Aims To apply the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) to pollen count data from multiple sites to estimate local vegetation abundance and compare with charcoal‐derived records of burning. Location Exmoor, southwest England, UK. Methods Pollen count data from 16 sites were transformed to estimates of distance‐weighted vegetation abundance using the LRA (REVEALS and LOVE models), correcting for bias in pollen production and dispersal. Charcoal concentration data from six sites were normalized using Box‐Cox transformation to produce z‐scores. Moving‐window correlation was undertaken to compare pollen percentage values for key taxa (Calluna, Poaceae) and localized burning. Estimates of distance‐vegetation abundance (LRA output) and time‐averaged charcoal z‐scores were compared to assess the role of burning as a driver for upland vegetation cover. Results Comparison of pollen percentage and normalized charcoal z‐scores show little correlation between vegetation cover and burning. Estimates of distance‐weighted vegetation abundance and normalized charcoal data show relationships between vegetation change and burning at four of the six sites. The relationships are site‐specific: three sites suggest burning promoted grass‐dominated vegetation, at one site burning promoted heather‐dominated vegetation, and in two sites there is no apparent relationship. Conclusions The patterning of vegetation within uplands is a crucial part of ecosystem service delivery, and contemporary and future management benefits from understanding of ‘long‐term’ development, i.e. patterns over millennia. The correction of biases within pollen production and dispersal to produce local vegetation estimates has demonstrated spatial heterogeneity in vegetation cover on Exmoor that is not otherwise evident in the pollen percentage data (which retain a strong influence of the regional vegetation cover). The relationship between LRA‐derived vegetation cover and burning is not apparent in comparisons between pollen percentage data and charcoal records. This implies that studies that use pollen proportional data alone can misrepresent the relationship between vegetation cover and fire. This study demonstrates that fire has been an important part of the development of this cultural landscape.
Heathlands are unique cultural landscapes that once existed across vast stretches of northern Europe. Their deep-time persistence has formed an intrinsic part of economic and cultural practices. Such a complex interaction requires interdisciplinary approaches, including archaeology, across multiple regions to fully grasp all its aspects. The authors of this article review how research has been conducted in prehistoric heathlands across six nations in north-western Europe and outline the heaths’ general characteristics. They discuss the major issues in that research, namely recurring narratives derived from history, an overall absence of consideration of the cultural aspects of heathlands, and a paucity of cross-regional initiatives. They suggest a series of theoretical and methodological approaches to improve this situation across expanded geographical and temporal scales.
Upland moorlands are important landscapes, but many are considered degraded as a result of human activities. Consequently, their protection and restoration are of substantial concern. In Europe, restoration activities are often aimed at reversing the effects of 19th and 20th century "agricultural improvements," which often involved major drainage schemes. However, the ecological effects and long-term ecological
A palynological sampling programme was carried out in three areas of Western Jutland in 2021-22. Our goal was to collect new sediment samples from archaeological excavations and peat deposits to reconstruct patterns in past heathland use and development. The location of the case areas was determined by the potential of the sites for combination with existing palynological data (Solsø Hede) and/or archaeological data (the Vejen area). At Solsø Hede, a pollen core was obtained near Solsø. At Vejen, two separate sediment collections took place. To the north of Vejen, in Gammelby Mose, peat sediments were collected. To the south of Vejen, at Kongehøj, 15 samples were collected from a Bronze Age house floor plan. The sampling programme formed part of the research project called ANTHEA (Løvschal 2021), which focuses on the deep history of anthropogenic heathlands. The project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 853356).
An archaeological excavation of the protected burial mound Store Vejlhøj in northwestern Denmark was carried out in October-November 2021. The excavation formed part of the ERC-funded research project called ANTHEA, focusing on the deep history of anthropogenic heathlands. It was conducted by Aarhus University in collaboration with Holstebro Museum and Moesgaard Museum. The aim was to test a new method of sampling pollen data from different construction stages in a burial mound and comparing them with pollen data from nearby lake sediments with a view to improving our understanding of prehistoric anthropogenic heathland dynamics. Prior to the excavation, soil cores were collected from two nearby peat sediments as well as six burial mounds (including Store Vejlhøj) within a 1 km range of Lake Skånsø, where previous pollen analyses had been carried out. Based on these preliminary corings, Store Vejlhøj was selected for further archaeological investigation. A dispensation for excavating the protected mound was granted by the Danish Palaces and Culture Agency. The excavation was based on a 5 m long trench through the barrow, moving from its foot inwards. The surface vegetation and 40 cm topsoil were removed by an excavator, after which the remainder of the trench was manually dug in horizontal layers. Observation conditions were good. The excavation revealed a series of well-defined barrow construction stages, as well as unusually wellpreserved turf structures. Only two archaeological finds could be related to the barrow, both of which were later than its initial construction: a secondary urn in the top layer, and the base of a second urn at the foot of the mound. The burial mound was constructed using a minimum of three shells, which could be observed in the trench profile. Turfs were most probably collected locally in a landscape dominated by grass pastures, where no previous turf cutting had taken place. A total of 34 soil samples were collected for paleoecological analyses (pollen, Non-Pollen Polymorphs (NPPs), macrofossils) and geoarchaeological analyses (micromorphology, bulk samples). Preliminary pollen and macrofossil results from the burial mound revealed poor preservation conditions, which prompted a trench extension of 0.5 m by 0.2 m to find better preservation conditions. This extension resulted in the collection of a single final macrofossil sample, although there was no identifiable change in the in-situ preservation conditions. The dating results of the mound have not yet been completed and will be included as appendix 4-6 in 2023.
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