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Floors and Occupation Surface Analysis in Archaeology

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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology

Introduction

In the same way modern carpets reflect the activities of their owners, occupation surfaces can tell many things about their users. Looking at the characteristics of the carpet once it has been removed from the floor of the whole house, one can realize that there are worn areas, consequence of intense transit and intact zones normally placed under heavy furniture. It is also possible to differentiate between clean areas and dirty parts of the carpet containing many residues spelt on the surface. Then, after a careful study of this carpet, it is possible to reconstruct most of the everyday activities of its users.

The same happens with the study of archaeological structures. In the case of occupation surfaces, it is now possible to use this approach to try to understand how people lived in the past. Traditionally, archaeological artifact distribution and architecture have suggested the way spaces were used. In recent times, chemical residues detected in the porous of floors...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Prospección Arqueológica, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior de Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito exterior de Ciudad Universitaria Del. Coyoacán, México, DF, Mexico

    Luis Barba Pingarrón

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  1. Luis Barba Pingarrón
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Correspondence to Luis Barba Pingarrón .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Barba Pingarrón, L. (2014). Floors and Occupation Surface Analysis in Archaeology. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1304

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1304

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0426-3

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