems is observed. The data that emerged not only make it possible to reconstruct vegetation cover on a regional scale, but also highlight the great resilience shown by human communities in adapting to changing, often extreme, environmental conditions.This study confirms the validity of integrating geochemical techniques, and particularly δ¹³C isotopic analysis, as a tool for interpreting past landscapes and human-environment interactions, promoting an innovative and multidisciplinary geoarchaeological perspective. |
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