High impact: early pastoralism and environmental change during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in the Silvretta Alps (Switzerland/Austria) as evidenced by archaeological, palaeoecological and pedological proxies

Kothieringer, Katja; Walser, Christoph; Diètre, Benjamin; Reitmaier, Thomas; Haas, Jean Nicolas; Lambers, Karsten

doi:10.1127/zfg_suppl/2015/s-59210

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…After that, a late Middle to Late Bronze Age period (3400-2800 cal. BP) of agricultural recovery happened at Saglias, which correlates well with the regionally known archaeological evidence (Kothieringer et al, 2015;Reitmaier, 2012;Reitmaier et al, 2013). During the Iron Age and Roman Period, the use of the northerly exposed area south of Ardez (i.e.…”

Section: Abandonment Of Prehistoric Agro-pastoral Fieldssupporting

confidence: 76%

Neolithic to Bronze Age (4850–3450 cal. BP) fire management of the Alpine Lower Engadine landscape (Switzerland) to establish pastures and cereal fields

et al. 2016

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Agro-pastoral activities in the past act as environmental legacy and have shaped the current cultural landscape in the European Alps. This study reports about prehistoric fire incidents and their impact on the flora and vegetation near the village of Ardez in the Lower Engadine Valley (Switzerland) since the Late Neolithic Period. Pollen, charcoal particles and non-pollen palynomorphs preserved in the Saglias and Cutüra peat bog stratigraphies were quantified and the results compared with the regional archaeological evidence. Anthropogenic deforestation using fire started around 4850 cal. BP at Saglias and aimed at establishing first cultivated crop fields (e.g. cereals) and small pastoral areas as implied by the positive correlation coefficients between charcoal particles and cultural and pastoral pollen indicators, as well as spores of coprophilous fungi. Pressure on the natural environment by humans and livestock continued until 3650 cal. BP and was followed by reforestation processes until 3400 cal. BP because of climatic deterioration. Thereafter, a new, continuous cultivation/pastoral phase was recorded for the Middle to Late Bronze Age (3400–2800 cal. BP). After rather minor human impact during the Iron Age and Roman Period, intensive agriculture was recorded for the Medieval Period. The area around Ardez was used for crop cultivation from about 1000 cal. BP until the start of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (600 cal. BP). Despite a land-use reorganisation, the following gradual decrease in agricultural activities led to the extant mixture of a cultivated, grazed and forested landscape in the Lower Engadine. In addition, this study demonstrates the excellent value of the fungus Gelasinospora as a highly local marker of past and today’s fire incidents, as well as of the use of micro-charcoals from pollen slides and macro-charcoals (>150 µm) from pollen sample residues for the reconstruction of short- and long-term fire histories.

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Section: Abandonment Of Prehistoric Agro-pastoral Fieldssupporting

confidence: 76%

Neolithic to Bronze Age (4850–3450 cal. BP) fire management of the Alpine Lower Engadine landscape (Switzerland) to establish pastures and cereal fields

et al. 2016

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“…This, and the graduate decline of tree pollen influx between 2300 and 1700 BC (Figure 6), advocates that a primeval forested landscape was locally present before 2300 BC, and that no alpine meadows were existing for livestock. This supports the archaeological interpretation of, for example, the Neolithic Abri Urschai site, where all archaeological, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical information (see above) argue for the presence of seasonal camps of hunter-gatherers using wild animal and plant resources until the third millennium BC (Kothieringer et al, 2015; Reidl, 2015; Reitmaier, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…started earlier at 2300 or 1900 BC at the latest (Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age) when our palynological and geochemical data point to the beginning and perpetuation of pastoral activities and vertical transhumance in the Urschai Valley. This is in line with the changes in land occupation strategies observed at the Neolithic/ Bronze Age transition, leading to a longer and more regular presence of people and livestock (mainly sheep/goat) in high altitudes and the use of seasonal campsites (Kothieringer et al, 2015;Reitmaier, 2017). This also compares with simulations based on subsistence models that suggest that vertical transhumance had become necessary to adapt and respond to the needs of a growing population and specialised economies (Reitmaier and Kruse, 2019).…”

Section: Alpine Regional Pastoral Dynamics and Landscape Change Due Tsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…We discuss the potential synchronicity of these changes with general Central European climatic change. In addition, we discuss why fundamental changes in pastoral sustainability did probably happen since the Bronze Age (2200–800 BC), whereas the periods before were based – according to archaeological and archaeozoological evidences – on ephemeral campsites (such as abris or rock shelters or open air sites) with pasturing of small ruminants (sheep and goat) primarily for meat production, and eventually for wool (Kothieringer et al, 2015; Reitmaier, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Steady transformation of primeval forest into subalpine pasture during the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age (2300−1700 BC) in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland

et al. 2019

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The question of the origin of Alpine farming and pastoral activities associated with seasonal vertical transhumance and dairy production in the Silvretta Alps (Eastern Switzerland) has recently benefitted from renewed interest. There, pastoral practises began during the Late Neolithic (2300 BC), but alpine dairy farming was directly evidenced so far only since the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (1300–500 BC). The vegetation development, timberline shifts at 2280 m a.s.l. and environmental conditions of the subalpine Urschai Valley (Canton of Grisons, Switzerland) were reconstructed for the small (8 m2) Plan da Mattun fen based on palynological and geochemical analyses for the last six millennia. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses are among the first ones performed on a European peatland in such altitudes. A high Rb/Sr ratio in the fen peat sediments revealed an increase in catchment erosion during the time when the forests of the Upper Urschai Valley were steadily diminished probably by fire and livestock impact (2300–1700 BC). These landscape openings were paralleled by increasing micro-charcoal influx values, suggesting that prehistoric people actively set fire on purpose. Simultaneously, palynological evidence for pastoralism was revealed, such as pollen from typical herbs indicating livestock trampling, and abundant spores from coprophilous fungi. Since then, vertical transhumance and pastoral activities remained responsible for the open subalpine landscape above 2000 m a.s.l., most probably also in the context of milk and dairy production since 1300 BC, which is characteristic for the European Alps until today.

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“…Nevertheless, the chronology of the earliest stone structures recorded ( Fig 1A ), suggests that high-altitude dairying became widespread in the central- and eastern-alpine areas during the Iron Age. By contrast, pottery from the Neolithic and Bronze Age rock-shelters contained carcass fats, which is consistent with the intermittent occupation of temporary shelters by transhumance herders [ 36 , 37 ], who may have supplemented their diet by hunting wild mountain animals.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 56%

Chemical Analysis of Pottery Demonstrates Prehistoric Origin for High-Altitude Alpine Dairying

et al. 2016

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The European high Alps are internationally renowned for their dairy produce, which are of huge cultural and economic significance to the region. Although the recent history of alpine dairying has been well studied, virtually nothing is known regarding the origins of this practice. This is due to poor preservation of high altitude archaeological sites and the ephemeral nature of transhumance economic practices. Archaeologists have suggested that stone structures that appear around 3,000 years ago are associated with more intense seasonal occupation of the high Alps and perhaps the establishment of new economic strategies. Here, we report on organic residue analysis of small fragments of pottery sherds that are occasionally preserved both at these sites and earlier prehistoric rock-shelters. Based mainly on isotopic criteria, dairy lipids could only be identified on ceramics from the stone structures, which date to the Iron Age (ca. 3,000–2,500 BP), providing the earliest evidence of this practice in the high Alps. Dairy production in such a marginal environment implies a high degree of risk even by today’s standards. We postulate that this practice was driven by population increase and climate deterioration that put pressure on lowland agropastoral systems and the establishment of more extensive trade networks, leading to greater demand for highly nutritious and transportable dairy products.

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High impact: early pastoralism and environmental change during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in the Silvretta Alps (Switzerland/Austria) as evidenced by archaeological, palaeoecological and pedological proxies

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Neolithic to Bronze Age (4850–3450 cal. BP) fire management of the Alpine Lower Engadine landscape (Switzerland) to establish pastures and cereal fields

Neolithic to Bronze Age (4850–3450 cal. BP) fire management of the Alpine Lower Engadine landscape (Switzerland) to establish pastures and cereal fields

Steady transformation of primeval forest into subalpine pasture during the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age (2300−1700 BC) in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland

Chemical Analysis of Pottery Demonstrates Prehistoric Origin for High-Altitude Alpine Dairying

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