scholarly journals Late Holocene Vegetation History of Grevena Province, Northwestern Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pamela I Chester
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation History ◽  
Beech Wood ◽  
Pine Wood ◽  
Oak Wood ◽  
Wood Pasture ◽  
Oak Pollen ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evergreen Oak ◽  
Northwestern Greece ◽  
Microscopic Charcoal

<p>Palynological investigations aimed at reconstructing the vegetation history of the Grevena Province, northwestern Greece were conducted in association with an archaeological research project. Fossil pollen, spores, microscopic charcoal particles, and sediment stratigraphies of radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from three sites in pine, beech, and oak woodland zones provide evidence of climatic changes, land use, and erosion during the last 3500 years. Identification of pollen and spores was aided by an extensive reference collection of local species and construction of a pollen key modelled on that of Faegri & Iversen (1989). Extant vegetation units are characterized by their contemporary pollen assemblages. Surface samples collected along an elevational transect show that a fairly direct relationship exists between the major vegetation zones and pollen deposition: pine, beech, and oak pollen predominate in their respective zones. Over-representation of pine pollen is notable. The sequence from Gomara site in the pine wood-pasture zone at 1750 m asl covers the time span c. 1340 BC to 700 AD. A local open pine wood was gradually replaced by beech after c. 890 BC, perhaps through reduced disturbance and/or increased precipitation. A herbaceous pollen spike at c. 80 BC resulted from deposition of volcanic ash. Pine wood replaced beech at c. 330 AD. Two periods of accelerated erosion coincide with the pine wood phases and with anthropogenic burning and grazing. These periods are separated by a period of abandonment when the climate was probably wetter. The sequence from Anelia site in the beech wood zone at 1440 m asl spans c. 1560-1989 AD. The site was surrounded by beech wood for the duration of the sequence. Regional and local burning of vegetation is indicated by an abundance of microscopic charcoal particles from c. 1560 until c. 1730 AD, when it ceased. Periods of erosion occurred during this period. After c. 1730 AD a homogeneous peat formed on the wetland, suggesting a period of greater landscape stability. From pollen evidence, a variety of land-use practices such as cereal cultivation, grazing, coppicing, and lumbering were carried out in the vicinity of the site especially before c. 1730 AD, but these diminished after 1920 AD. The lower part of the sequence from Kellia site in the oak wood-steppe zone at 580 m asl is insecurely dated, but the upper part spans c. 1230-1989 AD. The lowlands were covered with deciduous/semi-evergreen oak woods for the duration of the sequence. Since c. 1230 AD land close to the site was intensively cultivated with a variety of cereals. Burning occurred frequently throughout the period. The ratio of deciduous to semi-evergreen oak pollen is correlated with temperature and indicates a decline from c. 1230-1680 AD, after which temperature increased, a pattern similar to that of the Little Ice Age. Frontispiece The cultural landscape of Grevena Province looking NE towards the Vourinos Mountains on the eastern border of Grevena, from a prominent hill about 1 1/4 km NW of the modern village of Itea. In the foreground is the stubble of a wheat field. Beyond is an 18th century church dedicated to Aghia Panaghia. The middle ground is the steppe oak wood pasture of Grevena plains. Recent erosion on the sides of gullies can be seen here, even though they appear to be well vegetated. Frescoes in the church are shown in the enlargement. It stands on a registered archaeological site, Grevena Project 108 (21 degrees 36.18' E, 40 degrees 04.29' N, 640 m asl) that covers more than 10,000 m2. Archaeological evidence dating to Early Iron Age, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Early Medieval and Ottoman periods has been recorded.</p>

scholarly journals Late Holocene Vegetation History of Grevena Province, Northwestern Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pamela I Chester
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation History ◽  
Beech Wood ◽  
Pine Wood ◽  
Oak Wood ◽  
Wood Pasture ◽  
Oak Pollen ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evergreen Oak ◽  
Northwestern Greece ◽  
Microscopic Charcoal

<p>Palynological investigations aimed at reconstructing the vegetation history of the Grevena Province, northwestern Greece were conducted in association with an archaeological research project. Fossil pollen, spores, microscopic charcoal particles, and sediment stratigraphies of radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from three sites in pine, beech, and oak woodland zones provide evidence of climatic changes, land use, and erosion during the last 3500 years. Identification of pollen and spores was aided by an extensive reference collection of local species and construction of a pollen key modelled on that of Faegri & Iversen (1989). Extant vegetation units are characterized by their contemporary pollen assemblages. Surface samples collected along an elevational transect show that a fairly direct relationship exists between the major vegetation zones and pollen deposition: pine, beech, and oak pollen predominate in their respective zones. Over-representation of pine pollen is notable. The sequence from Gomara site in the pine wood-pasture zone at 1750 m asl covers the time span c. 1340 BC to 700 AD. A local open pine wood was gradually replaced by beech after c. 890 BC, perhaps through reduced disturbance and/or increased precipitation. A herbaceous pollen spike at c. 80 BC resulted from deposition of volcanic ash. Pine wood replaced beech at c. 330 AD. Two periods of accelerated erosion coincide with the pine wood phases and with anthropogenic burning and grazing. These periods are separated by a period of abandonment when the climate was probably wetter. The sequence from Anelia site in the beech wood zone at 1440 m asl spans c. 1560-1989 AD. The site was surrounded by beech wood for the duration of the sequence. Regional and local burning of vegetation is indicated by an abundance of microscopic charcoal particles from c. 1560 until c. 1730 AD, when it ceased. Periods of erosion occurred during this period. After c. 1730 AD a homogeneous peat formed on the wetland, suggesting a period of greater landscape stability. From pollen evidence, a variety of land-use practices such as cereal cultivation, grazing, coppicing, and lumbering were carried out in the vicinity of the site especially before c. 1730 AD, but these diminished after 1920 AD. The lower part of the sequence from Kellia site in the oak wood-steppe zone at 580 m asl is insecurely dated, but the upper part spans c. 1230-1989 AD. The lowlands were covered with deciduous/semi-evergreen oak woods for the duration of the sequence. Since c. 1230 AD land close to the site was intensively cultivated with a variety of cereals. Burning occurred frequently throughout the period. The ratio of deciduous to semi-evergreen oak pollen is correlated with temperature and indicates a decline from c. 1230-1680 AD, after which temperature increased, a pattern similar to that of the Little Ice Age. Frontispiece The cultural landscape of Grevena Province looking NE towards the Vourinos Mountains on the eastern border of Grevena, from a prominent hill about 1 1/4 km NW of the modern village of Itea. In the foreground is the stubble of a wheat field. Beyond is an 18th century church dedicated to Aghia Panaghia. The middle ground is the steppe oak wood pasture of Grevena plains. Recent erosion on the sides of gullies can be seen here, even though they appear to be well vegetated. Frescoes in the church are shown in the enlargement. It stands on a registered archaeological site, Grevena Project 108 (21 degrees 36.18' E, 40 degrees 04.29' N, 640 m asl) that covers more than 10,000 m2. Archaeological evidence dating to Early Iron Age, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Early Medieval and Ottoman periods has been recorded.</p>

scholarly journals The Wooden Roof Framing Elements, Furniture and Furnishing of the Etruscan Domus of the Dolia of Vetulonia (Southern Tuscany, Italy)

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1938-1961
Author(s):  
Ginevra Coradeschi ◽  
Massimo Beltrame ◽  
Simona Rafanelli ◽  
Costanza Quaratesi ◽  
Laura Sadori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Beech Wood ◽  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Oak Wood ◽  
Buxus Sempervirens ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Silver Fir Wood ◽  
Evergreen Oak

The Etruscan Domus of the Dolia remained hidden until 2009, when archaeological excavations began in the Etruscan–Roman district of Vetulonia (Southern Tuscany). Based on the classification of the archaeological materials recovered, the destruction of the Domus and the Etruscan city of Vetulonia was traced back to the 1st century BC. The highly various and precious materials recovered inside the Domus revealed the richness of the building and its inhabitants. With this study, we present the anthracological analyses from the Domus of the Dolia. Wood charcoals were recovered from different house rooms, which had different functions based on the archaeological evidence. The tree species employed for the construction of the roof of the building were deciduous and semi-deciduous oak wood (Quercus sect. robur, Quercus sect. cerris) and silver fir wood (Abies cf. alba). Evergreen oak wood (Quercus sect. suber), boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), beech wood (Fagus cf. sylvatica), maple wood (Acer sp.) and cherry wood (Prunus cf. avium) were adopted for the furniture and furnishings of the house. Moreover, wood charcoal fragments of fruit trees belonging to the family of Rosaceae were identified, documenting a possible garden inside the court of the house. The study shows the use of the local tree species primarily. The silver fir wood and beech wood were likely sourced from the nearby (roughly 60 km) Mount Amiata.

A LATE HOLOCENE VEGETATION HISTORY OF LOWLAND GUATEMALA: RECORDS FROM LAKE IZABAL, EASTERN GUATEMALA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erdoo Mongol ◽  
◽  
Francisca E. Oboh-Ikuenobe ◽  
Jonathan Obrist-Farner ◽  
Alex Correa-Metrio
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
History Of

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).

Vegetation history of the marine isotope stage 7 interglacial complex at Ioannina, NW Greece

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1378-1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.H. Roucoux ◽  
P.C. Tzedakis ◽  
M.R. Frogley ◽  
I.T. Lawson ◽  
R.C. Preece
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation History ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
History Of

Evaluation of the regional vegetation and climate in the Eastern Alps (Austria) during MIS 3–4 based on pollen analysis of the classical Baumkirchen paleolake sequence

2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Jonathan Barrett ◽  
Ruth Drescher-Schneider ◽  
Reinhard Starnberger ◽  
Christoph Spötl
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Glacial Cycle ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Stage ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Mis 3 ◽  
Quaternary Stratigraphy ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe pre-last glacial maximum paleolake sediments at Baumkirchen, western Austria, are well known in Alpine Quaternary stratigraphy as being the type locality of the Middle to Upper Würmian transition. Their location provides a rare opportunity to investigate the vegetation history of the interior of the Alps during the last glacial cycle. A recent renewed research effort involving new drilling revealed a 250-m-thick lacustrine sequence with an older, ca. Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 phase and a younger, mid- to late MIS 3 phase. Pollen analysis reveals generally poor preservation and very low pollen concentration due to very high sedimentation rates. On the basis of pollen percentages and influx rates, six pollen zones (PZ) were assigned. PZ1 and 2 correspond to the entire ca. MIS 4 section and are characterized by only scattered vegetation representing an extremely cold and dry climate. Two stadials and two interstadials were identified in the MIS 3 section. The interstadials are characterized by well-developed open vegetation with some stands of trees, with the upper PZ6 being better developed but still forest-free. On the basis of previous radiocarbon dating, this zone (PZ6) is correlated to Greenland Interstadial (GI) 7 and the lower interstadial (PZ4) tentatively to GI 8.

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