Author(s): Cazzato Gerardo*
Agricultural terraces have been a vital part of farming practices in the Mediterranean region for centuries. These terraces are used to create arable land on steep slopes, making it possible for farmers to cultivate crops in areas where traditional farming methods would not be feasible. The use of agricultural terraces has not only provided an efficient means of preserving soil and reducing erosion but also offers valuable insights into the history of agriculture in the region. However, determining the age of these terraces has been a challenging task for archaeologists and geologists. In this article, we will explore how luminescence dating can be used to determine the age of agricultural terraces in the Mediterranean. However, the chronology of construction, use, and abandonment of terraces in different regions remains uncertain. A more robust set of chronological data will allow better assessment of whether terrace agriculture was a resilient strategy in the face of past economic or ecological instability and, in turn, inform how terraces could be used to address future agricultural and environmental challenges. Terrace systems are inextricably linked to sustainable land use across the Mediterranean. Luminescence dating methods, therefore, have a crucial role to play in understanding the complexities of past and future landscape change.
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