Mesolithic to Bronze Age Vegetation Change and Human Activity in the Exe Valley, Devon, UK

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 161-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M. Fyfe ◽  
A.G. Brown ◽  
B.J. Coles
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Valley Floor ◽  
Domestic Activity ◽  
Vegetation Disturbance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Slope Vegetation ◽  
The Bronze Age

This paper presents the results of the first investigation of vegetation change and human activity from a river valley west of the Somerset Levels. The record is contrasted with the pollen and archaeological record from south-west uplands (Dartmoor and Exmoor) and the Somerset Levels. Vegetation change and archaeological evidence are shown to be generally consistent, with evidence from the middle valley of Mesolithic vegetation disturbance (with nearby lithics), Neolithic clearance of terraces and slopes in the lower valley and Neolithic–Bronze Age ceremonial and domestic activity, but in the upper reach the maintenance of wooded valley floor conditions probably with management until historic times. The valley floor and surrounding slope vegetation history is found to be significantly different to that of the uplands with lime and elm being significant components of the prehistoric woodland record. The data suggest that lime is restricted to terraces and lowlands below 200 m OD throughout the prehistoric period. The pollen data from the valley suggest the lowlands had a rich and mixed ecology providing a wide range of resources and that, despite less visible archaeological remains, human activity is manifest through palynological evidence from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age. The largest expanse of valley-floor terrace, the Nether Exe Basin, which was at least partially deforested in the early Neolithic contains a rich assemblage of Neolithic–Bronze Age ceremonial, funerary and domestic archaeology associated with an early and clear palynological record of woodland clearance, arable and pastoral activity.

scholarly journals 8,000 years of climate, vegetation, fire and land-use dynamics in the thermo-mediterranean vegetation belt of northern Sardinia (Italy)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziana Pedrotta ◽  
Erika Gobet ◽  
Christoph Schwörer ◽  
Giorgia Beffa ◽  
Christoph Butz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Juglans Regia ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Lake Productivity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Evergreen Oak ◽  
The Bronze Age

AbstractKnowledge about the vegetation history of Sardinia, the second largest island of the Mediterranean, is scanty. Here, we present a new sedimentary record covering the past ~ 8,000 years from Lago di Baratz, north-west Sardinia. Vegetation and fire history are reconstructed by pollen, spores, macrofossils and charcoal analyses and environmental dynamics by high-resolution element geochemistry together with pigment analyses. During the period 8,100–7,500 cal bp, when seasonality was high and fire and erosion were frequent, Erica arborea and E. scoparia woodlands dominated the coastal landscape. Subsequently, between 7,500 and 5,500 cal bp, seasonality gradually declined and thermo-mediterranean woodlands with Pistacia and Quercus ilex partially replaced Erica communities under diminished incidence of fire. After 5,500 cal bp, evergreen oak forests expanded markedly, erosion declined and lake levels increased, likely in response to increasing (summer) moisture availability. Increased anthropogenic fire disturbance triggered shrubland expansions (e.g. Tamarix and Pistacia) around 5,000–4,500 cal bp. Subsequently around 4,000–3,500 cal bp evergreen oak-olive forests expanded massively when fire activity declined and lake productivity and anoxia reached Holocene maxima. Land-use activities during the past 4,000 years (since the Bronze Age) gradually disrupted coastal forests, but relict stands persisted under rather stable environmental conditions until ca. 200 cal bp, when agricultural activities intensified and Pinus and Eucalyptus were planted to stabilize the sand dunes. Pervasive prehistoric land-use activities since at least the Bronze Age Nuraghi period included the cultivation of Prunus, Olea europaea and Juglans regia after 3,500–3,300 cal bp, and Quercus suber after 2,500 cal bp. We conclude that restoring less flammable native Q. ilex and O. europaea forest communities would markedly reduce fire risk and erodibility compared to recent forest plantations with flammable non-native trees (e.g. Pinus, Eucalyptus) and xerophytic shrubland (e.g. Cistus, Erica).

scholarly journals 7300 years of vegetation history and climate for NW Malta: a Holocene perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 4505-4567 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gambin ◽  
V. Andrieu-Ponel ◽  
F. Médail ◽  
N. Marriner ◽  
O. Peyron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
North West ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Bronze Age ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. This paper investigates the Holocene vegetation dynamics for Burmarrad in north-west Malta and provides a pollen-based quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this centrally located Mediterranean archipelago. The pollen record from this site provides new insight into the vegetation changes from 7280 to 1730 cal BP which correspond well with other regional records. The climate reconstruction for the area also provides strong correlation with southern (below 40° N) Mediterranean sites. Our interpretation suggests an initially open landscape during the early Neolithic, surrounding a large palaeobay, developing into a dense Pistacia scrubland ca. 6700 cal BP. From about 4450 cal BP the landscape once again becomes open, coinciding with the start of the Bronze Age on the archipelago. This period is concurrent with increased climatic instability (between 4500 and 3700 cal BP) which is followed by a gradual decrease in summer moisture availability in the late Holocene. During the early Roman occupation period (1972 to 1730 cal BP) the landscape remains generally open with a moderate increase in Olea. This increase, corresponds to archaeological evidence for olive oil production in the area, along with increases in cultivated crop taxa and associated ruderal species, as well as a rise in fire events. The Maltese archipelago provides important insight into vegetation, human impacts and climatic changes in an island context during the Holocene.

Deposition in the Bronze Age

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svend Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Bronze Age

In his paper on structured deposition the author exclusively focuses on the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age archaeology of Britain. He shows the wide range of discussions from the the key paper by Richards and Thomas in 1984 to the most recent papers of the ‘hyperinterpretive turn’.

scholarly journals 7300 years of vegetation history and climate for NW Malta: a Holocene perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gambin ◽  
V. Andrieu-Ponel ◽  
F. Médail ◽  
N. Marriner ◽  
O. Peyron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Bronze Age ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. This paper investigates the Holocene vegetation dynamics for Burmarrad in Northwest Malta and provides a pollen-based quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this centrally located Mediterranean archipelago. The pollen record from this site provides new insight into the vegetation changes from 7280 to 1730 cal BP which correspond well with other regional records. The climate reconstruction for the area also provides strong correlation with southern (below 40° N) Mediterranean sites. Our interpretation suggests an initially open landscape during the early Neolithic, surrounding a large palaeobay, developing into a dense Pistacia scrubland ca. 6700 cal BP. From about 4450 cal BP the landscape once again becomes open, coinciding with the start of the Bronze Age on the archipelago. This period is concurrent with increased climatic instability (between 4500 and 3700 cal BP) which is followed by a gradual decrease in summer moisture availability in the late Holocene. During the early Roman occupation period (1972–1730 cal BP) the landscape remains generally open with a moderate increase in Olea. This increase corresponds to archaeological evidence for olive oil production in the area, along with increases in cultivated crop taxa and associated ruderal species, as well as a rise in fire events. The Maltese archipelago provides important insight into vegetation, human impacts, and climatic changes in an island context during the Holocene.

scholarly journals The Excavation of Neolithic Pits and a Bronze Age Burial Site at Ness Gap, Fortrose

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Nuala C Woodley ◽  
Julie Lochrie ◽  
Alison Sheridan ◽  
Trevor Cowlie ◽  
Claire Christie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Housing Development ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Burial Site ◽  
Funerary Practices ◽  
Domestic Activity ◽  
Burial Practices ◽  
Cereal Production ◽  
Wild Resources ◽  
The Bronze Age

An investigation by Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd took place in early 2013 in advance of a housing development at Ness Gap, Fortrose, Highland. The excavation revealed domestic activity dating from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. A cluster of Neolithic pits provided insights into the development of agriculture in the area, with evidence for cereal production and the gathering of wild resources. The use of the site changed in the Bronze Age, with the landscape utilised for funerary practices, which were represented by stone cists and cremation burials, both urned and unurned. Analysis has further informed on the burial practices of the Bronze Age and added to our understanding of a unique peninsular landscape rich in prehistoric activity. 

scholarly journals ПАМЯТИ УЧИТЕЛЯ. АНТРОПОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ЦИРКУМБАЙКАЛЬЯ В ТРУДАХ И.И. ГОХМАНА

2020 ◽  
pp. 249-257
Author(s):  
Алексей Игнатьевич Бураев
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Burial Site ◽  
Historical Interpretation ◽  
Asian Race ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Regional Aspect ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Bronze Age

Статья посвящена памяти выдающегося советского и российского антрополога Ильи Иосифовича Гохмана. Констатирован широкий круг научных интересов исследователя. В сообщении рассмотрен региональный аспект деятельности ученого. Проанализированы работы И.И. Гохмана по антропологии населения Прибайкалья и Забайкалья. Ученый внес значительный вклад в изучение краниологии эпохи неолита, основываясь на материалах Фофановского могильника из Забайкалья. И.И. Гохман дал полную антропологическую характеристику и историческую интерпретацию краниологических данных по населению культуры плиточных могил бронзового века. Выделяются исследования им населения эпохи хунну, в которых была впервые зафиксирована европеоидная примесь у древнего населения Байкальской Сибири, впоследствии подтвержденная в совместной фундаментальной монографии В.П. Алексеева и И.И. Гохмана. В статье проанализированы работы И.И. Гохмана по антропологическим материалам средневековых могильников Улан-Бор и Усть-Талькин в Прибайкалье. Особое место занимает концепция И.И. Гохмана о формировании центральноазиатской расы в результате метисации байкальской расы с европеоидами. Отдельно упомянута выдающаяся работа И.И. Гохмана «Происхождение центральноазиатской расы в свете новых палеоантропологических материалов». В ней ученым были введены новые краниологические индексы, дан новаторский анализ материала, изложена новая теоретическая концепция. И.И. Гохман ввел в научный оборот новые уникальные краниологические материалы, предложил новые теоретические разработки, в корне изменившие представления об антропологических процессах на территории Прибайкалья и Забайкалья. Работы И.И. Гохмана вызвали плодотворную дискуссию среди специалистов и дали импульс новым исследованиям по антропологии Байкальской Сибири. The article is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Soviet and Russian anthropologist Ilya Iosifovich Gokhman, who had a wide range of scientific interests. The study examines the regional aspect of his research and analyzes his works on anthropology of population of Baikal and Trans-Baikal regions. Gokhman made a significant contribution to the study of craniology of the Neolithic, based on the materials of the Fofanovo burial site from Trans-Baikal. He made a complete anthropological description and historical interpretation of craniological data on the population of the Bronze Age slab graves culture. His outstanding research on the population of the Hunnu era first revealed the Caucasoid admixture among the ancient population of Baikal Siberia, which was later confirmed in a joint fundamental monography by V.P. Alekseev and I.I. Gokhman. The article also analyzes the work of Gokhman on anthropological materials of the medieval burial sites Ulan-Bor and Ust-Talkin in the Baikal region. Another important finding of the scientist is the concept of formation of the Central Asian race as a result of metisation between the Baikal race and the Caucasians. His remarkable paper “The origin of the Central Asian race in the light of new paleoanthropological data” is separately mentioned. In it, Gokhman introduced new craniological indices, made a comprehensive analysis of the material and presented a new theoretical concept. He introduced new unique craniological materials, proposed new theoretical developments that fundamentally changed ideas about anthropological processes on the territory of Baikal and Trans-Baikal regions. The works of I.I. Gokhman provoked insightful debate among experts and gave impulse to new research on anthropology of Baikal Siberia.

Reconstructing Sha Po’s Landscapes and Lifeways

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mick Atha ◽  
Kennis Yip
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Past Experience ◽  
Six Dynasties ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
Social Landscape ◽  
The Bronze Age

In Chapter 8 all the strands of evidence are drawn together within an overarching synthetic analysis of patterns of human activity through time, which are then interpreted in terms of the development, use, and past experience of Sha Po’s multi-period cultural landscape. The shifting patterns of human activity during the 6,500-year span of the study also permit the changing backbeach landform to be modelled as it expanded westward through time. Social landscape reconstructions, aided by artist’s impression drawings, focus in particular on activities evidenced during the Bronze Age, Six-Dynasties-Tang period, and Qing to early twentieth century.

scholarly journals Features of historical and cultural development in different geographical conditions (in example of Central Asia)

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 267-277
Author(s):  
Anatoliy Sagdullaev ◽  
Utkir Abdullaev ◽  
Jasur Togaev
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Asian Population ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Tribal Communities ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cultural Types ◽  
The Bronze Age

The history of all societies is associated with human activity, his economic and cultural needs, therefore, activity and needs as vital qualities of people are widely reflected in their interaction with nature and the environment. In the process of labor and production, nature is the main object of human activity, and certain economic and cultural types have developed in different geographic conditions. This law of historical and cultural development is confirmed by the example of the history of the Bronze Age in Central Asia. In the Bronze Age, among the population living on the territory of the steppes, the socio-economic system was preserved, characteristic of the tribal communities of cattle-breeding tribes, which were at the stage of decomposition of primitive communal relations. In Central Asia at this time, the process of allocation of historical and cultural regions and ethnic territories was noted. This article is dedicated to analysis of features of historical and cultural development of Central Asian population in different geographical conditions. The main attention is paid to the fact that the history of economic-cultural types and their development is connected with geographical atmosphere.

Monumental ditched enclosures in southern Iberia (fourth–third millennia BC)

Antiquity ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (336) ◽  
pp. 447-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
José E. Márquez-Romero ◽  
Víctor Jiménez-Jáimez
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Southern Iberia ◽  
The Bronze Age

Large curvilinear enclosures are now established as a principal instrument of human activity in Central Europe from the Neolithic into the Bronze Age(Antiquity, passim). Here the authors introduce us to examples from southern Iberia and make the case that they should be regarded as part of the same continent-wide phenomenon.

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