Cereal pollen grains in pre-elm decline deposits: Implications for the earliest agriculture in Britain and Ireland

Edwards, Kevin J.; Hirons, Kenneth R.

doi:10.1016/0305-4403(84)90042-6

Cited by 71 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The placing of this boundary has become increasingly problematical, since palynological evidence has revealed a number of sites in Britain and Ireland where there is evidence for pre-elm decline cereal cultivation (Groenman-van Waateringe, 1983;Edwards & Hirons, 1984;O'Connell, 1987). Published evidence for pre-elm decline in cereal cultivation in Wales is scanty.…”

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Filicales (between 790 and 768 cm) also increases quite dramatically, suggesting a reduction in the density of the tree canopy. Hence, there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that pre-elm decline cereal cultivation took place at, or close to, Bryn y Castell, either by pioneer Neolithic agriculturalists or by indigenous Mesolithic peoples (see Edwards & Hirons, 1984).…”

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Mighall

Chambers²

1995

New Phytologist

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SUMMARYThree radiocarbon-dafed pollen diagrams are presenfed from Holocene peat and lake deposits in Snowdonia, elose to the Late Iron Age/Romano-Britisb ironworking hill-fort of Bryn y Casfell, Gwynedd, in upland north Wales. This paper discusses pollen, charcoal and peat-stratigrapbic evidence for major local vegetation changes and for tbe development of the surrounding cultural landscape during the last 10000 radioearbon yr. Pollen data from one of the sites (BYC 2) provided a vegetational record for most of the Holocene. The early part of the sequence suggests an oligotrophie lake in a landscape that is being colonized by birch-pine woodland; later, mixed deciduous woodland surrounds an infilling lake basin. Dating of peat deposits at two of tbe sites (BYC, BY'C H) indicated that their pollen records commenced between 5500 and 5000 yr BP. By this time, the lake basin was fringed by alder carr. There followed a gradual and then, c. 2700 yr BP, a more abrupt decline in woodland, such that, by tbe end of the Bronze Age and with the basin largely terrestrialized, the local landscape became dominated by mire vegetation communities, which have persisted to the present. Human activity seems to have been a major factor in the loss of woodland eover. Although there is some circumstantial evidence for earlier phases of human disturbance at BYC 2, human activity becomes increasingly apparent from c. 5000 yr BP. During the mid Holoeene, the impaet of Neolithic and early-to mid-Bronze Age cultures appears to be characterized by temporary woodland clearances, for arable and pastoral agriculture. By c. 2700 yr BP the majority of woodland cover seems to have been permanently removed from the landscape, but as there is scant archaeological evidence for late Bronze Age cultures in this part of Snowdonia, other factors, especially climate change, could be implicated. During the late Holocene, especially during part of the late Iron Age and Romano-British period, remaining local stands of woodland seem to have been exploited for iron smelting, although the overall impact of ironworking was limited.

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Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mid Holocene (C 7000-3000 Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Mighall

Chambers²

1995

New Phytologist

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“…the rational Alnus limit of Smith & Pilcher, 1973) where in many Irish pollen diagrams elm percentages may be reduced. The division may also post-date small fiuctuations in the elm pollen curve (Edwards & Hirons, 1984).…”

Section: Diagram Divisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The event is especially intriguing as it seems to occur with remarkable synchroneity (Smith & Pilcher, 1973; but see Huntley & Birks, 1983) over large areas of north-west Europe, even outside-areas where elm was apparently frequent (Pennington et al, 1972). The elm decline also occurs at a critical period in the development of postglacial habitats; soon after the first evidence of permanent occupation and settled agriculture is found (Edwards & Hirons, 1984), around the time of a postulated climatic shift accompanied by strategraphic changes in bogs and lakes (Pennington, 1975;Aaby, 1976), and at a critical period of soil development where climatic chatige or anthropogenic activity possibly tipped the balance of soil processes towards accelerated degradation in some sensitive areas (Mitchell, 1972;Moore, 1974Moore, , 1975Sturludottir & Turner, 1985). Thus climate, man and soil maturation have all been invoked at various times as contributing factors to the elm decline.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It bas sbared in tbe debate on causation (Smitb, 1961a;Watts, 1961) and, as is tbe case elsewbere in nortb-west Europe, it bas been sbown to represent a syncbronous event in pollen diagrams (Smith & Pilcher, 1973;Edwards, 1985a, b), occurring around 3100 radiocarbon years B.C. In addition, antbropogenic events botb prior to tbe elm decline (Groenmann-van Waateringe, 1983;Edwards & Hirons, 1984;Edwards, 1985a) and related post elm decline pbenomena (Wbittle, 1978;Edwards, 1979;Bradley, 1984) bave received recent attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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EVENTS AT AND AROUND THE FIRST AND SECOND ULMUS DECLINES: PALAEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN CO. TYRONE, NORTHERN IRELAND

Hirons

Edwards

1986

New Phytologist

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SUMMARYPercentage and concentration pollen diagrams from tbe sediments of two adjacent inter-drumlin bollow lakes near Dungannon, and in two cores frot-n Lougb Catherine, suggest tbat only small reductions in tbe pollen frequencies of trees sucb as pine and, at some sites, birch and oak, accompanied reduced Ulmus at the elm decline in tbese parts of Co. Tyrone. Tbey also confirm tbat Pteridium aquilinum could sporulate and many berbs were able to flower more freely owing to an opening of tbe tree canopy. Seventeen radiocarbon dates provide cbronologies for tbe sites and date tbe elm decline to between 5050 and 5375 B.P., the subsequent start of increased elm pollen percentages to between 5010 and 4850 B.P., and tbe beginning of a second decline in elm pollen to hetween 4330 and 4260 B.P. Tbe initial decline in elm pollen values may have been caused by disease and tbis reduction was superimposed upon a background of small-scale clearances wbicb continued after a general elm regeneration. Tbe question of a general similarity and causation of tbe second elm decline in Ireland and elsewhere is considered. Chemical, magnetic and pollen preservation data from tbe Co. Tyrone sites suggest episodes of erosion occurring at tbe first elm decline and otbers at tbe second elm decline.

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A beetle's eye view of London from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age

2009

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The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the environmental history of the London region, based on changes in beetle faunal assemblages from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age. Eight sites were studied, all but one of which are within 2 km of the modern course of the Thames. The sites produced 128 faunal assemblages that yielded 218 identified species in 41 families of Coleoptera (beetles). Beetle faunas of Mesolithic age indicate extensive wetlands near the Thames, bordered by rich deciduous woodlands. The proportion of woodland species declined in the Neolithic, apparently because of the expansion of wetlands, rather than because of human activities. The Early Bronze Age faunas contained a greater proportion of coniferous woodland and aquatic (standing water) species. An increase in the dung beetle fauna indicates the presence of sheep, cattle and horses, and various beetles associated with crop lands demonstrate the local rise of agriculture, albeit several centuries after the beginnings of farming in other regions of Britain. Late Bronze Age faunas show the continued development of agriculture and animal husbandry along the lower Thames. About 33% of the total identified beetle fauna from the London area sites have limited modern distributions or are extinct in the U.K. Some of these species are associated with the dead wood found in primeval forests; others are wetland species whose habitat has been severely reduced in recent centuries. The third group is streamdwelling beetles that require clean, clear waters and river bottoms.

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Cereal pollen grains in pre-elm decline deposits: Implications for the earliest agriculture in Britain and Ireland

Cited by 71 publications

References 14 publications

Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

Holocene vegetation history and human impact at Bryn y Castell, Snowdonia, north Wales

EVENTS AT AND AROUND THE FIRST AND SECOND ULMUS DECLINES: PALAEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN CO. TYRONE, NORTHERN IRELAND

A beetle's eye view of London from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age

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