Relics of cultivation in the vascular flora of medieval West Slavic settlements and castles

Abstract

Relics of cultivation in the vascular flora of medieval West Slavic settlements and castlesThis monograph presents results of research on relics of cultivation and the present vascular flora of sites of medieval fortified settlements and castles in Central Europe. Special attention was paid to 109 West Slavic sites located in Poland, northeastern Germany, and the Czech Republic. For comparison, floristic data were collected also at 21 sites of medieval settlements and castles of Baltic tribes, East Slavs, and Teutonic knights. Results of this study confirm the hypothesis that remnants of medieval fortified settlements and castles are valuable habitat islands in the agricultural landscape, and are refuges of the plants that have accompanied West Slavs since the Middle Ages. At the 109 West Slavic archaeological sites, 876 vascular plant species were recorded. The present flora of the study sites is highly specific, clearly distinct from the surrounding natural environment, as shown by results of analyses of taxonomic composition, geographical-historical and synecological groups, indices of anthropogenic changes of the flora, and degrees of hemeroby (i.e. human influence) at the studied habitats. The sites of fortified settlements and castles are centres of concentration and sources of dispersal of alien species. Aliens account for nearly 21% of the vascular flora of the study sites. Among them, a major role is played by archaeophytes (101 species). Some archaeological sites are characterized by a high contribution of so-called species of old deciduous forests (98 species). Despite many features in common, floras of archaeological sites vary significantly, depending on their geographical location, size, typology, and chronology of their origin. Historical sites occupied in the past by West Slavs differ in the current vascular flora from the sites occupied in the Middle Ages by East Slavs or Baltic tribes and from Teutonic castles. West Slavic archaeological sites are primarily refuges for 22 relics of cultivation. Considering the time of cultivation, 3 groups of relics were distinguished: (i) relics of medieval cultivation (plants cultivated till the late 15thcentury); (ii) relics of cultivation in the modern era (introduced into cultivation in the 16thcentury or later), and (iii) relics of medieval-modern cultivation. These species play a special role in research on the history of the flora of Central Europe and thus also of the world flora. Thus the best-preserved sites of medieval West Slavic settlements and castles should be protected as our both cultural and natural heritage. This work is a key contribution to geobotanical research on transformation of the vegetation associated with human activity. Considering the problem of relics of cultivation it corresponds also to basic ethnobotanical issues.

Allium ursinum: botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological overview

“…The Greek physician Dioscorides mentioned four kinds of onion, among them A. ursinum and also attributed a detoxifying effect to the plant (Meyer et al 1999 ; Richter 1999 ). Ramson was well known also in the Middle Ages; it belongs to the group of plants often found at medieval West Slavic archeological sites (Celka 2011 ). King Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne, included A. ursinum in his Capitulare de Villis imperialibis , where he formally cataloged plants, mostly those possessing medicinal properties, and documented how the gardens should be planned and cared for (Clickner 2011 ).…”

Changes in the vascular flora of a postflotation zinc–lead ore spoil heap of the “Orzeł Biały” mining and smelting works in Bytom (Silesian Upland) after 15 years

“…The nomenclature of the taxa follows Mirek et al [21]. The vascular flora of the investigated spoil heap was analyzed in terms of the share of the species that belong to botanical families [21], the frequency of the occurrence of a species, the tolerance of the taxa to an increased Zn and Pb content in the soil [22][23][24], the shares of the geographical-historical groups [21,[25][26][27], life forms [22,25,26], ecological groups [25,26,28,29], life strategies [28,30,31], and the mode of seed dispersal [28]. The habitat preferences of the species were assessed based on the Ellenberg's indicator values (EIVs) for light (L), temperature (T), moisture (F), soil reaction (R), and productivity (N) [32,33].…”

Using floristic characteristics of contemporary vegetation for identifying archaeological sites: Tel ‘Eton archaeological site as a test case

“…They also require long and tedious fine-tuning of the method in order to understand the patterns and their discrepancies (Galiatsatos 2004;Parcak 2009;Menze and Ur 2012;Campana 2016;Kirk, Thompson and Lippitt 2016). Some studies in Europe and North America examined the relations between current vegetation cover and the past land use (Brook and Johannes 1990;Dupouey et al 2002;Dambrine et al 2007;Celka 2011). Yet, in our heterogeneus region, the issue was almost not studied nor referenced at all.…”