Felix Bittmann

The results of pollenanalytical and archaeobotanical studies presented here show the development of veg-etation in the state of Brandenburg, which was characterized by the climate and the associated natural spread of plants as well as the use of the resource forest by man. The plant food of humans was first obtained by gathering and, since the beginning of permanent settle-ment in the Neolithic period, mainly by means of agriculture. The cultivation of plants continued over the millennia, with most archaeological cultures showing their typical inventory of crops. The dynamics of these developments require further research, as there are still many spatial and temporal gaps. However, in addition to the influence of natural habitats such as climate, soil properties and water supply on agricul-ture, the importance of the exchange of crops and new methods of cultivation between different cultures regarding the local supply of food is already being shown.

ABSTRACT Mechanisms of climatic control on river system development are still only partially known. Palaeohydrological investigations from river valleys often lack a precise chronological control of climatic processes and fluvial dynamics, which is why their specific forces remain unclear. In this multidisciplinary case study from the middle Elbe river valley (northern Germany) multiple dating of sites (palynostratigraphy, radiocarbon- and OSL-dating) and high-resolution analyses of environmental and climatological proxies (pollen, plant macro-remains and ostracods) reveal a continuous record of the environmental and fluvial history from the Lateglacial to the early Holocene. Biostratigraphical correlation to northwest European key sites shows that river system development was partially out of phase with the main climatic shifts. The transition from a braided to an incised channel system predated the main phase of Lateglacial warming (˜14.6 ka BP), and the meandering river did not change its drainage pattern during the cooling of the Younger-Dryas period. Environmental reconstructions suggest that river dynamics were largely affected by vegetation cover, as a vegetation cover consisting of herbs, dwarf-shrubs and a few larger shrubs seems to have developed before the onset of the main Lateglacial warming, and pine forests appear to have persisted in the river valley during the Younger Dryas. In addition, two phases of high fluvial activity and new channel incision during the middle part of the Younger Dryas and during the Boreal were correlated with changes from dry towards wet climatic conditions, as indicated by evident lake level rises. Lateglacial human occupation in the river valley, which is shown by numerous Palaeolithic sites, forming one of the largest settlement areas of that period known in the European Plain, is assigned to the specific fluvial and environmental conditions of the early Allerød.

Palynological investigations on two well-dated peat profiles provide insights into Neolithic vegetation and settlement history from Hümmling in north-western Germany. The site selections allow comparisons between local and regional vegetation changes and are used to estimate the extent of Neolithic influence on the vegetation. The interpretation of the fossil spectra relied on radiocarbon dating, evaluation of pollen indicator taxa, non-pollen palynomorphs and multivariate techniques. During the late Mesolithic the vegetation was dominated by mixed oak forests while openings in forest cover were detected, with a decline in elm reflected in the regional pollen record around 4250 cal. b.c. The presence of humans is shown by settlement indicators that are first recorded at ca. 3800 cal. b.c. Vegetation changes were small between 4300 and 3600 cal. b.c. This suggests that regional vegetation was relatively resilient to small-scale disturbances. Possible indications of grazing were recorded in the spectra of the local pollen profile but there is no clear-cut evidence for Neolithic activity. Between 3520 and 2260 cal. b.c. decreases in forest cover were inferred from both profiles and increases in settlement indicators reflect farming activity. These changes coincide with the emergence in the area of the Funnel Beaker Culture and the subsequent Single Grave Culture. Both profiles suggest that settlement probably ceased between ca. 3230 and 3050 cal. b.c. This lull or cessation in activity was probably regional in character. After 2260 cal. b.c. human impact on the vegetation decreases and woodlands regenerate. The longevity of the regeneration phase—ca. 690 years—was probably connected with the low resilient capability of the vegetation on the poor soils.

Archaeological, geophysical and palynological prospections in the high plain of Kupres, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2009–2011

Between 2009 and 2011 surveys as well as palynological and geophysical prospections were carried out in the high plain of Kupres, Bosnia-Herzegovina. A 14C-date suggests human usage of the plain already during the Eneolithic. During the Bronze Age the plain seems to have taken on a sacred aspect, as grave mounds were built, most of them visible from quite far away. This suggests a significant opening of the landscape, which is confirmed by pollen analysis. Two probably contemporaneous hilltop settlements were placed so that the largest part of the mounds was not visible from there.

ABSTRACT In contrast to younger periods, studies integrating archaeological and environmental records for the Palaeolithic are still rare. Especially our knowledge about interactions between the drastic climatic/environmental changes and cultural developments during the Late Glacial is very limited. This multidisciplinary case study from river Jeetzel, a western Elbe tributary in Northern Germany, combines high resolution palaeoenvironmental investigations with fine-scaled archaeological research on stratified and surface sites. Various dating methods (palynostratigraphy, radiocarbon- and OSL-dating) and analyses of environmental and climatological proxies (pollen and plant macro-remains, ostracods, diatoms and green algae) on river palaeochannel sediments allow detailed reconstruction of interactions between Late Glacial climate, vegetation and fluvial developments. Biostratigraphical analyses on stratified archaeological sites and dating of charcoal / bone fragments from artefact scatters place the Late Palaeolithic occupation of Early Federmesser groups in an environmental context. Thus the former production of hitherto unknown amber art (amongst others a figurine representing a moose) can be ascribed to the Older Dryas and Early Allerød, which are the periods of main Late Glacial afforestation. Therewith our investigations suggest that Final Palaeolithic cultural changes may have been triggered by climatic and environmental transformations.

Die frühbronzezeitliche Siedlung Fidvár bei Vráble (SW-Slowakei) liegt am Schnittpunkt mehrerer Natur- und Kulturräume am Fuß der erzreichen Westkarpaten. Drei Generationen von Gräben mit wechselndem Durchmesser umgaben die Siedlung und bezeugen ihr Wachstum und anschließende Reduktion. Im Laufe der Besiedlung folgten hier die Hatvan-, Aunjetitzer und Mad’arovce-Kultur aufeinander. Durch botanische Analysen (Pollen und Großreste) und in enger Verbindung mit archäologischen, geochemischen und geophysikalischen Untersuchungen sollten die Bedeutung der Siedlung, die damaligen Lebensumstände und der Einfl uss der Besiedlung auf die Landschaft rekonstruiert werden. Dank der Datierungen ausgesuchter botanischer Reste konnte dabei eine genauere Chronologie des Siedlungsverlaufs erstellt werden. Es wurden Proben aus den Gräben, den zahlreichen Gruben und aus den Grundrissen von abgebrannten Häusern mit Erntegut untersucht. Gräben und Gruben waren sekundär mit Abfällen und Siedlungsschutt verfüllt und stellen somit gute Archive des Siedlungsgeschehens und dessen zeitlichen Verlaufs dar. Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) war wie an anderen Orten der Slowakei das wichtigste Getreide. Erste Isotopenanalysen geben Hinweise auf die unterschiedliche Standortqualität der Felder sowie die Art des Anbaus. Schlüsselwörter: Slowakei, Frühe Bronzezeit, Palynologie, Makroreste, Gräben, Gruben, Häuser, Schnecken.

The Early Bronze Age settlement Fidvár near Vráble (southwestern Slovakia), is situated at the intersection of several natural and cultural regions in the foreland of the western Carpathians, which are rich in ores. Three ditches of varying diameters surrounded the settlement successively and furnish evidence of its growth and decline in the course of colonisation by three consecutive cultures – the Hatvan, Únětice and Mad’arovce Cultures. The importance of Fidvár as a central site is most probably due to its geographic position. Botanical analyses (pollen and macro remains), linked with archaeological and geochemical as well as geophysical investigations, demonstrate the prominence of the settlement and allow a reconstruction of former living conditions and the impact of the settlement on the environment. A precise chronology of the development of the settlement was established by dating selected botanical remains. Samples were taken for analysis from the ditches, from the numerous pits and from the excavation area with burnt houses containing harvested products as well as from the associated burial ground. The ditches and pits had a secondary fi ll of waste and detritus, thus making them suitable archives for the reconstruction of the chronological development of the settlement. Preliminary results show that emmer (Triticum dicoccum) was the dominant cereal, like at other Slovakian sites but unlike sites in the Pannonian Basin and Hungary where barley (Hordeum vulgare) was of great importance. The fi rst results from isotope analyses shed light on fi eld quality and methods of cultivation.
Key words: Slovakia, Early Bronze Age, Palynology, Macro remains, Moats, Pits, Houses, Snails.

Mechanisms of climatic control on river system development are still only partially known. Palaeohydrological investigations from river valleys often lack a precise chronological control of climatic processes and fluvial dynamics, which is why their specific forces remain unclear. In this multidisciplinary case study from the middle Elbe river valley (northern Germany) multiple dating of sites (palynostratigraphy, radiocarbon- and OSL-dating) and high-resolution analyses of environmental and climatological proxies (pollen, plant macro-remains and ostracods) reveal a continuous record of the environmental and fluvial history from the Lateglacial to the early Holocene. Biostratigraphical correlation to northwest European key sites shows that river system development was partially out of phase with the main climatic shifts. The transition from a braided to an incised channel system predated the main phase of Lateglacial warming (∼14.6 ka BP), and the meandering river did not change its drainage pattern during the cooling of the Younger-Dryas period. Environmental reconstructions suggest that river dynamics were largely affected by vegetation cover, as a vegetation cover consisting of herbs, dwarf-shrubs and a few larger shrubs seems to have developed before the onset of the main Lateglacial warming, and pine forests appear to have persisted in the river valley during the Younger Dryas. In addition, two phases of high fluvial activity and new channel incision during the middle part of the Younger Dryas and during the Boreal were correlated with changes from dry towards wet climatic conditions, as indicated by evident lake level rises. Lateglacial human occupation in the river valley, which is shown by numerous Palaeolithic sites, forming one of the largest settlement areas of that period known in the European Plain, is assigned to the specific fluvial and environmental conditions of the early Allerød.► First high resolution record of Lateglacial fluvial dynamics in the Elbe system. ► New insights into the timing and climate dependency of fluvial processes. ► Fluvial development was partially out of phase with main climatic shifts. ► Vegetation cover as an important factor in controlling river system evolution.

Within a period of a few weeks toward the end of the Allerød Interstadial, the major Plinian eruption of the Laacher See volcano produced some 20 km3 of eruptiva, covering and preserving the late-glacial landscape in the German Central Rhineland over an area of more than 1000 km2. Correlation of terrestrial archives with the Greenland ice-core records and improved calibration of the radiocarbon timescale permit a precise, accurate age determination of the Laacher See event some 200 yr before the onset of the Younger Dryas cold episode. Carbonized trees and botanical macrofossils preserved by Laacher See Tephra permit detailed regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction and show that open woodland were typical for the cool and humid hemiboreal climatic conditions during the late Allerød. This woodland provided the habitat for a large variety of animal species, documented at both paleontological and Final Paleolithic archeological sites preserved below Laacher See deposits. Of special interest are numerous animal tracks intercalated in Middle Laacher See deposits at the south of the Neuwied Basin. This knowledge may help to evaluate possible supraregional impacts of this volcanic event on northern hemispheric environment and climate during the late Allerød.

Potthoff, Tanja / Robben, Fabian / Küchelmann, Hans Christian / Bittmann, Felix (2009): Die wirtschaftlichen Grundlagen eines Kleinraums am Rand der ostfriesischen Geest – frühmittelalterliche Fundstellen des Süder Hookers in Norden, Ldkr. Aurich. – Nachrichten aus Niedersachsens Urgeschichte 78, 93-119

Abstract
In 2007, prior to the construction of a bypass at Norden, Rural District of Aurich, East Frisia, two Early Medieval work sites and/or iron-smelting sites, which were probably only temporally occupied, were excavated there. Pottery finds date them to the 9th and 10th centuries AD. At iron-smelting site 7:46, the remains of a smelting furnace were discovered as well as the waste dumps of several others. Some two dozen round waterholes and finds of slag suggest that site “terp 30” was also connected with iron smelting. Both sites are situated in the “Süder Hooker”, an interesting area at the transition zone of the coastal marshland and the higher, dry and sandy land of the “geest”. Here we find a remarkable number of Early Medieval sites. The settlement of “Hoog Ses” on the geest has previously been excavated, in 1997. All the other sites are found on lower ground in the coastal marshland: seven terps and three sites on flat ground. There may be several reasons for the colonisation of the marshland during the 9th and 10th centuries AD: First of all, a fall in sea level began in about 850 AD. In addition, one might mention an increase in population and an economic revival after the annexation of East Frisia by the Carolingian Empire. The features of the sites on the marshland give the impression that they were only seasonally occupied.

Quaternary Research 58, 273–288 (2002)

Correlation of terrestrial archives with the Greenland ice-core records and improved calibration of the radiocarbon timescale permit a precise, accurate age determination of the Laacher See event some 200 yr before the onset of the Younger Dryas cold episode.

ABSTRACT The ancient lake settlement tradition is not characteristic of one particular geographical area or time period, but it is spread over various European regions and dates from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages (Menotti and O’Sullivan 2013). Already in the 19th century, lake settlements were discovered in the Baltic region as well as elsewhere. Although research concentrated on sites in Poland up to the end of the 20th century (Pydyn and Gackowski 2011; Pranckėnaitė 2014, this volume), recent discoveries have directed attention to Lake Luokesa (Luokesai ežeras), Lithuania, as the five articles in the present issue show. The Luokesa lake settlements L1 and L2, dated to the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age, were discovered at the very beginning of the 21st century and excavated between 2000 and 2011.The excavation (mainly of L1) was carried out underwater and revealed a thick cultural layer, containing extraordinarily well preserved organic material, which allowed an ...