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The recent emergence and application of Earth Science techniques, such as elemental analysis, to detect isotopes, biomarkers, trace and ultra trace metals, in combination with long established techniques like magnetic susceptibility and micromorphology, can allow fascinating insights into the analysis of soils at archaeological sites. Soil studies can reveal how humans in prehistory used the landscape and defined space through their activities. However, these new approaches do not wholly address persistent problems associated with making inferences about past human activity from soils. These challenges include: equifinality; distinguishing property–process relationships; identifying anthropogenic soil processes; the interdependency of the soil forming factors; and difficulties with soil dating. This paper reviews more than a decade of pedoarchaeological studies, structured around new approaches to addressing …