scholarly journals From influence to impact: The multifunctional land use in Mediterranean prehistory emerging from palynology of archaeological sites (8.0-2.8 ka BP)

The Holocene ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 830-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Mercuri ◽  
Assunta Florenzano ◽  
Francesc Burjachs ◽  
Marco Giardini ◽  
Katerina Kouli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Multifunctional Land Use ◽  
Prehistoric Settlements ◽  
Area Of Influence ◽  
A Site ◽  
Mixed Systems

Archaeobotany is used to discover details on local land uses in prehistoric settlements developed during the middle and beginning of late Holocene. Six archaeological sites from four countries (Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey) have pollen and charcoal records showing clear signs of the agrarian systems that had developed in the Mediterranean basin during different cultural phases, from pre-Neolithic to Recent Bronze Age. A selected list of pollen taxa and sums, including cultivated trees, other woody species, crops and annual or perennial synanthropic plants are analysed for land use reconstructions. In general, cultivation has a lower image in palynology than forestry, and past land uses became visible when oakwoods were affected by human activities. On-site palynology allows us to recognise the first influence of humans even before it can be recognised in off-site sequences, and off-site sequences can allow us to determine the area of influence of a site. Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites show similar land use dynamics implying oak exploitation, causing local deforestation, and cultivation of cereal fields in the area or around the site. Although a substantial difference makes the Neolithic influence quite distant from the Bronze Age impact, mixed systems of land exploitation emerged everywhere. Multiple land use activities exist (multifunctional landscapes) at the same time within the area of influence of a site. Since the Neolithic, people have adopted a diffuse pattern of land use involving a combination of diverse activities, using trees–crops–domesticated animals. The most recurrent combination included wood exploitation, field cultivation and animal breeding. The lesson from the past is that the multifunctional land use, combining sylvo-pastoral and crop farming mixed systems, has been widely adopted for millennia, being more sustainable than the monoculture and a promising way to develop our economy.

scholarly journals Land-use legacies: multi-centuries years-old management control of between-stands variability at the landscape scale in Mediterranean mountain forests, France

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chauchard ◽  
F. Guibal ◽  
C. Carcaillet
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Land Abandonment ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Long Time ◽  
A Site ◽  
Tree Composition

Traditional land use has shaped the Mediterranean region for a long time and has resulted in present-day complex landscapes. The land abandonment dating from the 19<sup>th</sup> century at a site located in the southwestern Alps (France) makes it possible to analyse how present-day forest stands inherit from past land uses. Tree composition and tree age structure were analysed in three stands resulting from different former land uses, i.e. ancient coppice, formerly grazed area and formerly tilled area. The ancient coppice contains the densest tree cover and is dominated by Fagus sylvatica, whereas the formerly ploughed and&nbsp; grazed areas are less dense, both dominated by Pinus sylvestris. Forest stand in the ancient coppice is older than in the formerly grazed area, and forest stand is the youngest in the formerly ploughed area. These stand differences are largely explained by former land use and the abandonment process. Albeit strong changes result from the land abandonment, these landscapes inherit aspects of their land use during the 19<sup>th</sup>century at least and the dynamics does not match the expected pattern of soil fertility. &nbsp;

Piecing Together Sha Po

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mick Atha ◽  
Kennis Yip
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Six Dynasties ◽  
Social Landscape ◽  
Salt Industry ◽  
A Site ◽  
Historical Periods

Hong Kong boasts a number of rich archaeological sites behind sandy bays. Among these backbeaches is Sha Po on Lamma Island, a site which has long captured the attention of archaeologists. However, until now no comprehensive study of the area has ever been published. Piecing Together Sha Po presents the first sustained analysis, framed in terms of a multi-period social landscape, of the varieties of human activity in Sha Po spanning more than 6,000 years. Synthesising decades of earlier fieldwork together with Atha and Yip’s own extensive excavations conducted in 2008-2010, the discoveries collectively enabled the authors to reconstruct the society in Sha Po in different historical periods. The artefacts unearthed from the site—some of them unique to the region—reveal a vibrant past which saw the inhabitants of Sha Po interacting with the environment in diverse ways. Evidence showing the mastery of quartz ornament manufacture and metallurgy in the Bronze Age suggests increasing craft specialisation and the rise of a more complex, competitive society. Later on, during the Six Dynasties-Tang period, Sha Po turned into a centre in the region’s imperially controlled kiln-based salt industry. Closer to our time, in the nineteenth century the farming and fishing communities in Sha Po became important suppliers of food and fuel to urban Hong Kong. Ultimately, this ground-breaking work tells a compelling story about human beings’ ceaseless reinvention of their lives through the lens of one special archaeological site.

Palynology as a tool for the knowledge on the millennial human impact and land management in the central Mediterranean

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Mercuri ◽  
Assunta Florenzano
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
South Italy ◽  
Physical Environments

&lt;p&gt;Ancient land management is inherited and at the base of the current landscapes and must be known to facilitate a sustainable land development for the future. Understanding past land-use systems is helpful for evaluating the current and future state of both biological and physical environments, and for disentangling the role of people in shaping current landscapes. Many different perspectives are involved in reconstructing the cultural impact on the environment. Palynology has great potentiality for environmental and palaeoethnobotanical purposes, with the study of high-resolution sequences formed under natural and anthropic (cultural) forces. Pollen data are fruitfully used to reconstruct land transformations in a diachronic palaeoecological perspective. For example, palynological records from central Mediterranean archaeological sites showed evidence of land uses and evolution of agrarian systems from Neolithic to Bronze Age, allowing a comparative view of the long-term changes in the land footprint of ancient Mediterranean societies. In this study we report on the level of detail on land management provided by palynological research from archaeological sites of Greek Basilicata (south Italy) and Roman Tuscany (central Italy). The local land use types and di&amp;#64256;erent management strategies inferred from palynology provide an important contribution to the knowledge of land development and implications for a sustainable soil management in these regions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Nicht nur Ötzi? – Neufunde aus dem Tisental (Gem. Schnals/Prov. Bozen)

2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Putzer ◽  
Daniela Festi
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Peat Deposits ◽  
Middle Bronze Age ◽  
A Site ◽  
The Impact

Seit der Entdeckung des „Mannes aus dem Eis“ im Jahre 1991 wird dessen Aufenthalt im Hochgebirge meist mit der weidewirtschaftlichen Nutzung des Schnalstals begründet. Um den Beginn der vertikalen Transhumanz im Einzugsgebiet dieses Menschen zeitlich festzumachen, wurden die Seitentäler Lagaun-, Finail-, Tisen- und Penaud tal begangen, um nach archäologischen Fundstellen zu suchen, die eine weidewirtschaftliche Nutzung des Untersuchungsgebietes bestätigen. Parallel dazu wurden Pollenproben aus den bestehenden Hochmooren im Schnalstal untersucht. Die erzielten Ergebnisse bezeugen erst ab der mittleren Bronzezeit eine zunehmende Präsenz des Menschen und seiner Herden. Botanisch äußert sich dies durch den erheblichen Anstieg von Weidezeigern in den entsprechenden Pollenspektren, archäologisch durch die Entdeckung einer Fundstelle im Finailtal, die mit der Weidewirtschaft in Verbindung steht. Die neu entdeckte Fundstelle Jochwiese im Tisental deutet eher auf eine Nutzung des Tales zu Jagdzwecken hin.Depuis la découverte de l’Homme des Glaces en 1991 son passage dans une zone de haute altitude a été interprété avant tout comme un indice de l’exploitation pastorale de la vallée du Schnals (Schnalstal, Val Senales). Afin de mieux cerner le début de la transhumance dans les pâturages d’altitude de la zone se rattachant à la découverte de l’Homme des Glaces des prospections pédestres ont été effectuées dans les vallées du Lagaun, Finail, Tisen et Penaud, le but étant d’identifier des sites archéologiques qui pourraient étayer l’hypothèse d’une exploitation pastorale de la zone d’étude. Des échantillons de pollen provenant des hautes tourbières de la vallée du Schnals ont été analysés en parallèle. Les résultats obtenus démontrent que la présence de groupes humains et de leurs troupeaux n’augmente qu’à partir de l’âge du Bronze moyen. Les données botaniques indiquent en effet une augmentation importante d’espèces indiquant des pâturages dans les courbes de pollen correspondantes. Du point de vue archéologique, la découverte d’un site dans la vallée du Finail peut être mise en relation avec une exploitation pastorale, tandis que le nouveau site de Jochwiese dans la vallée du Tisen permet plutôt de l’interpréter comme ayant servi à la chasse.Since the discovery of the Iceman in 1991 his presence at high altitude has been mainly interpreted in terms of the pastoral exploitation of the Schnalsvalley (Schnalstal, Val Senales). In order to document the beginnings of transhumance to high pastures (vertical transhumance) in the catchment area of the Iceman the lateral valleys of the Lagaun, Finail, Tisen and Penaud were fieldwalked, with the aim of identifying archaeological sites that would support the hypothesis of a pastoral exploitation of the area. Pollen profils from the high peat deposits of the Schnals valley were analysed in parallel with this exercise. The results indicate that the impact of people and their herds is discernible only from the Middle Bronze Age onwards. The botanical data show a significant increase of pasture indicators in the corresponding pollen spectra. The archaeological evidence has been bolstered by the discovery of a site in the Finail valley which can be related to pastoralism. On the other hand, the newlydiscovered site of Jochwiese in the Tisen valley suggests that it served hunting purposes.

Phosphate Fractionation of Soils at Agroal, Portugal

1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katina T. Lillios
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Inorganic Phosphate ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Soil Enrichment ◽  
Relative Dating ◽  
Study Support ◽  
The Bronze Age

Eidt (1973, 1977, 1984a) suggested that the analysis of soil phosphate fractions (I-III) could be used to identify land-use areas on archaeological sites as well as serve as a relative-dating technique. He noted that the total inorganic phosphate value (I + II + III) reflects the type and intensity of land-use practice, and he hypothesized that the ratio of Fraction II/I correlates with the time elapsed since soil enrichment. A test of these propositions was carried out in conjunction with the excavations at the settlement of Agroal (Portugal), which was occupied during the Bronze Age (2000-1000 B.C.) and Middle Ages (A.D. 1300-1640). Samples were taken from all archaeological levels of the site as well from soils with known land-use histories in the area of Agroal. Results of this study support Eidt"s two principal hypotheses. First, there was a strong correspondence in the control soils between total phosphate values and the nature of land-use activities. Second, the ratio of Fraction II/I in the archaeological samples did, in fact, correlate with the relative age of the associated artifacts. A model of the site"s land-use history, based on the total inorganic phosphate and the Fraction II/I values, suggests a significant alteration and degradation of the soil landscape during the Bronze Age, as a consequence of agriculture, herding, and refuse disposal, followed by less-intensive use during the Middle Ages.

A LOOK INTO THE EARTH: EVALUATING THE USE OF MAGNETIC SURVEY IN AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY

2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Magnavita ◽  
Norbert Schleifer
Keyword(s):  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Magnetic Survey ◽  
The Past ◽  
Common Technique ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Prehistoric Settlements ◽  
Present Case Study

In the last decades, geophysical methods such as magnetic survey have become a common technique for prospecting archaeological sites. At sub-Saharan archaeological sites, however, magnetic survey and correlated techniques never came into broad use and there are no signs for an immediate change of this situation. This paper examines the magnetic survey undertaken on the Nigerian site of Zilum, a settlement of the Gajiganna Culture (ca 1800-400 BC) located in the Chad Basin and dated to ca 600-400 BC. By means of the present case study, we demonstrate the significance of this particular type of investigation in yielding complementary data for understanding the character of prehistoric settlements. In conclusion, we point out that geophysical methods should play a more important role in modern archaeological field research, as they furnish a class of documentation not achievable by traditional survey and excavation methods, thus creating new perspectives for interpreting the past of African societies.

MANAJEMEN DATA SPASIAL: PENGGUNAAN TANAH WILAYAH PEDESAAN DI SUMATERA BARAT

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-53
Author(s):  
Afrital Rezki, S.Pd., M.Si ◽  
Erna Juita ◽  
Dasrizal Dasrizal ◽  
Arie Zella Putra Ulni
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Paddy Field ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Mixed Plantations

Perkembangan penggunaan tanah bergerak horisontal secara spasial ke arah wilayah yang mudah diusahakan. Penggunaan tanah juga bergerak secara vertikal dalam rangka menaikkan mutunya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pola penggunaan lahan, bagaimana manajemen penggunaan lahan di satu wilayah berdasarkan batas Nagari. Metode yang digunakan adalah analsisis spasial dengan interpretasi citra penginderaan jauh, survey lapangan, dan analisis deskriptif. Pertumbuhan pemukiman Nagari Sungai Sariak Kecamatan VII Koto Kabupaten Padang Pariaman mengakibatkan pemanfaatan ruang menjadi tumpang tindih. Diperlukan cara-cara pengelolaan dan managemen penggunaan tanah dalam rangka pembangunan berkelanjutan yang menaikkan taraf hidup masyarakat dan tidak menimbulkan kerugian lingkungan.Terdapat 9 jenis penggunaan lahan yang ada di Nagari Sungai Sariak. Penggunaan lahan tersebut adalah Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, Paddy Field, Settlement, Mixed Plantations, Crop Fields, Water Bodies, Bushes, dan Plantations. Penggunaan lahan yang paling luas di Nagari Sungai Sariak adalah jenis penggunaan lahan Primary Forest, sebesar 48% dari total luas wilayah Nagari Sungai Sariak. Pada tahun 2011 sampai tahun 2016, penggunaan lahan paling luas terjadi pada penggunaan lahan jenis Primary Forest yang kemudian menjadi Mixed Plantations. Land use Changes moved horizontally spatially towards areas that are easily cultivated. The land use also moves vertically in order to increase its quality. This study aims to analyze land use patterns, how land use management in one area is based on Nagari boundaries. The method used is spatial analysis with interpretation of remote sensing images, field surveys, and descriptive analysis. The growth of Nagari Sungai Sariak in Kecamatan VII Koto, Kabupaten Padang Pariaman resulted in overlapping use of space. Management methods are needed and management of land use in the framework of sustainable development that raises the standard of living of the community and does not cause environmental losses. There are 9 types of land use in the Nagari Sungai Sariak. The land uses are Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, Paddy Field, Settlement, Mixed Plantations, Crop Fields, Water Bodies, Bushes, and Plantations. The most extensive land use in Nagari Sungai Sariak is the type of Primary Forest land use, amounting to 48% of the total area of the Nagari Sungai Sariak. From 2011 to 2016, the most extensive land use occurred in Primary Forest land uses which later became Mixed Plantations.

scholarly journals Agropastoral Economies and Land Use in Bronze Age Western Anatolia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
John M. Marston ◽  
Canan Çakırlar ◽  
Christina Luke ◽  
Peter Kováčik ◽  
Francesca G. Slim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Western Anatolia

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 Changes in Coastal Agricultural Land Use in Response to Climate Change: An Assessment Using Satellite Remote Sensing and Household Survey Data in Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province, Vietnam

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 627
Author(s):  
Duong H. Nong ◽  
An T. Ngo ◽  
Hoa P. T. Nguyen ◽  
Thuy T. Nguyen ◽  
Lan T. Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Land Uses

We analyzed the agricultural land-use changes in the coastal areas of Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province, in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, using Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 data. We used the object-oriented classification method with the maximum likelihood algorithm to classify six types of land uses. The series of land-use maps we produced had an overall accuracy of more than 80%. We then conducted a spatial analysis of the 5-year land-use change using ArcGIS software. In addition, we surveyed 150 farm households using a structured questionnaire regarding the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity and land uses, as well as farmers’ adaptation and responses. The results showed that from 2005 to 2020, cropland decreased, while aquaculture land and forest land increased. We observed that the most remarkable decreases were in the area of rice (485.58 ha), the area of perennial crops (109.7 ha), and the area of non-agricultural land (747.35 ha). The area of land used for aquaculture and forest increased by 566.88 ha and 772.60 ha, respectively. We found that the manifestations of climate change, such as extreme weather events, saltwater intrusion, drought, and floods, have had a profound impact on agricultural production and land uses in the district, especially for annual crops and aquaculture. The results provide useful information for state authorities to design land-management strategies and solutions that are economic and effective in adapting to climate change.

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