The Geohistorical Approach: Methods and Applications

360 Pages·2020·26.905 MB·English

by  Silvia Elena Piovan

Springer Geography
Silvia Elena Piovan
The Geohistorical
Approach
Methods and Applications
Springer Geography
Advisory Editors
Mitja Brilly, Faculty of Civil & Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana,
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Richard A. Davis, School of Geosciences, Department of Geology, University of
South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
Nancy Hoalst-Pullen, Department of Geography & Anthropology, Kennesaw State
University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
Michael Leitner, Department of Geography & Anthropology, Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Mark W. Patterson, Department of Geography & Anthropology, Kennesaw State
University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
Márton Veress, Department of Physical Geography, University of West Hungary,
Szombathely, Hungary
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Silvia Elena Piovan
The Geohistorical Approach
Methods and Applications
Silvia Elena Piovan
Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World
University of Padova
Padova, Italy
ISSN 2194-315X ISSN 2194-3168 (electronic)
Springer Geography
ISBN 978-3-030-42438-1 ISBN 978-3-030-42439-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42439-8
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To my parents Bruno and Cristina,
my brother Stefano,
and Michael Edward
Foreword
The history and processes of anthropogenic changes to Earth’s environmental sys-
tems have resulted in a transition of the earth sciences towards a broader and inte-
grative view of these environmental systems. These changes have become an area of
vigorous study with acceleration of the rapidity in which landscapes have been
humanized during the Anthropocene Epoch. This focus on human-induced change
places a new emphasis on interactions between physical systems and humans from
prehistory through history. In this transition, physical scientists must find ways to
integrate human agency into the natural processes that govern environmental sys-
tems. Throughout the history of the natural sciences, most analysts worked hard to
separate physical subsystems from the broader context of other systems with which
they interact—especially from human activities—in order to understand how the
physical subsystems operate. However, attempts to study physical systems in isola-
tion provided a limited understanding of processes governing a humanized Earth.
New methods are needed that recognize human processes of change and integrate
those processes into models of physical systems. An essential element of identify-
ing human processes in a particular geographic location is knowledge of the history
of human activities in that place. These histories are best developed by methods that
combine science and history within a geographic context.
This book defines a geohistorical approach for combining natural science, his-
tory, and geography, describes its methods and data sources, and provides interna-
tional examples of its use in practice. A series of interdisciplinary methodologies
and viewpoints are used in this approach to bridge historical and scientific research.
The reader is shown how geohistory can span history and natural science by select-
ing information, methods, and goals from geography, history, and the sciences that
can identify and reconstruct changes to environmental systems. For example, physi-
cal evidence from fields such as pedology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, geoarcheol-
ogy, paleoecology, paleohydrology, archeology, and other aspects of the physical
geography of a place may be combined with historical evidence from documentary
records such as maps, survey notes, newspapers, or diaries. Combining historical
and scientific data in a regional analysis often requires geospatial science, so this
book devotes chapters to appropriate topics of cartography, geographic information
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viii Foreword
systems, and remote sensing that allow multiscale, multivariate, and time-variate
analyses.
An important first step that is necessary to the integration of human agency into
the natural sciences is for the culture of scientific research and knowledge acquisi-
tion to recognize the importance and necessity of human history in order to explain
ecological and surficial geological changes. Conversely, historical methodologies
must adopt rigorous practices that produce information conducive to scientific
research. Environmental historians have partially opened this door, but the emer-
gence of a true geohistorical methodology is contingent upon the integration of
physical science with history. This is a two-way street with reciprocity for both
practices. Physical science can inform, constrain, and validate historical knowledge,
while history can lead to scientific hypothesis formulation, constrain hypothesis
acceptance or rejection, and validate results of scientific knowledge of environmen-
tal processes and landscape evolution.
Three common objectives of geohistory include reconstructions of what land-
scapes were like in the past, how and when they changed, and what human activities
or other processes were involved in landscape evolution. The geohistory approach
is particularly valuable for these objectives. It can facilitate the use of historical
evidence by scientists who otherwise may not fully value historical data or may
disregard documentary forms of contemporary accounts as anecdotal. Although his-
torical data can be qualitative, highly biographical, or idiosyncratic, it has great
potential as empirical evidence that can constrain models and scientific conclusions.
In fact, careful selection of appropriate historical data can provide environmental
information that can be quantified and spatially distributed allowing direct applica-
tion to spatial models for specific time periods. Scientists wishing to know the fun-
damentals and to gain guidance on the many geohistorical methods will appreciate
the breadth of this book with many specific examples.
On a personal basis, Silvia Elena Piovan is an excellent example of a practicing
environmental scientist involved in geohistorical reconstructions. Her own research
combines field methods, such as soil coring and mapping of long-abandoned roads
and canals, with historical cartography and contemporary accounts. It is entirely
appropriate that Dr. Piovan honed her skills in the Venetian Plain of northeastern
Italy where the human history is deep and rich and where the landscapes are highly
humanized. She works at the University of Padova, one of the oldest universities in
the world—founded in 1222. Padova has a long history of research and knowledge
acquisition, as well as a foundation based on Roman roads, waterways, and urban-
ization. Geohistorical studies are made possible by the retention and organization of
historical documents in such an academic environment and are made practical in
such a physical environment with a long cultural history. Thus, it is not coincidental
that the first book entitled to the geohistorical approach emerges from Padova.
Lincoln, CA, USA L. Allan James
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC, USA
December 1, 2019
Preface
Although the author comes from a background of the geological and geographical
sciences, numerous research and teaching experiences have made her aware of the
wide, gray boundary between the methods and techniques of the physical, social,
and human sciences as they are applied to the studies of environment, territory, and
landscape.
The idea of this book comes from many interesting talks with colleagues and
students of different national origins and with diverse backgrounds, such as geo-
morphology, geography, history, ecology, botany, and archeology; we discussed the
role of methods shared in the study of environment, territory, and landscape. These
conversations consistently provide evidence for the importance of a multi- and
interdisciplinary approach to investigate the evolution of the environment, territory,
and landscape through both space and time. Furthermore, despite common aware-
ness among geographers and historians that the sources of historical data (from the
physical and human sciences) are fundamental to the understanding of the present
environments, territories, and landscapes, few books are available that describe
these common approaches and relevant methods. Many books focus strictly on geo-
graphic information science (GIScience) approaches such as geographic informa-
tion systems (GIS), cartography, GPS, and remote sensing; while providing depth
for a GIScience method, they miss the broader presentation of other harmonious
and symbiotic methods.
This book provides a broad perspective on methods, including GIScience meth-
ods that together provide a geohistorical approach to studying environmental, ter-
ritorial, and landscape evolution. It was written primarily for bachelor’s and master’s
students in many disciplines that encourage multi- and interdisciplinary approaches
characterizing the geohistorical paradigm; among these are geography, geomor-
phology, environmental studies/sciences, ecology, history, and archeology. Students
who are not GIScientists but are often involved in an interdisciplinary approach
would also be interested in reading this. Furthermore, the spatial history paradigm,
characterized by the integration of information and data from different sources and
methods (in type, space, and time distribution), has increasingly become a field of
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x Preface
application of the geohistorical approach that provides a more complete interpreta-
tion of the observed phenomena.
While the book will not provide enough depth for a student to master the meth-
ods described in the text, it will be of interest to researchers and professionals who
desire a quick, up-to-date overview of the opportunities.
Padova, Italy Silvia Elena Piovan