Papers by Christopher Gerrard
Antiquity, Jul 16, 2021
The importation of Chinese porcelain and celadon into Europe has long been thought to have first ... more The importation of Chinese porcelain and celadon into Europe has long been thought to have first begun around the thirteenth century AD. A unique group of Chinese ceramic sherds from archaeological contexts in Spain dated to between the ninth and eleventh centuries, however, now represents the earliest Chinese wares identified in Europe. Such an unexpectedly early presence on high-status sites in Western Europe probably reflects changing patterns of commerce in the Indian Ocean and the giving of prestigious gifts at the very highest levels of social and political power across the Islamic Mediterranean world.
This article defines the elements of qanat technology in Spain and describes some recent projects... more This article defines the elements of qanat technology in Spain and describes some recent projects which have advanced our understanding. A brief bibliography is provided that exposes some of the confusion surrounding classification, nomenclature, numbers, and distribution of the qanat. Some examples taken from recent fieldwork illustrate the complexities and show how different elements of hydraulic technology are combined. Hydraulic features at Citruénigo (Navarre), Bureta, Bulbuente and Daroca (all Aragón), Madrid, and Toledo (Castile-La Mancha) are all described. Finally, the paper focuses on recent research into dating these features and highlights a recently completed project that dated episodes of construction and maintenance using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). This technique seems to offer significant potential for future research.
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Salduie, 2020
La prospección intensiva en Bureta (Zaragoza) y la geofísica han localizado un yacimiento visig... more La prospección intensiva en Bureta (Zaragoza) y la geofísica han localizado un yacimiento visigodo en el término de Los Pozos. La excavación arqueológica realizada en el 2017 nos ha permitido recuperar datos sobre su morfología, cultura material, restos de fauna y restos botánicos, por ahora los únicos existentes para esta época en Aragón. La ocupación se produjo en una sola fase que se ha podido fechar entre mediados del siglo VI y mediados del el siglo VII. El conjunto de los datos recuperados nos ayudan a entender la economía doméstica y la explotación del medio durante este período y constituyen un testimonio importante para entender el período visigodo en Aragón, donde tales yacimientos son todavía muy escasos.
This article defines the elements of qanat technology in Spain and describes some recent projects... more This article defines the elements of qanat technology in Spain and describes some recent projects which have advanced our understanding. A brief bibliography is provided that exposes some of the confusion surrounding classification, nomenclature, numbers, and distribution of the qanat. Some examples taken from recent fieldwork illustrate the complexities and show how different elements of hydraulic technology are combined. Hydraulic features at Citruénigo (Navarre), Bureta, Bulbuente and Daroca (all Aragón), Madrid, and Toledo (Castile-La Mancha) are all described. Finally, the paper focuses on recent research into dating these features and highlights a recently.completed project that dated episodes of con- struction and maintenance using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). This technique seems to offer significant potential for future research
Waiting for the End of the World?, 2020
Waiting for the End of the World?, 2020
This study presents diagnostic techniques to assess the structural vulnerability of earthen build... more This study presents diagnostic techniques to assess the structural vulnerability of earthen buildings. Medieval structures at Ambel (near Zaragoza, Spain), once a preceptory or monastic house belonging to the Military Orders, provide a useful case study. After more than a thousand years of construction, failure and repair from the 10th century to the present day, Ambel preceptory today is characterised by marked inhomogeneities: construction materials and structural typologies are juxtaposed, with structural discontinuities at the interfaces between construction phases. This paper argues that, while static analysis is an essential prerequisite before a suitable maintenance program can be defined, no evaluation of the structural behaviour of any historic building can ignore an understanding of the building’s history.
Water Management in Ancient Civilizations is a necessity for every society and each individual. T... more Water Management in Ancient Civilizations is a necessity for every society and each individual. This book compiles ancient approaches to water management from di erent times, places, and perspectives. In antiquity, a great variety of techniques for how to store, deliver, and also li water had evolved, especially during the Hellenistic and Roman times. This book examines the di erent governance structures, water management bodies, and relevant legislation that were developed to ensure that water was used and delivered in specifi c ways. These are explored utilizing examples from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Spain, and Italy. To prevent water from delivery problems, the , and pollution, water was o en conveyed via closed systems, which were sometimes subterranean in nature. Two respective closed system techniques are presented in this book: the Qanat-technology, with examples from the Iberian Peninsula, and the Roman Aqueduct, with an example from Sicily. Additionally, this book looks at how water has been used in societies as a way to display power, for leisure, to show technical hubris, or to simply harness its power, for example to document time passing, as was done via ancient water clocks.
Antiquity, 2021
The importation of Chinese porcelain and celadon into Europe has long been thought to have first ... more The importation of Chinese porcelain and celadon into Europe has long been thought to have first begun around the thirteenth century AD. A unique group of Chinese ceramic sherds from archaeological contexts in Spain dated to between the ninth and eleventh centuries, however, now represents the earliest Chinese wares identified in Europe. Such an unexpectedly early presence on high-status sites in Western Europe probably reflects changing patterns of commerce in the Indian Ocean and the giving of prestigious gifts at the very highest levels of social and political power across the Islamic Mediterranean world.
PLOS ONE, 2020
After the Battle Dunbar between English and Scottish forces in 1650, captured Scottish soldiers w... more After the Battle Dunbar between English and Scottish forces in 1650, captured Scottish soldiers were imprisoned in Durham and many hundreds died there within a few weeks. The partial skeletal remains of 28 of these men were discovered in 2013. Building on previous osteological work, here we report wide-ranging scientific studies of the remains to address the following questions: Did they have comparable diet, health and disease throughout their lives? Did they have common histories of movement (or lack of movement) during their childhoods? Can we create a collective biography of these men? Strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel investigated childhood movement. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally sampled dentine addressed childhood diet and nutrition. Metaproteomic analysis of dental calculus investigated oral microbiomes and food residues; this was complemented by microscopic analysis of debris in calculus from ingested materials. Selected individual...
Speculum, 2017
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019
This paper explores the impact of changing religious political rule on subsistence within a singl... more This paper explores the impact of changing religious political rule on subsistence within a single city through time using stable isotope analysis of human and animal bone collagen. The diet and economy of the medieval city of Valencia (Spain) are examined over a 1000-year period during successive periods of Visigothic, Muslim and Christian rule. Bulk stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) was carried out on 67 humans and 47 animals sampled from several archaeological sites dating between the fifth and fifteenth centuries AD. Terrestrial C 3 resources dominated the diet in all periods. However, an increase in consumption of C 4 plants (e.g. millet, sorghum) and/or marine resources is detected among individuals dating to the Islamic period. Differences in the isotopic values of humans and animals between the three periods indicate a significant dietary diversity during the Islamic phases (eleventh to thirteenth century), compared with the earlier Visigothic phase (fifth-seventh century) and the later Christian phase (fourteenth and fifteenth century). Observed diachronic changes in isotopic results provide evidence for a shift in diet and subsistence, particularly during the Muslim and later Christian periods. This is linked with change in population and economic focus. Dietary diversity among Muslim individuals is hypothesised to indicate the polyculture that was reflected in varied Islamic agricultural practices and the presence of potential migrants from elsewhere in the Islamic world.
Journal of Arid Environments, 2019
Unit Description Interpretation 108 7.5 YR 6/4 Light brown fine sand/silt with moderate sub-round... more Unit Description Interpretation 108 7.5 YR 6/4 Light brown fine sand/silt with moderate sub-rounded limestone pebbles. Poorly sorted. Homogeneous. Sharp boundary to Unit 106. Colluvium/'plough soil' 107 7.5 YR 3/1 Very dark grey ash and charcoal with moderate, fine twiggy charred plant macrofossils. Where Unit 106 sits immediately below Unit 107 is calcined and 7.5 YR 8/1 White. Sharp boundary to: In situ burning during digging operations. 106 2.5 YR 5/6 Red, hard, blocky clay in sub-rectangular aggregates to coarse pebble size. Internal structure of the blocks is laminar. Occasional subangular limestone cobbles. Limestone is harder, less carbonate-rich and more mineralized than Unit 105. Well to moderately sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 105. Upcast from deeper in shaft than Unit 105 and therefore of older material 105 2.5 Y 8/2 Pale brown clast and matrix-supported limestone gravel of subangular boulders to granules in a granular to medium sand limestone-derived matrix. Clasts show some preferred orientations (Figure 2). Poorly sorted. Sharp lower boundary to Unit 101, diffuse to Unit 104. Fresh limestone excavated from shaft and deposited on mound 104 2.5 Y 7/6 Yellow clast and matrix-supported gravel of sub-angular limestone pebbles in a granular to medium sand limestone-derived matrix. Clasts are horizontally-lain limestone, harder than those in Unit 105 and have laminar structures. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary. Excavated material from shaft deposited on mound but from a different source facies than Unit 105 103 10 YR 8/3 Pink matrix and clast-supported gravel of sub-angular and subrounded limestone fine pebbles and granules in a coarse-medium sand limestone-derived matrix. Sharp boundary to Unit 101. Re-deposited, highly weathered limestone 102 10 YR 4/2 Dark greyish brown ash. Top part of the unit is calcined at the upper contact. Sharp boundary to Unit 101. Combustion on palaeosol surface 101 7.5 YR 6/3 Light brown fine sand/silt formed as fine pebble and granular colloids. Reverse bedded as a result of moderate clay translocation towards lower contact. Frequent sub-rounded to sub-angular limestone pebbles and granules, most of which are weathered/pitted. Sharp boundary to bedrock. Soil forming within limestonepre-mound 3 Mound 2, North facing Figure SM.D1.1.2. Casa del Manzano, Jumilla, Mound 2: North-facing section. Unit Description Interpretation 210 2.5 YR 4/4 Reddish brown (matrix) diamict of sub-angular limestone pebbles to granules in a matrix of clay aggregates (colloids). Frequent coarse to fine roots. Sharp boundary (except where blurred by rooting) to: Debris from cleaning of qanat 209 10 YR 7/3 Very pale brown matrix and clast-supported gravel of dub-angular limestone pebbles and granules in a coarse to fine sand (limestone derived) matrix. Gravel particles are orientated with the bedding plain. The upper part of the unit is cemented, the lower part less so. Poorly sorted. Diffuse boundary to: Debris from cleaning of qanat 208 10 YR 8/3 Very pale brown matrix (and occasionally clast) supported gravel of cobble to granular-sized limestone in a granular to fine sand (limestonederived) matrix. Limestone clasts are chaotically organized. Sharp lower boundary: Debris from cleaning of qanat 207 10 YR 5/2 Greyish brown humic fine sand/silt with frequent sub-angular and rare sub-rounded limestone pebbles and granules. Poorly sorted. Frequent fine roots. Sharp boundary to Unit 205 Incipient soil development in the top of Unit 205 206 2.5 Y 7/3 Pale brown compact fine sand/silt/clay forming aggregates of granular and pebble size. Moderately sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 203 Weathered mudstone and illuvial clay 205 10 YR 7/3 Very pale brown clast-supported gravel of sub-angular limestone pebbles (and cobbles towards surface). Gravels are orientated chaotically. Matrix is of granules with moderate coarse sand. Diffuse boundary to Unit 203 Original mound formed from shaft debris 204 2.5 Y 8/2 Pale brown fine sand. Well sorted. Sharp boundary to: Aeolian 203 7.5 YR 7/3 Pink matrix and clast-supported gravel of sub-angular chaotically orientated limestone cobbles to granules in a granular to medium sand matrix. Poorly sorted. Diffuse boundary to Unit 202 and sharp boundary to Unit 201. Original mound formed from shaft debris 202 10 YR 7/3 Very pale brown clast and matrix-supported gravel of chaotic subangular cobbles and pebbles in a granular to medium sand matrix. Crude fining upwards sequence from clast-supported at base to matrix-supported at the top. Poorly sorted. Occasional medium roots. Original mound formed from shaft debris 201 10 YR 5/3? Humic silt/fine sand with frequent sub-rounded and sub-angular limestone pebbles and granules bedded parallel to the bedding plain. Frequent fine roots. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to limestone bedrock Pre-qanat B horizon of palaeosol 4 Mound 3, South facing Figure SM.D1.1.3. Casa del Manzano, Jumilla, Mound 3: South-facing section. Unit Description Interpretation 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow fine sand. Otherwise as Unit 309 (but looser). Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 2.5 Y 8/2 Pale brown indurated fine sand/sandstone formed of calcined/hydroxidebonded pebble to cobble-sized sandstone aggregates in a fine sand (derived from sandstone) matrix. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 324 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow indurated fine sand with hydroxide mottling (to pebble size) of 10 YR 8/2 Very pale brown. Homogeneous. Forming sub-angular blocks of pebble size. Sharp boundary to Unit 323 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow fine sand with hydroxide staining. Otherwise as Unit 309 (but looser). Sharp boundaries to Units 323 and 325 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow matrix-supported gravel of sub-angular pebble-sized 'sandstone' clasts in a fine sand matrix. The 'sandstone' is a conglomerate of fine sand. Crude normally bedded sequence as aggregates have a greater tendency to have broken down near the surface. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 322 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow compact matrix supported gravel of sub-angular 'sandstone' clasts in a fine sand matrix. The matrix is derived from the breakdown of sandstone. Sharp boundary to Unit 321 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow matrix-supported gravel of sub-angular pebble-sized 'sandstone' clasts in a fine sand matrix. The 'sandstone' is a conglomerate of fine sand on Unit 319. Crude normally bedded sequence as aggregates have a greater tendency to have broken down near the surface. Poorly sorted. Diffuse boundary to Units 319 and 320 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow fine sand with moderate, localized fine-medium roots. Well sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 319 Upcast from shaft/aeolian sediment 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow indurated fine sand with hydroxide mottling (to pebble size) of 10 YR 8/2 Very pale brown. Homogeneous. Forming sub-angular blocks of pebble size. Sharp boundaries to Units 316-318 Original mount-upcast from shaft 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow clast and matrix-supported gravel of sub-angular, pitted limestone pebbles and granules (rare cobbles at base) in a coarse to fine sand matrix. Clasts are mostly orientated following the dip of the bedding. Matrix and clast-support in pockets. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 315. Original mount-upcast from shaft 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow well sorted fine sand. Homogeneous. Sharp boundary to Unit 315. Weathering of Unit 316 7.5 YR 7/3 Pink matrix-supported gravel of sub-rounded limestone pebbles in a fine sand to granular matrix. Compact (partially indurated). Highly weathered. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 315. Initial 'scrape' from top of shaft 10 YR 5/4 Yellowish brown fine sand/silt with moderate to frequent sub-rounded limestone clasts. Homogeneous, Moderately to poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to bedrock. Pre-mound palaeosol 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow matrix-supported gravel of sub-angular pebble-sized 'sandstone' clasts in a fine sand matrix. The 'sandstone' is a conglomerate of fine sand on Unit 308. Crude normally bedded sequence as aggregates have a greater tendency to have broken down near the surface. Poorly sorted. Diffuse boundary to Unit 309 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow clast and matrix-supported 'gravel' of sub-angular 'sandstone' cobbles and coarse pebbles in a fine sand matrix. Cobbles and pebbles are aggregations of fine sand as found in Unit 308. Aggregates have broken down in the top part of the unit to form a crude normally bedded sequence. Poorly sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 301 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow indurated fine sand with hydroxide mottling (to pebble size) of 10 YR 8/2 Very pale brown. Homogeneous. Forming sub-angular blocks of pebble size. Sharp boundaries to Units 303 and 301 Cleaning of (upcast from) shaft 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow fine sand with moderate, localized fine-medium roots. Well sorted. Sharp boundary to Units 305 and 306 Aeolian 10 YR 6/8 Brownish yellow clast and matrix-supported gravel of sub-angular, pitted limestone pebbles and granules (rare cobbles at base) in a coarse to fine sand matrix. Clasts are mostly orientated following the dip of the bedding. Matrix and clast-support in pockets. Poorly sorted. Sharp lower boundaries. Cleaning of (upcast from) shaftmound extension 10 YR 6/3 Pale brown fine sand/silt (mostly fine sand). Homogeneous. Well sorted. Sharp boundary to Unit 304. Fluvial or colluvial reworking of Unit 306 10 YR 6/6 Brownish yellow well sorted fine sand. Homogeneous. Sharp boundary to Unit 303. Fluvial or colluvial reworking of Unit 306 10 YR 7/4 Very pale brown clast and matrix supported gravel of sub-angular limestone cobbles, sub-rounded limestone pebbles and granules in a coarse to fine sand matric. Normally bedded. Poorly sorted. Diffuse boundary to Unit 304 Original...
Water History, 2018
With few exceptions in which dating is implied by indirect association with adjacent settlements ... more With few exceptions in which dating is implied by indirect association with adjacent settlements or incorporation of diagnostic artefacts in upcast sediment, individual qanats have proven very difficult to date. This absence of a chronological framework hampers both our understanding of technology transfer, as well as the study of local settlement and landscape evolution and the temporal correlation of land use with climatic and palaeoenvironmental data. However, surface shaft mounds potentially contain a sequence of upcast deposits collected periodically from the tunnel, starting with initial construction and persisting until the last maintenance episode, less any material lost by surface erosion. The sedimentary nature of the upcast lends itself to the application of luminescence dating to determine the burial age, in particular, using the techniques based on optically stimulated luminescence. We examine the results produced by two recent dating studies where luminescence techniques were applied to two qanat systems with the aim of building a chronostratigraphy for the deposits within their upcast mounds. These studies show that the extent to which a complete record of the deposition since initial construction survives may differ between qanat systems, and even shaft mounds within the same system. Providing there is a close coupling of luminescence and sedimentological analysis in the testing of qanat mounds, these formative studies suggest that there are good prospects for introducing a valuable tool in the study of various types of hydraulic feature where upcast has been preserved and guidance regarding further fieldwork is provided.
Quaternary International, 2017
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
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Papers by Christopher Gerrard