Integrated phosphate studies and micromorphological analysis of buried soils beneath the North Mains mound have provided key insights into human-induced soil evolution and the longer-term effects of subsistence agriculture on favourable lowland soils. These contribute, to broader narratives for north-west Europe (Romans and Robertson 1983a; 1983b; Macphail et al 1990). Agriculture and domestic husbandry were represented by cultivation ridges and a gleyed fossil topsoil with phosphate enrichment; the stability of the soil profile indicated an agricultural system in which nutrient output and input were balanced. This would have been achieved through a transfer of fertility from outfield to infield via careful stock management – a conclusion which has been supported by comparison with buried soils in the nearby Roman fort at Strageath (Romans and Robertson 1983b, 140).
Micromorphological analysis at Cleaven Dyke identified that brown forest soils supporting deciduous woodland were prevalent at the time of monument construction (Simpson and Davidson 1998; see Cleaven Dyke Case Study). Brown forest soils have also been identified in the buried deposits beneath other monumental sites across Perth and Kinross (North Mains, Beech Hill House), as well as Dalladies in Aberdeenshire. This indicates that the brown forest soils likely represent a widespread Neolithic fossil landscape (Romans et al 1973; Romans and Robertson 1975, 1983b; Carter 1995). A gradual evolution to acid brown soil is noted to have occurred throughout time, indicating that deforestation was followed by regular subsistence cultivation and/or grazing (Romans and Robertson 1975; 1983b, 140).
Topographic survey of the landform upon which an oval enclosure at Burnside, Blairgowrie is located, suggested that the landform had been eroded through the dual actions of weathering and ploughing. Micromorphological analysis of deposits from within the enclosure ditch indicated that this topographic reduction/erosion had likely occurred prior to the excavation of the ditch. Some of the pits had silt-based basal deposits which suggest they were left open for a period allowing accumulation of a thin layer of silt after which the pits were backfilled. Other pits, by contrast, were filled with single deposits of sandy silts and gravels representative of the composition of the natural subsoil and were backfilled within a relatively short time (Ellis 2017).
At Forteviot, soil characterisation in the prehistoric complex provided key insight into post-depositional processes and the influence physical and chemical transformations have on the geophysical detection of archaeological remains (Cuenca‐García 2013; 2019). This has important methodological implications for site prospection in both Perth and Kinross and beyond.