From Mesolithic hunters to Iron Age herders: a unique record of woodland use from eastern central Europe (Czech Republic)

Early Pastoralism in Central European Forests: Insights from Ancient Environmental Genomics

“…Three additional macrofossils were radiocarbon dated, at depths of 89, 198, and 239 cm (SI Table S1), to strengthen the previously published chronology (22), now totaling 14 AMS dates. AMS dates were processed at Poznan Radiocarbon Laboratory, Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia, and Beta Analytic (for laboratory codes, and ages see SI Table S1).…”

“…This supports the perspective of slow environmental neolithization, where the full impact of agriculture across varied ecological zones depended on population expansions associated with Late Neolithic innovations in cultivation and land tenure ( 5 , 10 ). In a peripheral environment like Český Ráj, it is interesting that DNA from the full range of domesticates - cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep are initially represented; with the exception of a few bone fragments of sheep or goat, these are absent in the archaeozoological assemblage from this period at VM ( 22 , 23 ). However, despite this range, both animal and microbial DNA demonstrate that sheep were the dominant species in Late Neolithic layers.…”

“…b . Sediment profile with radiocarbon ages from a previous study( 22 ) (grey) and new dates from this study (blue) together with samples processed for eDNA (orange). c .…”

“…b-c). Furthermore, VM benefits from a comprehensive multi-proxy account of environmental practices, derived from prior archaeological and paleoecological examinations ( 22 , 23 ). At VM, we collected a sequence of sediment samples from stratigraphic layers to examine metagenomic changes spanning the early Holocene to recent times.…”

Managing wilderness? Holocene-scale, human-related disturbance dynamics as revealed in a remote, forested area in the Czech Republic

“…The stratified deposits under the overhang are elevated above the surrounding area and we cannot assume the flushing of charcoal from the surroundings into the overhang could bring diverse charcoals of forest fires into the shelter. Macro-remains in the screened sediment, included hazel ( Corylus avellana ) and elderberry ( Sambucus racemosa ), and the occurrence of both is limited to the older phase of site exploitation (older than 4200 cal BP) which is also a common pattern at rocky shelters from other Bohemian sandstone areas associated with a hunter-gatherer’s way of life (Ptáková et al, 2021; Šída and Pokorný, 2020). We argue that coupled with the hearth features, the presence of these macro-remains can be considered a direct indication of occupation.…”