Seemingly empty spaces in various archaeological settings have left many unanswered questions. This paper focuses on the appearance, maintenance and possible function of a large empty area situated at the summit plateau of the Iron Age oppidum Bibracte in France. Multidisciplinary research of the infill of the ditch that delimited this area in the 1st century BC has provided evidence on the primary function and the formation processes of the structure itself, and for the reconstruction of the appearance, maintenance and function of the area it enclosed. The results allow us to gain insight into a variety of topics, including the role of trees, hygiene measures and waste management strategies at this urbanised hilltop centre. This paper demonstrates that multi-proxy analyses provide detailed insight into the function of archaeological features in a local environmental context and the potential of such approaches in archaeology.

• MeSH
• archeologie * metody   MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• geologické jevy MeSH
• geologické sedimenty analýza   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nakládání s odpady dějiny   MeSH
• radioaktivní datování metody   MeSH
• rozsivky klasifikace   MeSH
• stromy klasifikace   MeSH
• urbanizace dějiny   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Francie MeSH