Adaptation of settlement strategies to environmental conditions in southern Slovakia in the Neolithic and Eneolithic

Tóth, Péter; Demján, Peter; Griačová, Kristina

doi:10.4312/dp.38.24

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…4000 to 3500 BC, followed by drought conditions ca. 3500 to 3000 BC, finally shifting back to humid condition for the end of the Copper Age (Tóth et al 2011). In Hungary, interpreting climatic fluctuations can be difficult with two major climatic boundaries roughly corresponding with the Great Hungarian Plain (to the east), which is arid and continental, and Transdanubia (to the west), which is more humid and moderate (Nagy-Bodor et al 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural change in Copper Age Croatia (ca. 4500–2500 cal B.C)?

Reed

2016

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural change in Copper Age Croatia (ca. 4500–2500 cal B.C)?

Reed

2016

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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“…Archaeological investigations in the surrounding region support the scenario that the erosion was initiated by human activities (Tóth et al . ). It is also proved by the finding of a ceramic shard dated to 7350 cal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Early arrival of the Neolithic people to the Danubian Lowland allow their further survival at the artificialy open habitats created by man (Tóth et al . ). Latter spreading of human settlements to higher elevations likely reached the majority of the spring fens already overgrown by forest during the middle Holocene (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Early and middle Holocene ecosystem changes at the Western Carpathian/Pannonian border driven by climate and Neolithic impact

Šolcová

Petr

Hájková

et al. 2018

Boreas

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a, P., Pet r ık, J., T oth, P., Rohovec, J., B atora, J. & Hors ak, M. 2018 (July): Early and middle Holocene ecosystem changes at the Western Carpathian/Pannonian border driven by climate and Neolithic impact. Boreas, Vol. 47, pp.897-909. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12309. ISSN 0300-9483. Travertine deposits are unique archives for multidisciplinary studies of past climate changes, associated vegetation development and the evolution of human societies. Despite their high potential in palaeoecological and palaeoclimate reconstructions, investigations of travertines are rather scarce in central Europe and particularly in Slovakia. Therefore, this study focused on a travertine deposit situated on the border between the Pannonian Basin and the Western Carpathians in a small valley in Santovka village (SW Slovakia), which is unique due to the presence of archaeological artefacts with known radiocarbon ages in the palaeoecological profile. Using a multidisciplinary approach combining macrofossil, pollen, mollusc, lithological and geochemical analyses, this study investigated climate-human-vegetation interactions. The Holocene onset was marked by the early arrival of oak trees; however, forest-steppe with a high representation of pine predominated until 9880 cal. a BP, followed by an expansion of temperate trees. The local ecosystem changed around 8600 cal. a BP when the valley was probably dammed by a travertine accumulation, probably resulting in the existence of a small travertine lake. This was associated with wetter climatic conditions, which were also documented in other sites in the Western Carpathians at that time. Surrounding temperate forest possibly retained a certain degree of openness, or local steppe habitat may have persisted on adjacent loess terraces until the neolithization of the area. Archaeological evidence represented by a ceramic shard dated to 7339 cal. a BP suggests the first appearance of humans at the site, yet pollen analysis records a significant change in vegetation first at 6650 cal. a BP. The local ecosystem records an abrupt change linked with human settlement earlier, at c. 7000 cal. a BP. Deforestation activities of the Neolithics resulted in the formation of an open calcareous fen occupied by numerous light-demanding mollusc species. The present study provides new important data about the spread of temperate trees at the onset of the Holocene, about further vegetation changes caused by activities of the first Neolithic farmers and about climate changes in the region of southwestern Slovakia. Numerous thermal springs rich in calcium, CO 2 and bicarbonates, where calcium carbonates (travertine, tufa, CaCO 3 ) precipitate, are found in the Western Carpathians and Pannonian Basin. These thermal springs are known to have attracted prehistoric peoples ( Z ak et al.

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“…The climate of the basin is relatively warm and continental, with rather low precipitation sums with maxima during the summer. There is a rich history of human activities and extensive agricultural use since the Neolithic (Tóth et al, 2011). Study area with study sites and their classification to biogeographical regions shown.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene plant diversity dynamics shows a distinct biogeographical pattern in temperate Europe

Roleček

Abrahám

Vild

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Aims: Reconstruction of the Holocene diversity changes in a biogeographically complex region. Description of major diversity patterns, testing their predictors, and their interpretation in the palaeoecological and biogeographical context. Testing the assumption that pollen record is informative with respect to plant diversity in our study area. Methods: Fossil pollen extracted from 18 high-quality profiles was used as a proxy of past plant diversity. Pollen counts of tree taxa were corrected by pollen productivity, and pollen assemblages were resampled to 100 grains per sample and 150 grains per 500-years time window. SiZer analysis was used to test and visualize multi-scale diversity patterns. Linear modelling was used to identify the best predictors. SiZer maps and pollen composition were analysed using non-metric multidimensional scaling. K-means clustering and indicator species analysis were used to interpret ordination results. Results: Mean Holocene plant diversity is significantly predicted by latitude, while its temporal pattern followed the biogeographical region and elevation. Major differences were found between the Mesic and Montane Hercynia (lower diversity, increasing only in the Late Holocene) and Pannonia, the Carpathians and Warm Hercynia (higher diversity, increasing from the Early or Middle Holocene on). Low diversity in the Middle and Late Holocene is associated with the prevalence of woody and acidophilic taxa. High diversity is associated with numerous grassland and minerotrophic wetland taxa, crops and weeds. Fossil-modern pollen diversity and modern pollen-plant diversity show significant positive relationships. Conclusions: Plant diversity and its changes during the Holocene are geographically structured across temperate Europe. Main causes appear to be differences in past dynamics of the landscape openness and vegetation composition, driven mainly by changes in climate and human impact and their different timing. Fossil pollen, if appropriately treated, is a useful proxy of past plant diversity.

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Adaptation of settlement strategies to environmental conditions in southern Slovakia in the Neolithic and Eneolithic

Cited by 15 publications

References 2 publications

Agricultural change in Copper Age Croatia (ca. 4500–2500 cal B.C)?

Agricultural change in Copper Age Croatia (ca. 4500–2500 cal B.C)?

Early and middle Holocene ecosystem changes at the Western Carpathian/Pannonian border driven by climate and Neolithic impact

Holocene plant diversity dynamics shows a distinct biogeographical pattern in temperate Europe

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