The long-term programme of trace metal analysis at the ancient city of Hyettos

The Boeotia Regional Survey Project in Central Greece, has conducted surface survey on five ancient cities and across their associated landscapes since 1978. During the 1980 ' s and 1990 ' s a programme of trace metal soil analysis was begun on two of these cities, Thespiai and Hyettos, and also at a series of rural farmsites as well as over areas of countryside marked by ancient manuring carpets. Further samples were taken at Hyettos in 2015. This article presents the results of the analyses from the small Greek and Roman city of Hyettos in northern Boeotia province, together with their archaeological context derived from surface ceramics, geophysics and historical sources. The integration of these different data sources provides insights into urban transformation and the cumulative effect of long-term habitation in the anthropogenic pollution of associated soils. The various sources of elevated trace elements in urban sediments are also investigated, as well as the contribution of natural elemental levels from underlying geology.

Automated summary

This article presents the results of soil analysis conducted at the ancient city of Hyettos in Boeotia, Greece, as part of the Boeotia Regional Survey Project. The integration of archaeological, geophysical, and historical data provides insights into urban transformation and the impact of long-term habitation on soil pollution.