Bridging the Gap – Integrated Approaches in Landscape Archaeology. Editorial

This special volume is dedicated to the proceedings of the session Bridging the Gap – Integrated Approaches in Landscape Archaeology held at the 3rd International Landscape Archaeology Conference (LAC) 2014 in Rome, Italy

Geoarchaeology – A New Discipline?

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Analyzing the Dependence of Major Tanks in the Headwaters of the Aruvi Aru Catchment on Precipitation. Applying Drought Indices to Meteorological and Hydrological Data

This study aims to analyze the dependence of reservoirs (locally called tanks or wewas) in the headwaters of the Aruvi Aru catchment on precipitation and thus to evaluate their efficiency. The Aruvi Aru is located in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka, and numerous human made reservoirs characterize the study area. The methodology is based on the application and correlation of climatic and hydrological drought indices. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is applied to precipitation data at different time scales and the Standardized Water-Level Index (SWLI) is applied to water-level data of five major tanks in the catchment. The results show that near normal present-day average precipitation is appropriate to fill the investigated tanks. The precipitation of the previous 6–12 months has the highest impact on water-level changes. A moderate to strong positive correlation between SWLI and SPI point to other factors besides precipitation affecting the water level of the tanks. These are: (i) catchment size together with the buffering capacity of the upstream catchment and (ii) management practices. As the overall conclusion of our study shows, the tanks functioned efficiently within their system boundaries

Management Transformation Assessment and Sustainability

The tank-based irrigated agricultural system in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest historically evolved agricultural systems in the world. The main component of the system consists of a connected series of man-made tanks constructed in shallow valleys to store, convey and utilize water for paddy cultivation. Up to 10,000 tanks originating from the heydays of ancient kingdoms are still integrated in the current agricultural landscape. During the last two millennia, this indigenous system has undergone many changes in technological, management and socio-cultural norms. This research aimed to analyze the current management practices and existing indigenous aspects of the Dry Zone irrigated agricultural system from the viewpoint of farmers who are the main stakeholders of the system. Altogether, 49 semi-structured interviews were conducted in seven villages in the Anuradhapura district and a detailed survey was conducted in the village of Manewa with a mixed research approach. The basic elements of the indigenous landscape, agricultural practices and management structures based on Farmer Organizations were mapped and examined in detail. The analysis of results shows that the sustainability of the indigenous agricultural system is vulnerable to rapid changes due to modernization, market changes, education levels, and inconsistent management decisions. The case study demonstrates the value of preserving indigenous agricultural systems and the negative outcomes of current management interventions that neglect the indigenous system. Therefore, careful interventions and innovations are needed to adapt the tank-based indigenous agricultural system of the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka so as to preserve ecological and socio-economic sustainability

Domestication of water: Management of water resources in the dry zone of Sri Lanka as living cultural heritage

In the dry zone of Sri Lanka, human-made reservoirs (locally called tanks or wewas) have served for the collection, storage and distribution of rainfall and runoff and provided irrigation water for the cultivation of paddy for 2400 years. This water management system is deeply inscribed in the rural communities utilizing and maintaining it. Local knowledge connected to the utilization of this system is regarded as a substantial part of the intangible cultural heritage of this unique cultural landscape. In the dry zone of Sri Lanka this system had spread from the fifth century BCE onwards from the hinterland of the ancient capital Anuradhapura throughout the entire dry zone and provides a prerequisite for paddy cultivation. From approximately the 13th century onwards, written sources give evidence, that a weakening of state bureaucracy led to a decline of the water management system. In the Colonial period, numerous reservoirs were restored and the implementation of new governance structures lead to a diminishing of water supplies and conflicts at a local level. In post-Colonial times, since the 1950s, the system had undergone rapid changes triggered by governmental and economic developments (e.g., land use change, migration). The rich local knowledge, serves in line with a high degree of adaptation to local conditions, as a corner stone for its resilience. A future sustainable management requires the integration of local knowledge in combination with modern techniques in education, planning, and application

Iron, Humans and Landscape – Insights from a Micro-Region in the Widawa Catchment Area, Silesia

The Widawa catchment area is located in Northeastern Silesia, Poland, and belonged to the southwestern distribution area of the Przeworsk culture from the younger pre-Roman period until the younger Roman period. It is estimated that iron smelting was introduced to this area with the emergence of the Przeworsk culture, circa the 2nd century BCE. Certain cultural and environmental requirements must have been met in order for this technology to spread to this area. Within the framework of interdisciplinary research, the archaeological context of an archaeological site as well as the natural archives were investigated to explore the preconditions and to describe the beginning of early iron smelting in this region

Characterisation of the Rota Wewa tank cascade system in the vicinity of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

A complex and sustainable watershed management strategy was implemented in Sri Lanka during the ancient Anuradhapuraperiod, from the 5th century BC to the 11th century AD. Like modern watershed management strategies, it focused on flood prevention, soil erosion control, water quality control and water storage for irrigation. Tank cascade systems were the key element of these ancient watershed management installations. The wewas investigated were constructed in valleys characterised by fluvial accumulation. Sedimentological analyses of these tank cascade systems show that a precise age determination and the reconstruction of sediment and water f luxes as triggered by human-environment interactions are difficult. This is caused by theshallow character of the wewas leading to the steady redeposition of the tank sediments by wave motions during the wet season and agricultural use of the desiccated wewas during the dry season. Beyond, the sediments analysed allow to distinguish between the weathered parent bedrock and the overlying sediments. A differentiation between wewa deposits and the underlying fluvial deposits remains challenging

Ancient Rock Quarries in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The ancient city of Anuradhapura (4th century BCE to 11th century CE), established on the banks of the river Malwathu Oya in north-central Sri Lanka, is one of that country’s most important archaeological sites. Numerous ancient buildings and monuments occur throughout the entire settlement. The preserved parts of the Anuradhapura ancient built environment are mostly solid masonry constructions. However, foundations, floor areas, pillars, and entrance units of the buildings provide evidence that rock materials were prominently used in constructions. This study focuses on the investigation of former rock quarry locations in the surroundings of Anuradhapura, their distributional pattern and their classification according to their morphological and archaeological significance. The majority of quarrying traces detected in the survey are distributed along a central rock outcrop line which runs across the city area. Altogether, 65 ancient rock quarries were identified in the area and classified into six categories. Moreover, numerous of historic stone buildings in the monasteries are also situated along the exposed rock outcrops line