NDLI: Palaeobotanical evidence for agricultural activities in the Eifel region during the Holocene: plant macro-remain and pollen analyses from sediments of three maar lakes in the Quaternary Westeifel Volcanic Field (Germany, Rheinland-Pfalz)

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Herbig, Christoph Sirocko, Frank
Copyright Year	2012
Abstract	As a part of the ELSA-project (Eifel Laminated Sediment Archive) new pollen and plant macro-remain analyses have been carried out on a series of Holocene lacustrine sediments from three open maar lakes of the Quaternary Westeifel Volcanic Field. In combination with already existing pollen analyses, the archaeological record and written sources, the present study casts new light on settlement activities and henceforth the development of agriculture from the prehistoric to historic times in this region. While there are clues that wood pasturing was practised in the Eifel region from the Michelsberg Culture onwards (c. 4300 cal. b.c.), the Vulkaneifel is a remote area with relatively poor soils and a humid climate and was not constantly settled until the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, when cereal pollen was found regularly in the deposits. Plant macro-remains (chaff), which give us direct evidence for arable agriculture in the surroundings of the maars, were also found in layers belonging to the Early Bronze Age (c. 1900 cal. b.c.). At the same time we can observe the massive spread of Fagus sylvatica (beech) in all pollen diagrams, which was most probably caused by a combination of climatic, anthropogenic and competitive factors. Later impacts of agriculture were an abundance of crop weeds and pollen in the following Middle Bronze Age. Nevertheless human impact remained discontinuous until the Urnfield Culture (1200–800 cal. b.c.). A layer of weeds dating at the end of the Urnfield Culture was found and also flax (Linum usitatissimum) cultivation first becomes apparent. However, the subsequent Iron Age and Roman Period reveal only crop weeds and cereal pollen in slightly higher concentrations, but the abundance of Poaceae pollen at this time is most probably consistent with grazing activities. There follows compelling evidence of the importance of flax cultivation and processing at the maars from the Merovingian Period (5th century a.d.) onwards. A detailed insight into the agriculture of the High Medieval comes from flash flood layers of the 14th century a.d., where remains of Secale cereale (rye) and crop weeds reflect winter-sown cultivation of rye. Cannabis sativa (hemp) was also cultivated and processed during the medieval. Finally we can trace the Prussian reforestation in the 19th century a.d., with an increase in Pinus sylvestris (pine) and Picea abies (fir), by both pollen and plant macro-remains.
Starting Page	447
Ending Page	462
Page Count	16
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09396314
Journal	Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Volume Number	22
Issue Number	6
e-ISSN	16176278
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2012-12-22
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Human impact Settlement history Agricultural practices Linum usitatissimum Eifel region Western Germany Paleontology Biogeosciences Climate Change Anthropology Archaeology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Plant Science Archeology (arts and humanities) Paleontology

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Palaeocladocerans as indicators of environmental, cultural and archaeological developments in Eifel maar lakes region (West Germany) during the Lateglacial and Holocene periods

Historical and botanical evidence of distribution, cultivation and utilization of Linum usitatissimum L. (flax) in China

A combined pollen and δ¹⁸O_Sphagnum record of mid-Holocene climate variability from Dürres Maar (Eifel, Germany)

Cultivation and processing of Linum usitatissimum and Camelina sativa in southern Scandinavia during the Roman Iron Age

Holocene anthropogenic landscapes in the Balkans: the palaeobotanical evidence from southwestern Bulgaria

Protracted drought during the late Holocene in the Lacandon rain forest, Mexico

Volcanic impacts on the Holocene vegetation history of Britain and Ireland? A review and meta-analysis of the pollen evidence

Holocene salt marsh plant communities in the North Adriatic coastal plain (Italy) as reflected by pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and plant macrofossil analyses

Seven Millennia of human impact as reflected in a high resolution pollen profile from the profundal sediments of Litzelsee, Lake Constance region, Germany

Palaeobotanical evidence for agricultural activities in the Eifel region during the Holocene: plant macro-remain and pollen analyses from sediments of three maar lakes in the Quaternary Westeifel Volcanic Field (Germany, Rheinland-Pfalz)

Similar Documents

Palaeocladocerans as indicators of environmental, cultural and archaeological developments in Eifel maar lakes region (West Germany) during the Lateglacial and Holocene periods

Historical and botanical evidence of distribution, cultivation and utilization of Linum usitatissimum L. (flax) in China

A combined pollen and δ18OSphagnum record of mid-Holocene climate variability from Dürres Maar (Eifel, Germany)

Cultivation and processing of Linum usitatissimum and Camelina sativa in southern Scandinavia during the Roman Iron Age

Holocene anthropogenic landscapes in the Balkans: the palaeobotanical evidence from southwestern Bulgaria

Protracted drought during the late Holocene in the Lacandon rain forest, Mexico

Volcanic impacts on the Holocene vegetation history of Britain and Ireland? A review and meta-analysis of the pollen evidence

Holocene salt marsh plant communities in the North Adriatic coastal plain (Italy) as reflected by pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and plant macrofossil analyses

Seven Millennia of human impact as reflected in a high resolution pollen profile from the profundal sediments of Litzelsee, Lake Constance region, Germany

Palaeobotanical evidence for agricultural activities in the Eifel region during the Holocene: plant macro-remain and pollen analyses from sediments of three maar lakes in the Quaternary Westeifel Volcanic Field (Germany, Rheinland-Pfalz)

A combined pollen and δ¹⁸O_Sphagnum record of mid-Holocene climate variability from Dürres Maar (Eifel, Germany)