SOIL & SEDIMENT MINERALOGY OF THE DANILO BITINJ SITE, DALMATIA, CROATIA: EVIDENCE FROM XRD ANALYSIS

High-resolution x-ray diffraction analysis of soils from the Danilo Bitinj site affirms the fertile soils of this large Middle Neolithic settlement incorporate a large amount of silicate material at every depth and spatial extent sampled. The Danilo Bitinj site is under continuing investigation by the Early Farming in Dalmatia Project, an interdisciplinary effort toward understanding the origins of European agriculture. Previous geoarchaeological work at this site and the Early-Middle Neolithic Pokrovnik site suggests these landforms were blanketed with foreign volcanic material. In this well-developed karst landscape, soils with such parent material are deeper, better developed, and more fertile than the shallow limestone-based soils typical of the area.

Analysis of soil profiles from four on-site archaeological excavation trenches and fourteen off-site test pits reveals a nearly uniform mineralogical character for soils throughout the valley. Both on- and off-site materials are composed of quartz and calcite, some with minor contributions from muscovite and clay. These results contrast somewhat with results from the Pokrovnik site, which show greater mineralogical differences, with silicate content increasing with depth (to the point of carbonate absence) on-site and increasing carbonate content with depth off-site.

While their mineralogy doesn't differentiate the Danilo Bitinj soils, we plan to analyze the soils from both sites further. Understanding soil chemical relationships will help us further evaluate the possibility of the co-location of Neolithic settlement and volcanic ejecta deposits in Central Dalmatia.