Dark earth
Encyclopedia
For the video game by the same name, see Dark Earth (video game)
.
Dark Earth in archaeology
is an archaeological horizon often as much as 0.6m - 0.9m (2 – 3 ft) thick which covers Roman remains, notably in London and in Roman ruins in the rest of England, particularly urban ones. The stratum underlying the dark earth is often of a date varying from the 2nd to the 5th Century AD, and the stratum overlying is often, in the City of London, 9th century. The Dark Earth shows little evidence of any depositional structure in it or even of horizons, although tip lines are sometimes seen.
The material is high in organic matter, including charcoal, which gives it the characteristic dark colour; it also contains fragments of brick and tile. It may represent vacant lots on the edge of urban centres. In London it has been taken as evidence of the decline of Londinium
's population or of its partial displacement outside the city walls. A minority of archaeologists see it as reworked urban stratigraphy, maybe timber, smoke-impregnated thatch, decayed weeds and earth floors reworked by worm action. They argue that late Roman cemeteries around London do not show a population decline compared with earlier London. More recent "reworked stratigraphy" ideas are based on theories that abandoned soils were reworked by agricultural action, such as ploughing, which mixed building materials from the abandoned Roman cities into stratigraphy higher up the sequence.
Dark Earth was originally called 'Black Earth' by archaeologists in London. Because of confusion with the chernozem
(black earth soils in Russia
), it was renamed Dark Earth.
Dark Earth (video game)
Dark Earth is a post-apocalyptic action-adventure game for the PC.-Story:Dark Earth takes place several centuries in the future, when a meteor collision with Earth tossed up great clouds of dust that blocked out the sun. Earth's remaining survivors began to seek refuge beneath small openings in the...
.
Dark Earth in archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
is an archaeological horizon often as much as 0.6m - 0.9m (2 – 3 ft) thick which covers Roman remains, notably in London and in Roman ruins in the rest of England, particularly urban ones. The stratum underlying the dark earth is often of a date varying from the 2nd to the 5th Century AD, and the stratum overlying is often, in the City of London, 9th century. The Dark Earth shows little evidence of any depositional structure in it or even of horizons, although tip lines are sometimes seen.
The material is high in organic matter, including charcoal, which gives it the characteristic dark colour; it also contains fragments of brick and tile. It may represent vacant lots on the edge of urban centres. In London it has been taken as evidence of the decline of Londinium
Londinium
The city of London was established by the Romans around AD 43. It served as a major imperial commercial centre until its abandonment during the 5th century.-Origins and language:...
's population or of its partial displacement outside the city walls. A minority of archaeologists see it as reworked urban stratigraphy, maybe timber, smoke-impregnated thatch, decayed weeds and earth floors reworked by worm action. They argue that late Roman cemeteries around London do not show a population decline compared with earlier London. More recent "reworked stratigraphy" ideas are based on theories that abandoned soils were reworked by agricultural action, such as ploughing, which mixed building materials from the abandoned Roman cities into stratigraphy higher up the sequence.
Dark Earth was originally called 'Black Earth' by archaeologists in London. Because of confusion with the chernozem
Chernozem
Chernozem , also known as "black land" or "black earth", is a black-coloured soil containing a high percentage of humus 7% to 15%, and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia...
(black earth soils in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), it was renamed Dark Earth.
See also
- Red Mediterranean soil
- Terra pretaTerra pretaTerra preta is a type of very dark, fertile anthropogenic soil found in the Amazon Basin. Terra preta owes its name to its very high charcoal content, and was indeed made by adding a mixture of charcoal, bone, and manure to the otherwise relatively infertile Amazonian soil, and stays there for...
- Russian ChernozemChernozemChernozem , also known as "black land" or "black earth", is a black-coloured soil containing a high percentage of humus 7% to 15%, and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia...
- Terramare cultureTerramare cultureTerramare, Terramara or Terremare is a technology complex mainly of the central Po valley, in Emilia, northern Italy, dating to the Middle and Late Bronze Age ca. 1700-1150 BC. It takes its name from the "black earth" residue of settlement mounds. Terramare is from terra marna, "marl-earth", where...