Revealing Bronze Age Construction: Digital Micromorphology and Micro-XRF Analysis of Tell Toboliu Floors in Western Romania

The Bronze Age marked an era of dense human settlement across the eastern Carpathian Basin, evidenced by numerous tell settlements. Many underwent erosion or have been overprinted by subsequent anthropogenic activities resulting in only a limited number of sites with well-preserved archaeological context. The remaining well-preserved sites provide critical opportunities to study prehistoric settlement strategies and activities. Among these, Tell Toboliu, situated in Romania, is characterised by multiple occupational phases, including diverse house floor constructions. A notable phenomenon is the variety of house floor units, which include for example silty, more clayey, or plant tempered substrate and different floor coverings such as wooden planks and plasters.

To characterise and identify these construction styles, this study explored a novel integrative multi-method approach in combining micromorphological thin-section analysis with µXRF measurements and image analysis. Thin-section scans (PPL, XPL, and OIL) were classified using Random Forest Algorithm. Micro-XRF mappings provided spatial data on elemental ratios and the distribution of micromorphological phenomena, while point measurements offered insights into microfacies composition and the identification of archaeological features. Geochemical signatures were further examined through transect measurements, allowing the detection of relative differences in microfacies based on elemental ratios.

The outcome reveals important findings regarding the materials and techniques used in floor construction. For example, floor preparation is predominantly composed of processed loess-like material sourced from the surrounding clayey loess deposits. Additionally, distinct geochemical characteristics were identified for different floors, distinguishing non-covered, plastered and wood-covered floors. These proxies could provide a useful tool for detecting poorly preserved floor remnants such as wood plank residues within archaeological contexts. This combined micromorphological and Micro-XRF approach not only refines the understanding of prehistoric construction techniques and material sourcing but also introduces a reproducible methodology for identifying and characterising archaeological features. Our findings underline the potential of integrating advanced imaging and geochemical analysis in the study of prehistoric settlements, paving the way for further application to sites with a less well-preserved archaeological context.