Barrows, i.e. burial mounds, are amongst the most important of Europe’s prehistoric monuments. Across Europe, barrows still figure as a prominent element in the landscape. Many barrows in Europe have been excavated, revealing much about what was buried inside these monuments. Little is known, however, about the landscape in which the barrows were situated and what role barrows played in this landscape. Palynological data, carrying important clues on the barrow environment, are absent for most of the excavated barrows in Europe. In the Netherlands however, palynological data are available for hundreds of excavated barrows. However, while local vegetation reconstructions from these barrows are available, a reconstruction of the total landscape around the barrows has yet to made, without which it would be difficult to understand their role in the prehistoric cultural landscape.
In this thesis a detailed vegetation history around barrows...
Show moreBarrows, i.e. burial mounds, are amongst the most important of Europe’s prehistoric monuments. Across Europe, barrows still figure as a prominent element in the landscape. Many barrows in Europe have been excavated, revealing much about what was buried inside these monuments. Little is known, however, about the landscape in which the barrows were situated and what role barrows played in this landscape. Palynological data, carrying important clues on the barrow environment, are absent for most of the excavated barrows in Europe. In the Netherlands however, palynological data are available for hundreds of excavated barrows. However, while local vegetation reconstructions from these barrows are available, a reconstruction of the total landscape around the barrows has yet to made, without which it would be difficult to understand their role in the prehistoric cultural landscape.
In this thesis a detailed vegetation history around barrows is reconstructed. Newly obtained and extant data derived from palynological analyses taken from barrow sites have been (re-)analysed. Methods in barrow palynology have been discussed and further developed when necessary and newly developed techniques have been applied in order to get a better impression of what role barrows played in their environment.
Barrows were built on ancestral heaths, which were maintained for many generations by heath communities. The barrow landscape was included in the economic zone of farming communities in the area, while the heath areas were used as grazing grounds. The ancestral heaths were very stable elements in the landscape and were kept in existence for thousands of years. In fact, it is argued that these ancestral heaths were the most important factor in structuring the barrow landscape.
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