Holocene floodplain evolution in a central European loess landscape -geoarchaeological investigations of the lower Pleiße valley in NW Saxony, E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 95-105, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, 2019.
Abstract:Undisturbed sediments are an important source for the reconstruction of the Holocene development of valleys. Wide floodplains with relatively small rivers in a region settled since 5500 BCE offer opportunities for investigations regarding climatic and anthropogenic landscape change. In the context of a motorway construction, excavations were carried out by the Saxonian Heritage Office in the year 2015. At one of the sites it was possible to get a view of the sediments of the Pleiße valley less than 100 m distance from large cross sections described by Neumeister (1964) in a former open cast mine. Archaeological finds and features, plant remains and radiocarbon dating as well as micromorphological and geochemical investigations helped to decipher the age and the characteristics of the Holocene sediments: above Weichselian loamy sands a sedge peat developed in small depressions during the Preboreal and Boreal. The sands and the sedge peat are covered by a "black clay", which was still the topsoil during the Atlantic period. The sedimentation of 2.3 m thick overbank fines began after 4000 BCE. A depth of 1 m below the surface a medieval Slavic find layer was excavated. These results show that sedimentation processes in the lower Pleiße valley significantly changed after 4000 BCE. It is obvious that the increase in silty material in the floodplain is caused by the land clearance in the Neolithic period. More than half of the silty overbank fines were deposited before the Middle Ages began.
Kurzfassung: Ungestörte Sedimente in fluvialen Systemen sind ein wichtiges Archiv zur Rekonstruktion der holozänen Talentwicklung. Seit 5500 BCE besiedelte Altsiedellandschaften mit breiten, von relativ kleinen Flüssen durchflossenen Tälern bieten besonders gute Voraussetzungen für die Untersuchung klimatis-Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the Deutsche Quartärvereinigung (DEUQUA) e.V. 96 C. Tinapp et al.: Holocene floodplain evolution in a central European loess landscape cher und anthropogener Einflüsse auf Landschaftsveränderungen. Im Rahmen eines Autobahnprojektes südlich von Leipzig wurden vom Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen Ausgrabungen durchgeführt. An einer der Grabungsflächen konnten die Sedimente des Pleißetales in weniger als 100 m Entfernung zu den von Neumeister (1964) in einem Tagebau beschriebenen Profilen aufgenommen und beprobt werden. Archäologische Befunde und Funde, Pflanzenreste, Radiocarbondatierungen, mikromorphologische und geochemische Untersuchungen führten zur Eingrenzung des Alters der holozänen Sedimente: Über weichselzeitlichem lehmigen Sand lagern in kleinen Vertiefungen Seggentorflagen aus dem Präboreal und Boreal. Sand sowie Torf werden von einem "Schwarzen Ton" überdeckt, der bis weit in das Atlantikum hinein den Oberboden bildete. Nach 4000 BCE beg...
Abstract. The present study combines archaeological data with
archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits to infer Neolithic
settlement dynamics between the Baar region, the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura.
A review of the state of archaeological research and an analysis of the
processes leading to the discovery of the Neolithic sites and thereby the
formation of the current archaeological site distribution in these
landscapes is presented. The intensity of land use in the study area is
compared with other landscapes in southern Germany using site frequencies.
Phases of colluvial deposition are dated using AMS 14C ages of
charcoals and luminescence ages of sediments and interpreted as local
proxies for a human presence. Archaeological source criticism indicates that
the distribution of the Neolithic sites is probably distorted by factors
such as superimposition due to erosion and weathering effects limiting the
preservation conditions for Neolithic pottery. A reconstruction of Neolithic
settlement dynamics is achieved by complementing the archaeological data
with phases of colluviation. Evidence for a continuous land use in the Baar region
throughout the Neolithic is provided and sporadic phases of land use on the
Swabian Jura and in the Black Forest are identified. In the late and final
Neolithic, an intensification of colluvial formation can be noticed in the
low mountain ranges.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.