Dark Ages woodland recovery and the expansion of beech: a study of land use changes and related woodland dynamics during the Roman to Medieval transition period in northern Belgium

Deforce, Koen; Bastiaens, Jan; Crombé, Philippe; Deschepper, Ewoud; Haneca, Kristof; Laloo, Pieter; Calster, Hans Van; Verbrugghe, Gerben; Neer, Wim Van

doi:10.1017/njg.2020.11

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…1 When the excavated Roman sites are subdivided into Early, Middle, and Late Roman, the demographic peak of the Middle Roman period and subsequent regression is quite obvious with a significant settlement reduction (Table 1, Figure 3). This demographic drop has recently been confirmed by the study of woodland recovery during the Roman to Medieval transition in Flanders (Deforce et al 2020).…”

Section: State Of Research On Late Roman Archaeology In Flanders Belmentioning

confidence: 68%

Is Archaeological Practice Obscuring our Understanding of the Late Roman Fifth Century?

Thienen

2020

Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal

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The fifth century in Northern Gaul is traditionally characterised by barbarian invasions, conflict, abandonment, and large migrations. However, there is little material evidence that can inform us on the identity, origin, and activities of local communities. This paper addresses the role of archaeological practice in obscuring the Late Roman fifth century. First, the state of research for the Late Roman period in the region of Flanders (Belgium) is presented to illustrate issues concerning identification, chronology, and interpretation of the material record in Northern Gaul. Second, the impact of theory and narratives on the collection of archaeological data is briefly reviewed, followed by an examination of the influence of classification, periodisation, and time perception on archaeological practice and their role in the persistence of current biases. Finally, some considerations are offered for new approaches to identify and interpret the material record from the Late Roman fifth century.

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Section: State Of Research On Late Roman Archaeology In Flanders Belmentioning

confidence: 68%

Is Archaeological Practice Obscuring our Understanding of the Late Roman Fifth Century?

Thienen

2020

Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal

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“…Similar conflicts have to be assumed also for densely populated areas in earlier periods/pre-historic times but cannot be verified due to the lack of historical records. Nevertheless, dendroarchaeological parameters, i.e., changing annual growths, tree age classes and species might display long-term spatio-temporal changes in European forest management regimes (e.g., Deforce and Haneca, 2015;Deforce et al, 2020).…”

Section: Forest Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dendroarchaeology in Europe

et al. 2022

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Human evolution was strongly related to environmental factors. Woodlands and their products played a key role in the production of tools and weapons, and provided unique resources for constructions and fuel. Therefore wooden finds are essential in gaining insights into climatic and land use changes but also societal development during the Holocene. Dendroarchaeological investigations, based on tree rings, wood anatomy and techno-morphological characteristics are of great importance for a better understanding of past chronological processes as well as human-environment-interactions. Here we present an overview of the sources, methods, and concepts of this interdisciplinary field of dendroarchaeology focusing on Europe, where several tree-ring chronologies span most of the Holocene. We describe research examples from different periods of human history and discuss the current state of field. The long settlement history in Europe provides a myriad of wooden archeological samples not only for dating but also offer exciting new findings at the interface of natural and social sciences and the humanities.

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“…McKitterick (1983, p.20) envisioned that it comprised mainly of rural communities separated by extensive forest areas. Prior to the High Medieval period more than 60 % of France was forested (Morin, 1996) with substantial re-growth having occurred after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (Deforce, et al, 2020).…”

Section: Workforce and Work Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geological and Mining Constraints on Historical Mine Production: The Case of Early Medieval Lead-Silver Mining at Melle, France

Bettenay

2022

METALLA

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Early Medieval silver production for the Melle Pb-Ag deposit in western France has been estimated up to 15 tonnes per year over hundreds of years (Téreygeol, 2013) which would place it amongst the top silver mines of all times prior to the New World discoveries. However, this deposit has geological and mining characteristics economically unsuitable for substantial production, because it is thin, sub-horizontal and comprised of discontinuous pods. Furthermore, it is a Mississippi Valley type (MVT) base metal deposit, which are typically not major silver producers. There is no geological evidence for primary or secondary enrichment to generate silver-rich ore. Inaddition, the fact that Melle remained unmined in all later historical periods is enigmatic compared to the almost ubiquitous reworking of significant ore deposits elsewhere.In this paper, I discuss the geological characteristics, mining parameters, documented historical mining rates and workforce considerations, all of which can be used to constrain production estimates for Melle. The largest uncertainty for production estimates is the workforce size, which reflects scarce information about Carolingian Melle and its surroundings. A model employing realistic mining parameters and a workforce appropriate for a small mining village (100 miners/fire-setters, within a workforce of 250-300, from a settlement of at least 400-500) yields 52 tonnes of lead metal and 150 kg of silver per year. Doubling the workforce would double this estimate. Conversely, it could be half or less if mining was a seasonal activity between agricultural priorities such as harvesting and seeding.The previously claimed production rates require improbable mining assumptions together with at least 500 dedicated full-time miners and a population in the thousands. Furthermore, it would yield per capita silver productivity more than four times higher than in well-documented Early Modern operations that were leading silver deposits of their time. This seems unlikely. However, even at the much lower production levels, favoured here, Melle still might have been a major factor in the Carolingian economy, with its lead production perhaps as important as its silver.

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Dark Ages woodland recovery and the expansion of beech: a study of land use changes and related woodland dynamics during the Roman to Medieval transition period in northern Belgium

Cited by 13 publications

References 54 publications

Is Archaeological Practice Obscuring our Understanding of the Late Roman Fifth Century?

Is Archaeological Practice Obscuring our Understanding of the Late Roman Fifth Century?

Dendroarchaeology in Europe

Geological and Mining Constraints on Historical Mine Production: The Case of Early Medieval Lead-Silver Mining at Melle, France

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