RIP-ARCHAEOGEOCHEM

Submitted by Mgr. Jan Fišer on
Podnadpis
An archaeogeochemical landscape dataset from the Rip Mountain region, Czech Republic
Typ
Dataset
DOI
10.58063/n93t-sg63
Description
Účel a kontext vzniku datasetu

This dataset was created by the team of Geoarcheological lab at Centre for Field Archaology, University of Hradec Králové, as part of the “Long-term land use dynam-ics within the areas of prehistoric ritual places” (Grant No. 25–15795K)financed by the GACR—Czech Science Foundation. It contains topsoil geochemical data from the Říp mountain region, Czech Republic, generated to support the analysis of archaeogeochemical signatures and long-term patterns of anthropogenic soil enrichment in the landscape.

Metody

Field sampling was carried out in March and April 2025 within a 10 × 10 km study area south-east of Roudnice nad Labem, Czech Republic, in the wider Mount Rip region. The sampling design combined two complementary strategies. First, a regular landscape-scale grid with 1 × 1 km spacing was used to capture broader regional geochemical patterns. Second, this grid-based sampling was supplemented by targeted sampling of archaeological sites divided into predefined categories, including settlement-related contexts, burial-related contexts, ambiguous feature concentrations, and background/non-site areas. At each selected archaeological location, a 50 × 50 m sampling square was established, within which 30 topsoil samples were collected randomly. All samples were taken from the surface ploughsoil/topsoil horizon.

Laboratory processing of the collected samples was carried out between May 2025 and February 2026. Samples were air-dried under laboratory conditions, gently disaggregated, and sieved to obtain the <2 mm fraction. The prepared soil samples were analysed using an Olympus Vanta VCA ED-XRF (serial no. 801404) spectrometer in GeoChem-REE-Extra mode with dual-beam irradiation: 50 kV for 30 s and 10 kV for 30 s. Each sample was measured three times, and the resulting concentrations were averaged. Concentrations below the limit of detection were replaced by one half of the minimum detected value for the respective element. The resulting dataset was used to compare multi-element geochemical signatures across archaeological site categories and to examine landscape-scale patterns of anthropogenic soil enrichment.

Obsah a struktura datasetu
  • data_v1.0.0_rip_archaeogeochem.csv - Structured dataset containing unique sample identifiers, elemental concentrations measured by portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), analytical uncertainties, archaeological context, laboratory metadata, and geographic coordinates.
  • README_rip_archaeogeochem.txt - Documentation describing the dataset, research context, data structure, variable definitions, laboratory workflow, analytical methods, and data quality assurance.
Technické informace

The dataset is provided as a UTF-8 encoded CSV file with comma-separated values. Elemental concentrations are reported in ppm. Coordinates are referenced in the S-JTSK / Krovak East North coordinate reference system (EPSG:5514). Sample locations were recorded in the field using the ArcGIS Field Maps mobile application with the project configured in the S-JTSK / Krovak East North coordinate reference system (EPSG:5514). Only positions with an estimated horizontal accuracy of ≤10 m were accepted, and no post-processing coordinate transformation was applied. Geochemical analyses were performed using an Olympus Vanta VCA portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer operating in GeoChem-REE-Extra mode. Analytical uncertainties are provided as one-sigma (1σ) values reported by the instrument.

Výzkumné otázky

The dataset was created to assess whether multi-element soil geochemistry can distinguish between conventionally interpreted prehistoric settlements, burial sites, ambiguous feature concentrations, and surrounding non-site contexts; to evaluate the internal geochemical variability of sites traditionally classified as settlements; and to examine whether landscape-scale geochemical trends reveal persistent zones of human activity and long-term land-use organisation in the Říp mountain region.

Vhodné způsoby znovupoužití datasetu

This dataset is suitable for a wide range of archaeological, environmental, and methodological applications. Potential reuse includes:

  • investigating spatial patterns of soil geochemistry across archaeological landscapes;
  • developing and validating archaeological predictive models and machine learning approaches;
  • evaluating and improving methods for processing and interpreting portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) data;
  • integrating geochemical data with LiDAR, remote sensing, geophysical, geological, pedological, and historical datasets;
  • conducting regional or supra-regional comparative studies of anthropogenic soil enrichment and long-term land-use patterns;
  • benchmarking spatial interpolation, multivariate statistical, and geospatial analytical methods;
  • performing meta-analyses that combine multiple archaeological geochemistry datasets;
  • supporting education and training in archaeometry, environmental archaeology, geochemistry, GIS, and spatial analysis.
Omezení datasetu a nevhodné způsoby znovupoužití

This dataset is intended for research, educational, and methodological applications. Users should consider the analytical limitations of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), including its semi-quantitative nature for some elements and sensitivity to soil matrix effects, and interpret the results alongside archaeological, geological, and environmental evidence. The dataset should not be used where laboratory-grade quantitative elemental concentrations are required without appropriate validation or calibration. Likewise, it should not serve as the sole basis for regulatory, legal, or commercial decision-making without independent verification.

Creators and Contributors
Creator
Jan Fišer ; University of Hradec Králové , Department of Archaeology jan.fiser@uhk.cz
Petr Krištuf ; University of West Bohemia in Pilsen , Department of Archaeology pkristuf@ff.zcu.cz
Jan Plíšek ; University of Hradec Králové , Department of Archaeology jan.plisek@uhk.cz
Jan Horák ; University of Hradec Králové , Department of Archaeology jan.horak.3@uhk.cz
Contributor
ProjectMember: Nikola Rybenská ; University of Hradec Králové , Department of Archaeology nikola.rybenska.2@uhk.cz
ProjectMember: Irena Supuková ; University of Hradec Králové , Department of Archaeology irena.supukova@uhk.cz
Publisher
ArchaeoVault, Digitalia MUNI ARTS digitalia@phil.muni.cz
Time Reference
Období
Eneolithic
unspecified dating
unspecified dating
Časové pokrytí
2025
Datum sběru
2025-03 to 2026-02
Datum vytvoření
2026-07-04
Rok vydání
2026
Subject

Klíčová slova

Typ posudku
geoarchaeology
Druh předmětu
pedological sample
Druh objektu
sunken feature
burial mound
Funding
Funder
Název organizace
Czech Science Foundation
ROR
https://ror.org/01pv73b02
Award title
Long-term Land-Use Dynamics within the Areas of Prehistoric Ritual Places (Grant No. 25-15795K)
Lokální identifikátor
25-15795K
Instrument

pxrf_cz_uhk_801404

ID přístroje
801404
Typ přístroje
Ruční XRF spektrometr
Výrobce
Olympus
Model
Vanta VCA
Vlastník přístroje
Archaeogeochemical Lab, Centre for Field Archaeology, University of Hradec Králové
Location
Collected in
RIP-ARCHAEOGEOCHEM – Study Area
Processed at location
Archaeogeochemical Lab, Centre for Field Archaeology, University of Hradec Králové
Jazyk datasetu
English
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
1 - 2 z 2 souborů v datasetu
Název Velikost souboru
README_rip_archaeogeochem.csv 9 bytes
data_v1.0.0_rip_archaeogeochem.csv 447 bytes

Náhled

Name
data_v1.0.0_rip_archaeogeochem.csv
data_v1.0.0_rip_archaeogeochem.csv
MIME type
text/csv
Velikost souboru
447
Je součástí
RIP-ARCHAEOGEOCHEM
Způsob užití
Original File
Má hlavičku
Ano
Oddělovač
;
Uvozovací znak
"
Is documentation
False