德斋讲堂 第十七、十八讲

Paul Goldberg：地质考古学二讲

第一讲：Objects, Geoarchaeology, and Context（物、情景与地质考古学）

Objects (e.g., lithics, ceramics, faunal and floral remains, constructions) constitute the most visible – and tangible - parts of the archaeological record. They are what archaeologists and the public focus on and relate to. However, these things do not exist on their own as isolated relics. Their meaning and occurrence are couched in the framework in which they are found, i.e., the context. Context exists at different scales, from the regional to that of an individual layer at a site. All of these scales are encompassed in the framework of geoarchaeology in which micromorphology nowadays plays a large part. As pointed out decades ago by Renfrew, geoarchaeology constitutes the starting point of all archaeology. In this talk, I will elaborate on some of these points, present a few examples to elucidate them, and explain their importance in contributing to the understanding of archaeology and archaeological sites.

时间：2025年10月19日 10：00—12：00

地点：红五楼5201

主持：李锋

第二讲：Geo-Micro-Archaeological Data - Past and Present（地质-微观-考古的数据：过去与当下）

Geoarchaeology and Micromorphology have evolved over the five to six decades that I have been doing geoarchaeology. Back then, the term 'geoarchaeology' essentially did not exist, and micromorphology was practiced solely by soil scientists. Furthermore, those who practiced geology in the realm of archaeology were focused on geogenic deposits and geological and environmental landscapes. This situation has changed dramatically since then, and one could reasonably state that there are many 'geoarchaeologies'; micromorphology these days is practiced equally – if not more so – by geoarchaeologists who have expanded their visions to include anthropogenic deposits and the processes and activities of past occupants that have produced them. With examples, I will present some of these evolutionary changes in geoarchaeology and micromorphology, where they've come from and where they might be going.

时间：2025年10月21日 9：00—11：00

地点：红五楼5201

主持：李锋

主讲人介绍：Paul Goldberg

Professor Goldberg is an internationally recognized geoarchaeologist and Senior Visiting Professor at the University of Tübingen, following his retirement from Boston University. He got his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Michigan in 1973 and later got the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Award in 2013. Over several decades, His work in geoarchaeology has focused primarily on the development of archaeological micromorphology from a niche field into a widespread and necessary tool for reconstructing the formation processes of all types of archaeological sites. His studies have helped to establish micromorphology as an important analytical approach in geoarchaeological research, enhancing the dialogue between earth sciences and archaeology.

Over the course of his academic career at Boston University and other universities, Professor Goldberg trained generations of archaeologists in both theoretical and practical applications of micromorphology studies. He has worked on hundreds of archaeological sites from all over the world and is best known for his foundational analyses of combustion features at Kebara Cave in Israel—work that has significantly helped our understanding of site formation processes, fire use, and occupation events. These studies have been published in Nature, Science, PNAS, etc.. Professor Goldberg has also co-authored several influential textbooks on micromorphology and geoarchaeology, such as Reconstructing Archaeological Sites: Understanding the Geoarchaeological Matrix, Soil Micromorphology and Archaeologyand Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology which have become foundational references in the discipline.

After retiring, Professor Goldberg continues his field and laboratory research in Tübingen. His current projects focus on the publication of the geoarchaeological studies from Hayonim Cave (Israel), Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa), and La Ferrassie (France), further contributing to our understanding of how archaeological sediments form and preserve traces of past human activity.