A palaeoenvironmental context for Terminal Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic activity in the Colne Valley: Offsite records contemporary with occupation at Three Ways Wharf, Uxbridge

Grant, Michael J.; Stevens, Chris J.; Whitehouse, Nicki J.; Norcott, David; Macphail, Richard I.; Langdon, Catherine; Cameron, NG; Barnett, Catherine; Langdon, Peter; Crowder, John; Mulhall, Nicola; Attree, Kevin; Leivers, Matt; Greatorex, Richard; Ellis, Chris

doi:10.1179/1749631413y.0000000015

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Paleoecological data help establish ecosystem baselines and trajectories for managers seeking to conserve species and ecosystems of concern (Whitehouse et al, 2008;Dietl et al, 2015;Panagiotakopulu and Buchan, 2015;Clarke and Lynch, 2016;Barnosky et al, 2017). Similarly, paleoecological data are necessary for understanding the interactions between past environmental change and early human evolution, land use, cultural and technological innovation, and dispersal at local to global scales (deMenocal, 2001;Kaplan et al, 2009Kaplan et al, , 2011Gaillard et al, 2010;Muñoz et al, 2010;Ellis et al, 2013;Grant et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database, a multiproxy, international, community-curated data resource

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database is a community-curated data resource that supports interdisciplinary global change research by enabling broad-scale studies of taxon and community diversity, distributions, and dynamics during the large environmental changes of the past. By consolidating many kinds of data into a common repository, Neotoma lowers costs of paleodata management, makes paleoecological data openly available, and offers a high-quality, curated resource. Neotoma's distributed scientific governance model is flexible and scalable, with many open pathways for participation by new members, data contributors, stewards, and research communities. The Neotoma data model supports, or can be extended to support, any kind of paleoecological or paleoenvironmental data from sedimentary archives. Data additions to Neotoma are growing and now include >3.8 million observations, >17,000 datasets, and >9200 sites. Dataset types currently include fossil pollen, vertebrates, diatoms, ostracodes, macroinvertebrates, plant macrofossils, insects, testate amoebae, geochronological data, and the recently added organic biomarkers, stable isotopes, and specimen-level data. Multiple avenues exist to obtain Neotoma data, including the Explorer map-based interface, an application programming interface, the neotoma R package, and digital object identifiers. As the volume and variety of scientific data grow, community-curated data resources such as Neotoma have become foundational infrastructure for big data science.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database, a multiproxy, international, community-curated data resource

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are very many Early Mesolithic archaeological sites around Lake Flixton [6] and a great deal of the charcoal and pollen evidence of vegetation change has been attributed to the activities of those people in the environments fringing the lake [2,20,23,170]. This is not unique, as there are other analogous sites, both regionally and nationally, where evidence of such alteration of the vegetation by fire has been recorded [174], often adjacent to Early Mesolithic flint sites of similar age to Star Carr [175][176][177][178][179]. Bridgland et al [76] have recorded burning and high charcoal levels in palaeolake sediments at sites in the Vale of Mowbray, a nearby North Yorkshire lowland, which are contemporary with the Star Carr occupation.…”

Section: Human Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateglacial to Mid-Holocene Vegetation History in the Eastern Vale of Pickering, Northeast Yorkshire, UK: Pollen Diagrams from Palaeolake Flixton

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Palaeolake Flixton, in the eastern Vale of Pickering in northeast Yorkshire, UK, existed as open water during the Lateglacial and early to mid-Holocene, until hydroseral succession and gradual terrestrialisation changed it to an area of fen and basin peatland by the later mid-Holocene. The environs of the lake were occupied by Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic people over thousands of years and many Early Mesolithic sites, in particular, have been found located along the ancient lake edge, including the paradigm site for the British Early Mesolithic at Star Carr, where occupation occurred over several centuries. We have analysed eleven sediment cores, distributed in most parts of the palaeolake area, for pollen and stratigraphic data with which to reconstruct lake development and vegetation history. These new diagrams augment earlier pollen studies from the western part of the lake, particularly in the Star Carr area and near other major Mesolithic sites around Seamer Carr. Especially informative are a long core from the deepest part of the lake; cores that document the Lateglacial as well as early Holocene times, and evidence for the later Mesolithic that helps to balance the high density of Late Mesolithic sites known from research in the adjacent uplands of the North York Moors. There are many records of charcoal in the deposits but, especially for the earliest examples, it is not always possible to tie them firmly to either human activity or natural causes. Overall, the new and previously existing diagrams provide evidence for the spatial reconstruction of vegetation history across this important wetland system, including (a) for the progression of natural community successions within the wetland and on the surrounding dryland (b) the influence of climate change in bringing about changes in woodland composition and (c) for discussion of the possibility of human manipulation of the vegetation in the Late Upper Palaeolithic, Early and Late Mesolithic. Results show that climate was the main driver of longer-term vegetation change. Centennial-scale, abrupt climate events caused significant vegetation reversals in the Lateglacial Interstadial. The Lateglacial vegetation was very similar throughout the lake hinterland, although some areas supported some scrubby shrub rather than being completely open. Immigration and spread of Holocene woodland taxa comprised the familiar tree succession common in northern England but the timings of the establishment and the abundance of some individual tree types varied considerably around the lake margins because of edaphic factors and the effects of fire, probably of human origin. Woodland successions away from proximity to the lake were similar to those recorded in the wider landscape of northern England and produced a dense, homogenous forest cover occasionally affected by fire.

show abstract

“…The project furthers our understanding, management and curation of the exceptional Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic resource of the Kennet Valley and other tributaries of the River Thames so attractive to humans at the end of the Ice Age and Early Holocene. A wider ambition is to encourage further investigation and contextualisation of sites of similar potential in the Colne Valley such as Three Ways Wharf and Denham (Corcoran & Howell 2002;Grant et al 2014;Grant 2019;Halsey 2006;Lewis 1991;Lewis & Rackham 2011;Lewis, Wiltshire & Macphail 1992;Wessex Archaeology 2005;Wymer 1977) and Lea Valley (e.g. Barnett, Grant & Bates 2013;Chambers, et al 1996;Corcoran et al 2011;Powell 2012).…”

Section: Reflections and Next Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environment, Archaeology and Landscape: Papers in honour of Professor Martin Bell

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environment, Archaeology and Landscape is a collection of papers dedicated to Martin Bell on his retirement as Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Reading. Three themes outline how wetland and inland environments can be related and investigated using multi-method approaches. ‘People and the Sea: Coastal and Intertidal Archaeology’ explores the challenges faced by humans in these zones – particularly relevant to the current global sea level rise. ‘Patterns in the Landscape: Mobility and Human-environment Relationships’ includes some more inland examples and examines how past environments, both in Britain and Europe, can be investigated and brought to public attention. The papers in ‘Archaeology in our Changing World: Heritage Resource Management, Nature Conservation and Rewilding’ look at current challenges and debates in landscape management, experimental and community archaeology. A key theme is how archaeology can contribute time depth to an understanding of biodiversity and environmental sustainability. This volume will be of value to all those interested in environmental archaeology and its relevance to the modern world.

show abstract

A palaeoenvironmental context for Terminal Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic activity in the Colne Valley: Offsite records contemporary with occupation at Three Ways Wharf, Uxbridge

Cited by 13 publications

References 35 publications

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database, a multiproxy, international, community-curated data resource

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database, a multiproxy, international, community-curated data resource

Lateglacial to Mid-Holocene Vegetation History in the Eastern Vale of Pickering, Northeast Yorkshire, UK: Pollen Diagrams from Palaeolake Flixton

Environment, Archaeology and Landscape: Papers in honour of Professor Martin Bell

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About