Introduction and the example of the Nile

Summary

What makes riverine or ‘alluvial’ environments different, both from other environments and from each other, and how does this affect the archaeological record? How can we study environmental change in alluvial environments and what impact has it had on human populations? This book aims to answer these questions. It also aims to provide an introduction to the physical and biological aspects of alluvial environments which are central to an understanding of archaeology on, under and near floodplains. Questions of preservation, transportation, burial, environment and subsistence are all intimately related to the characteristics of the landscape and are also essential components in any archaeological interpretation. Another aim of the book is to introduce archaeological aspects of alluvial history to environmental scientists and geographers because the vast majority of, if not all, contemporary floodplains have to a greater or lesser degree been altered by human activity during the last 10,000 years. Indeed some have been so altered as to make them in part artifacts and as such indicators of the impact of humans on the environment. This book is therefore about both the impact of humans on their environment, and the impact of the environment on humans. In order to illustrate this and lead the reader through the complete cycle of the inference of cultural implications from the environmental data a classic example is used: the Nile.