Pedo-antrocological characteristics of anthropogenically transformed soils in a case study of the Bolgar historical and archaeological complex in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia)

A key insight from the study of anthropogenically transformed soils at the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex reveals that antrocomass—charred particles—is not universally present in such soils, with its accumulation being optional depending on the soil's genesis and age. The research analyzed four distinct soil layers: a 20th-century garden soil, a 13th-century urban cultural layer, an upper arable soil from the 9th–10th centuries (Bolgar culture), and a lower arable soil from the 5th–7th centuries (Imen'kovo culture). The findings indicate that while the Bolgar culture utilized wood ash and charred bone as a fertilizer, this practice was not evident in earlier soils. Particle-size distribution and charcoal preservation varied by soil genesis type, with 'turbational' soils showing higher fragmentation compared to 'sedimentational' ones.

Golyeva, A. A., Yu Koval, V., Yu Badeev, D., & Fazuldinova, N. M. (2021). Pedo-antrocological characteristics of anthropogenically transformed soils in a case study of the Bolgar historical and archaeological complex in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 862(1), 12067. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/862/1/012067