Platsbildning

Platsbildning refers to the formation of places or landscapes, and in archaeology the term is used for site formation processes that produce and alter archaeological deposits. In a broad sense it covers natural geomorphological dynamics that shape landforms as well as human activities that affect how sites are preserved and interpreted.

In geology and geomorphology, platsbildning describes how landscapes develop through interacting processes such as tectonic uplift or subsidence, volcanism, erosion, and sediment transport by water, wind and ice. Sedimentation and compaction over time build strata that record environmental change. Climate, sea level, and vegetation influence the rate and character of landform formation. Landforms such as mountains, valleys, coastlines and deltas are the products of these processes acting over millennia or shorter episodes.

In archaeology, platsbildning or site formation processes refer to how deposits come to be in the positions in which they are found. This includes primary deposition of artifacts and features, secondary reworking, and post-depositional changes such as bioturbation, root growth, soil formation, moisture, and chemical alteration. Human actions, including construction, farming, waste disposal, or reuse of spaces, also shape the archaeological record. Understanding these processes is essential for interpreting chronology, context, and past behavior.

Methods used to study platsbildning include field mapping, stratigraphic excavation, sediment description and micromorphology, dating techniques, and GIS-based reconstruction. The concept helps researchers distinguish original deposition from later disturbance and to reconstruct past environments and activities.