Neolithic Lakeshore Settlements in Switzerland: New Insights on Site Formation Processes from Micromorphology

Abstract

Lakeside settlements can be regarded as a special type of archaeological site, as, thanks to their location near the shoreline, or even in the lake, various kinds of organic remains have been preserved under waterlogged conditions. This paper presents the results of six‐studied Neolithic lake dwellings from Switzerland. A series of natural and anthropogenic site formation processes were identified through micromorphological analysis and have been compared with natural processes in peatlands. The main processes can be summarized as follows: in the littoral zone a carbonate lake marl stratum accumulated prior to construction of the settlement. During lake regressions, the shore platform became dry and the settlements were established. Throughout the period of occupation, anthropogenic processes led to the accumulation of organic layers. The depositional regime can be characterized as paludal, dominated by constant humidity, and rapid covering of the remains. Some parts of the anthropogenic accumulations have been affected by erosion and reworking processes as a result of lake flooding, and runoff from the hinterland. Finally, the degradation of organic matter occurred only during dry phases when the groundwater level dropped. Seasonality was of great importance in this kind of milieu throughout the various processes described above. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Dynamics of Small Postglacial Lake Basins and the Nature of Their Archaeological Record: A Case Study of the Middle Palaeolithic Site Neumark‐Nord 2, Germany

“…particular, we can identify four phases of an increased presence of water in the basin: in units 6, 8, 11, and 14 ( Figure 8). It is possible that aquatic vegetation did not develop or evidence has not been preserved as a result of increasingly low (ground) water levels during or following deposition of those sediments (Ismail-Meyer, Rentzel, & Wiemann, 2013). Together with micromorphological evidence for both subaqueous and subaerial deposition by overland flow, we can interpret this as strongly fluctuating water conditions.…”

“…Although not reflected in the pollen record or by plant remains, the increased presence and diversity of water mollusks and presence of ostracods in lower unit 14 indicates increased water levels. It is possible that aquatic vegetation did not develop or evidence has not been preserved as a result of increasingly low (ground) water levels during or following deposition of those sediments (Ismail-Meyer, Rentzel, & Wiemann, 2013). Evidence from the basin margin (square 216/298) indicates that the waterbody present during the deposition of unit 8 extended beyond the inner basin margin.…”

“…Sedimentary basins are important archives of human evolution and its environmental context (Behrensmeyer, 2006), as exemplified by the large basins found in the Great Rift Valley in eastern Africa (Trauth et al, 2007), the Nihewan Basin in China (Dennell, 2013), the Guadix-Baza Basin in Spain (Scott & Gibert, 2009), basin sites such as 'Ubeidiya and Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (Shea, 1999;Goren-Inbar et al, 2000;Mallol, 2006) up to Neolithic lake settlements (Ismail-Meyer, Rentzel, & Wiemann, 2013). Two main factors explain the importance of sedimentary basins for the study of hominin behavior.…”

“…Due to their lower-lying position within the landscape, wetlands can often be found in these basins. Anaerobic conditions in these wetlands combined with rapid sedimentation result in good preservation of organic materials (Feibel, 2001;Ismail-Meyer, Rentzel, & Wiemann, 2013), providing long and rich archives of climatic and environmental change. The second factor of importance is the essential role that water plays in hominin survival.…”

Contacts under the lens: Perspectives on the role of microstratigraphy in archaeological research

“…Cases of trampling have been identified in prehistoric contexts of varied age (e.g., Dibble et al 2009;Gé et al 1993;Goldberg et al 2009;Ismail-Meyer et al 2013;Karkanas 2006;Miller et al 2013;Zerboni 2011) and corroborated with experiments (Balbo et al 2010;Banerjea 2011;Macphail et al 2004;Rentzel and Narten 2000;Wallace 2003). Comparisons with these cases will be used in future work at El Salt.…”