Sediment budgeting of short‐term backfilling processes: The erosional collapse of a Carolingian canal construction
Johannes Schmidt|Lukas Werther|Johannes Rabiger‐Völlmer|Franz Herzig|Birgit Schneider|Ulrike Werban|Peter Dietrich|Stefanie Berg|S. Linzen|Peter Ettel|Christoph Zielhofer
ABSTRACT Sediment budgeting concepts serve as quantification tools to decipher the erosion and accumulation processes within a catchment help understand these relocation through time. While sediment budgets are widely used in geomorphological catchment‐based studies, such approaches rarely applied geoarchaeological studies. The case of Charlemagne's summit canal (also known Fossa Carolina) its erosional collapse provides an example for which we can use this concept abandonment Carolingian construction site. Carolina is one largest hydro‐engineering projects Medieval Europe. It situated Southern Franconia (48.9876°N, 10.9267°E; Bavaria, southern Germany) between Altmühl Swabian Rezat rivers. should have bridged Central European watershed connected Rhine–Main Danube river systems. According our dendrochronological analyses historical sources, excavation took place AD 792 793. Contemporary written sources describe intense backfill excavated autumn This short‐term event has been proposed principal reason project. We subsurface data (drillings, archaeological excavations, direct‐push sensing) geospatial (a LiDAR digital terrain model (DTM), pre‐modern DTM, 3D Carolina] identification backfills. Dendrochronological findings radiocarbon ages macro remains backfills give clear evidence project during or directly after period. Moreover, approach allows detection major sedimentary zone. exceedance manpower tipping point may caused entire spatial distribution results indicates north–south direction early medieval progress. © 2020 Authors. Earth Surface Processes Landforms published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd
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