pXRF in the Study of Anthropic Activity Markers: A Geo-Ethnoarchaeological Approach in Northern Botswana

This study discusses the application of an integrated geo-ethnoarchaeological methodology developed within the framework of the study of Anthropic Activity Markers (AAMs) to examine chemical spatial patterns in agro-pastoral settlements and circumvent the overarching issues of ancient pastoral open-air settlements. The framework of AAMs is particularly useful in these types of settlements because, though few material remains may be present and stratigraphy may consist only of thin deposits, sediments and the residues fixed within them from human activity are enduring. The methodological approach to identify chemical AAMs by means of portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) is applied within one inhabited and one abandoned ethnographic context characterized as agro-pastoral settlements of Maitengwe, Botswana. The results show that ash/combustion features, prepared floors, and animal enclosures produced the most distinctive multi-element signatures, whereas other activity areas, such as granaries, displayed greater variability. Comparison between an inhabited (E3) and an abandoned (A1) settlement demonstrates that some geochemical signatures remain detectable after abandonment, while others appear to be modified by post-depositional processes, cleaning practices, and/or the intensity of occupation. These results contribute to a repository of chemical AAMs of agro-pastoral contexts that can later be compared to geochemical datasets from archaeological sites.