Bronze Age landscape dynamics: spatially detailed pollen analysis from a ceremonial complex

Fyfe, Ralph

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2012.04.015

Cited by 34 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Much recent pollen-based work has deliberately sampled smaller basins in an attempt to match the spatial scale of representation to either the archaeological landscape or the level of the vegetation unit of interest (e.g. Hannon et al, 2008;Griesman and Gaillard, 2009;Fyfe, 2012). One of the assumptions of the REVEALS model is that no pollen is derived from plants growing on the basin (Sugita, 2007a).…”

Section: Application Of Lra In Non-ideal Situationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Holocene vegetation cover of Britain and Ireland: overcoming problems of scale and discerning patterns of openness

Fyfe

Twiddle

Sugita

et al. 2013

Quaternary Science Reviews

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The vegetation of Europe has undergone substantial changes during the course of the Holocene epoch, resulting from range expansion of plants following climate amelioration, competition between taxa and disturbance through anthropogenic activities. Much of the detail of this pattern is understood from decades of pollen analytical work across Europe, and this understanding has been used to address questions relating to vegetation-climate feedback, biogeography and human impact. Recent advances in modelling the relationship between pollen and vegetation now make it possible to transform pollen proportions into estimates of vegetation cover at both regional and local spatial scales, using the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA), i.e. the REVEALS (Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) and the LOVE (LOcal VEgetation) models. This paper presents the compilation and analysis of 73 pollen stratigraphies from the British Isles, to assess the application of the LRA and describe the pattern of landscape/woodland openness (i.e. the cover of low herb and bushy vegetation) through the Holocene. The results show that multiple small sites can be used as an effective replacement for a single large site for the reconstruction of regional vegetation cover. The REVEALS vegetation estimates imply that the British Isles had a greater degree of landscape/woodland openness at the regional scale than areas on the European mainland. There is considerable spatial bias in the British Isles dataset towards wetland areas and uplands, which may explain higher estimates of landscape openness compared with Europe. Where multiple estimates of regional vegetation are available from within the same region interregional differences are greater than intra-regional differences, supporting the use of the REVEALS model to the estimation of regional vegetation from pollen data.

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Section: Application Of Lra In Non-ideal Situationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Holocene vegetation cover of Britain and Ireland: overcoming problems of scale and discerning patterns of openness

Fyfe

Twiddle

Sugita

et al. 2013

Quaternary Science Reviews

Self Cite

130

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…; Sadori et al . , ; Fyfe ; Morales et al . ) and the development of vegetation induced by human activity, stressing the role of anthropogenic indicator species (Mercuri et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Human Occupation Cave During theBronzeAge: Archaeological and Palynological Applications of a Case Study inSardinia (WesternMediterranean)

et al. 2014

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Investigation of a prehistoric settlement in the south-western Sardinia area attests to human occupation by the Nuragic civilization in a cave during the Early and Middle BronzeAge. An occasional human presence is recorded from the Early Bronze Age and a continued one relating to rural (cultivation, storage) and domestic (ceramic, metallurgy) activities is documented in the Middle Bronze Age. These distinct settlement phases have been radiocarbondated and palynologically recognized. In addition, pollen analysis suggests that a degraded forest was present during the Middle Bronze Age in south Sardinia prior to central Sardinia, which is probably related to a hot climate and a regime of low annual precipitation. The data reveal a climate-induced deforestation phase that is likely to be emphasized by anthropogenic pressure.

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“…It is assumed that this is connected with the start of the Bronze Age when farming activity increased substantially not only in north Sligo but also at several other sites in western Ireland (e.g. Molloy and O'Connell, 1995, 2004, 2012Mitchell and Cooney, 2004;Mighall et al, 2008;Overland and O'Connell, 2008) and also in the wider British/Irish contexts. In Britain, however, the beginning of strong farming impact may relate more to the mid rather than the early Bronze Age (ca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 7000-year record of environmental change, including early farming impact, based on lake-sediment geochemistry and pollen data from County Sligo, western Ireland

2014

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Detailed, chronologically tightly constrained, lake-sediment-based geochemical and pollen records have enabled local changes in soil erosion, woodland cover and composition, and prehistoric farming impact to be reconstructed in considerable detail. The profile opens shortly after 7800 BC when tall canopy trees were well-established and presumably in equilibrium with their environment. A distinct perturbation that involved an increase in pine and birch, a decrease in oak and a minor opening-up of the woodland is regarded as the local expression of the 8.2 ka climate anomaly. Lack of response in the geochemical erosional indicators is interpreted as evidence for drier conditions. A short-lived, over-compensation in climate recovery followed the 8.2 ka event. Neolithic farming impact is clearly expressed in both the pollen and geochemical data. Both datasets indicate that Neolithic impact was concentrated in the early Neolithic (3715–3440 BC). In the interval 3000–2700 BC there appears to have been a break in farming activity. The pollen data suggest substantially increased farming impact (both arable and pastoral) in the Bronze Age, with maximum farming and woodland clearances taking place in the late Bronze Age (1155–935 BC). These developments are poorly expressed in the geochemical record, possibly due to within-lake changes.

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Bronze Age landscape dynamics: spatially detailed pollen analysis from a ceremonial complex

Cited by 34 publications

References 38 publications

The Holocene vegetation cover of Britain and Ireland: overcoming problems of scale and discerning patterns of openness

The Holocene vegetation cover of Britain and Ireland: overcoming problems of scale and discerning patterns of openness

A Human Occupation Cave During theBronzeAge: Archaeological and Palynological Applications of a Case Study inSardinia (WesternMediterranean)

A 7000-year record of environmental change, including early farming impact, based on lake-sediment geochemistry and pollen data from County Sligo, western Ireland

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