Mid-Holocene Palaeoenvironment, Plant Resources and Human Interaction in Northeast Iberia: An Archaeobotanical Approach

Abstract

The role of the adoption of farming economies in the transformation of mid-Holocene landscapes in Northeast Iberia is under discussion given that the Neolithization coincides with the cold climatic phase dated ca. 7500–7000 cal BP. The main aim of this paper is to assess whether human activities or climate were the main driver of vegetation changes during the Middle Holocene through the study of the archaeobotanical data from three case studies: Cova del Sardo, La Draga, and Coves del Fem. The application of diverse archaeobotanical techniques to the different plant remains provides a complete picture of the vegetation composition and plant uses. During the early Neolithic, settlement surroundings were intensively exploited for firewood, wood raw material, timber, and plant fibers. The resources were obtained mainly from deciduous and pine forests, depending on the site localization, but also from riparian zones. The diversity of plants exploited was high, not only trees but shrubs and herbs. Evidence of deforestation has been identified in the settlement surroundings in La Draga and Cova del Sardo. The combination of plant exploitation with other agropastoral activities favored the expansion of colonizing species and enhanced biodiversity at a local scale.

Resinous deposits in Early Neolithic pottery vessels from the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula

“…was the main taxon used as fuel from the Mesolithic onwards across the territory (Piqué et al, 2018), Pinaceae twigs and branches could have been used as fire starters (Peña and Zapata, 2003) when pottery vases would have been most probably still away from the fire. Regional studies in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula suggest pine would only be used as firewood in mountainous sites where oak forests were absent (Piqué et al, 2021). Yet, conifers such as Pinus sp.…”

Archaeoecology. The Application of Palaeoenvironmental Sciences for the Reconstruction of Human–Environment Interactions

“…R. Piqué et al [13] discuss whether human activities or climate were the main driver of vegetation changes during the Middle Holocene through the study of the archaeobotanical data from three Neolithic archaeological sites from NE Iberia: Cova del Sardo, La Draga and Coves del Fem. In this work, the application of diverse archaeobotanical techniques to the different plant remains provides a complete picture of the vegetation composition and plant uses.…”

“…Firstly, some papers remark the value of holistic interdisciplinary research based on geoarchaeological [9] and archaeoecological [10] approaches to assess environmental and social dynamics. Second, the potential of palynology in the study of landscape transformation is addressed in [11,12], whereas [13] shows the high relevance of interdisciplinary archaeobotanical research in the study of plant uses and landscape reconstruction. Third, this Special Issue shows the potential of the interdisciplinary study of dung, based on geoarchaeological and ethnographical data [14], on taphonomy of opal phytoliths and calcitic dung spherulites [15], and the potential of palaeoparasitological analyses in archaeological sites to reconstruct the health of ancient populations and the history of diseases [16].…”