The aim of this article is to present the current state of multidisciplinary archaeobotanical approaches that are being undertaken at Cova Gran de Santa Linya. Information from studies of seeds,... Show moreThe aim of this article is to present the current state of multidisciplinary archaeobotanical approaches that are being undertaken at Cova Gran de Santa Linya. Information from studies of seeds, charcoal, pollen, and NPP recovered from the Holocene levels of the site contribute to research questions regarding the anthropogenic transformation of the landscape. The signal of human activity in the environment can be detected through the bioarchaeological signatures of deforestation, forest management or agriculture practices. In this sense, the Cova Gran de Santa Linya is a cave deposit located in the northeast of Iberia used as an occupation site, recording mainly domestic activities during the Neolithic period. The settlement was also used as a pen during the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, preserving burnt and unburned dung layers that formed pen deposits, known as fumiers. The resolution provided by the multidisciplinary nature of this work shows how forests and fields created a mosaic landscape that provided crops, pastures, wood, and fuel and clearly reflects anthropogenic changes over time. The different methodological and analytical scales of this multidisciplinary approach, including taphonomic pollen alteration, provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the cave occupation and, from a broader perspective, the regional diversity related to the availability of plant resources. Show less
The question of the origin of Alpine farming and pastoral activities associated with seasonal vertical transhumance and dairy production in the Silvretta Alps (Eastern Switzerland) has recently... Show moreThe question of the origin of Alpine farming and pastoral activities associated with seasonal vertical transhumance and dairy production in the Silvretta Alps (Eastern Switzerland) has recently benefitted from renewed interest. There, pastoral practises began during the Late Neolithic (2300 BC), but alpine dairy farming was directly evidenced so far only since the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (1300–500 BC). The vegetation development, timberline shifts at 2280 m a.s.l. and environmental conditions of the subalpine Urschai Valley (Canton of Grisons, Switzerland) were reconstructed for the small (8 m2) Plan da Mattun fen based on palynological and geochemical analyses for the last six millennia. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses are among the first ones performed on a European peatland in such altitudes. A high Rb/Sr ratio in the fen peat sediments revealed an increase in catchment erosion during the time when the forests of the Upper Urschai Valley were steadily diminished probably by fire and livestock impact (2300–1700 BC). These landscape openings were paralleled by increasing micro-charcoal influx values, suggesting that prehistoric people actively set fire on purpose. Simultaneously, palynological evidence for pastoralism was revealed, such as pollen from typical herbs indicating livestock trampling, and abundant spores from coprophilous fungi. Since then, vertical transhumance and pastoral activities remained responsible for the open subalpine landscape above 2000 m a.s.l., most probably also in the context of milk and dairy production since 1300 BC, which is characteristic for the European Alps until today. Show less
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... 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. Show less
