The small roots of the past: a methodological approach to the study of Ancient Era agriculture from a microstratigraphic approach.

In this paper we approach Ancient Period agriculture through the microstratigraphic approach, that is, using geoarchaeology and geochemical and physicochemical analyses. For this purpose, the main techniques used in agricultural studies such as soil micromorphology, XRF, COrg, Pav or magnetic susceptibility, among others, will be slightly discussed. Subsequently, the main indicators that the scientific literature has associated with agricultural processes are collected, starting with deforestation and clearing of vegetation cover and moving on to agricultural practices. We refer here to those aimed at optimizing soil yield and refertilizing it, so we will talk about tillage, fertilization, irrigation or terracing.