From foraging to farming in the Great Mazurian Lake District: palynological studies on Lake Miłkowskie sediments, northeast Poland

Early and mid Holocene local vegetational history, with special reference to woodland communities, was revealed by pollen analysis of a radiocarbon dated lake sediment profile from Lake Miłkowskie (Jezioro Miłkowskie) in northeastern Poland. The main factor controlling the dynamics of woodland composition changes until ca. 1950 b.c. was climate. After that, the role of human activity became increasingly important. The results of high-resolution pollen analyses provide evidence for early woodland disturbances caused by Mesolithic people at ca. 6950 b.c. Several episodes of human impact, differing in scale, and separated by subsequent episodes of woodland regeneration/stabilization were noted. The first traces of local crop farming, shown by the presence of Cerealia pollen, were recorded at ca. 3800 b.c. in the Paraneolithic/Neolithic period. Animal husbandry as well as cereal cultivation played only a marginal role in the economy, which was traditionally based on hunting, fishing and gathering through the Neolithic and the early Bronze Age. The change in economic strategies from foraging towards farming, starting around 3750 b.c., was a long-lasting process. An increase of productive economy took place in the middle Bronze Age at ca. 1400 b.c.     

Early Holocene environmental change and the presence of Mesolithic people in the Tungelroyse Beek valley near Mildert,the Netherlands

An archaeological excavation in the Tungelroyse Beek valley revealed the remains of two red deer specimens (Cervus elaphus) of Early Mesolithic age that possibly were the victims of hunter-gatherers. The find of animal remains of this age is unique in the Netherlands. In this respect, a sediment core taken close to the remains was investigated, i.e. to reconstruct the vegetation and landscape development of the site and to find more evidence for human activity at this site during the Early Mesolithic. The sediment core shows a typical Early Holocene palynological sequence from the Younger Dryas into the Middle Atlantic, which is supported by AMS dating. The microscopic charcoal record shows peaks in fire activity during the Younger Dryas and Friesland phase, probably wildfire related. Records of spores of coprophilous fungi indicate that the Tungeroyse Beek valley was a favourable place for large herbivores (game) to visit during the investigated period. However, around the age of the oldest red deer remains, no significant peak in fire activity or spores of coprophilous fungi is visible in the investigated record. The pollen diagram does not show disturbed or open vegetation around this age either. This study therefore suggests the impact of Early Mesolithic people on their environment was very low.     

Phenylketonuria and the peoples of Northern Ireland

The comparison of regional patterns of recessive disease mutations is a new source of information for studies of population genetics. The analysis of phenylketonuria (PKU) mutations in Northern Ireland shows that most major episodes of immigration have left a record in the modern genepool. The mutation I65T can be traced to the Palaeolithic people of western Europe who, in the Mesolithic period, first colonised Ireland. R408W (on haplotype 1) in contrast, the most common Irish PKU mutation, may have been prevalent in the Neolithic farmers who settled in Ireland after 4500 BC. No mutation was identified that could represent European Celtic populations, supporting the view that the adoption of Celtic culture and language in Ireland did not involve major migration from the continent. Several less common mutations can be traced to the Norwegian Atlantic coast and were probably introduced into Ireland by Vikings. This indicates that PKU has not been brought to Norway from the British Isles, as was previously argued. The rarity in Northern Ireland of IVS12nt1, the most common mutation in Denmark and England, indicates that the English colonialisation of Ireland did not alter the local genepool in a direction that could be described as Anglo-Saxon. Our results show that the culture and language of a population can be independent of its genetic heritage, and give some insight into the history of the peoples of Northern Ireland. Received: 23 October 1996 / Accepted: 26 February 1997     

Human population differentiation in the peri-Baltic Mesolithic: the odontometrics of Oleneostrovskii mogilnik (Karelia)

Odontometric data are reported for Oleneostrovskii mogilnik, a Mesolithic cemetery in the Karelian USSR. Containing the skeletal remains of 148 individuals and dated to 7500b.p., it is the largest and oldest of the known peri-Baltic Mesolithic cemeteries. The dental data from this site are compared to those from Skateholm, where dental dimensions closely approximate the mean tooth sizes for all late Mesolithic European material. Olenii ostrov possesses a significantly smaller dentition, despite antedating the Skateholm sample by 1500 years. Geographic, archaeological, linguistic and ancillary dental data are discussed which argue strongly for the presence in Mesolithic northern Europe of at least two quasi-isolated human mating networks. One of these, documented by Olenii ostrov, may also represent the earliest evidence for the establishment in the taiga zone of populations whose descendants are the modern Saami (=”Lapps”).     

The potential role of humans in structuring the wooded landscapes of Mesolithic Ireland: a review of data and discussion of approaches

This paper has two primary aims. Firstly, we review new data demonstrating interactions between people, plants, animals and woodlands in Mesolithic Ireland (ca. 8000–4000 cal. b.c.). This includes a synthesis of evidence from archaeological fishtraps, plant macrofossils, palynological indications of disturbance, and large mammal records. Secondly, we suggest that the potential role of humans in structuring the wooded landscape of the island of Ireland has been underestimated and is a key area for future research; Ireland may be an important case study for understanding the role of hunter-gatherers in influencing ecological relationships at the landscape scale. The new data demonstrate that existing models of the role of humans in structuring the wooded landscapes of Ireland are inadequate, and we suggest that new models are required.     

Late Mesolithic environmental change at Black Heath, south Pennines, UK: a test of Mesolithic woodland management models using pollen, charcoal and non-pollen palynomorph data

The recognition of Mesolithic impacts in mid Holocene pollen diagrams of the British Isles has led to the development of models describing sophisticated woodland management, particularly through the use of fire, by Mesolithic populations. However, the significance of human agency in creating mid Holocene woodland disturbances is unclear, with natural and human-induced clearings arguably indistinguishable in the pollen record. Analysis of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) should aid the identification of events and processes occurring within these woodland disturbances and provide more precise palaeoecological data. In this paper we present pollen, charcoal and NPP analyses from a potentially critical location in the Mesolithic impacts debate. NPP types aid significantly in the reconstructions, suggesting periods of dead wood, grazing, local burning and wetter ground conditions. The results indicate that between 7700 and 6800 cal b.p., a predominantly wooded environment periodically gave way to phases of more open woodland, with inconsistent evidence for animal grazing. From 6800 cal b.p., a phase of open woodland associated with high charcoal concentrations and indicators of grazing was observed. This probably represents the deliberate firing of vegetation to improve grazing and browse resources, although it remains unclear whether fire was responsible for initially creating the woodland opening, or if it was part of an opportunistic use of naturally occurring woodland clearings.     

Late Glacial and early Holocene environment in the middle Lahn river valley (Hessen,central-west Germany) and the local impact of early Mesolithic people—pollen and macrofossil evidence

The Late Glacial to early Holocene river valley landscape of the middle Lahntal in Hessen, central-west Germany, is reconstructed by means of pollen and macrofossil analyses. AMS ¹⁴C dating combined with pollen, macrofossil and geomorphological mapping provide a detailed chronology of the floodplain sediments of the river Lahn. Archaeological evidence for early Mesolithic settlements in the middle Lahntal is backed up by pollen and macrofossil evidence, which indicates an increase in light demanding plants, together with ones indicating nutrient-rich and disturbed environments and more macroscopic charcoal and charred pieces of pine. Different phases of human impact were dated; a first phase was dated at ca. 9,270 uncal b.p. and a second phase at ca. 9,120 uncal b.p. Comparison of the palynological data from different fluvial channel fills demonstrates that during this second phase, between ca. 9,120–8,700 uncal b.p., there were several cycles of woodland clearance. The outcome of combined archaeological, palynological and macrofossil data is discussed in terms of the impact of early Mesolithic people using fire on the vegetation during the early Holocene in the middle Lahntal.     

Vegetational changes and human presence in the low-alpine and subalpine zone in Val Febbraro,upper Valle di Spluga (Italian central Alps), from the Neolithic to the Roman period

An interdisciplinary palaeoecological study in the low-alpine and subalpine zones of Val Febbraro, upper Valle di Spluga (Italy), between 1830 and 2304 m a.s.l., suggests the temporary presence of early Neolithic groups at about 6000 uncal b.p. Evidence for local woodland clearance and charcoal dust were found. Phases of woodland and treeline disturbances, and indications of increased human presence are evident at about 5500, 5100, and 4000 b.p. A marked increase in disturbance, mainly related to pasturing, is dated to the beginning of the Bronze Age. The last major stage of human impact on the vegetation coincides with the Final Bronze phase and the beginning of the Iron Age, with a small temporary reduction during the Roman period. ¹⁴C dated archaeological sites and finds are broadly concordant with the phases of human impact on the vegetation. A summary figure is presented. No locally significant climatic changes have been traced during the last 6000 years, and if present, they are probably overshadowed by the vegetational changes caused by human activity. Communicated by F. Bittmann     

On the evolution of diet and landscape during the Upper Paleolithic through Mesolithic at Franchthi Cave (Peloponnese, Greece)

Franchthi Cave in southern Greece preserves one of the most remarkable records of socioeconomic change of the Late Pleistocene through early Holocene. Located on the southern end of the Argolid Peninsula, the area around the site was greatly affected by climate variation and marine transgression. This study examines the complex interplay of site formation processes (material deposition rates), climate-driven landscape change, and human hunting systems during the Upper Paleolithic through Mesolithic at Franchthi Cave based on the H1B faunal series. Building on earlier work, we establish the full spectrum of the meat diet using taphonomic evidence, and we analyze these data for trends in socioeconomic reorganization. Foraging patterns during the Aurignacian and “Gravettoid” occupations at Franchthi were terrestrial and already rather diversified in comparison to Middle Paleolithic diets in southern Greece. Hunting shifted abruptly to a mixed marine-terrestrial pattern during the Final Paleolithic, and fishing activities intensified though the Mesolithic. The zooarchaeological data indicate two consecutive trends of increasing dietary breadth, the first within an exclusively terrestrial context, and the second as marine habitats came into use through the end of the Mesolithic. The intensity of the human occupations at this site increased in tandem with intensified use of animal and plants. Comparison to the inland site of Klissoura Cave 1 indicates that the trend toward broader diets was regional as well as local.     

Prehistoric agriculture revealed by pollen analysis,plough-marks and sediment studies at Sola,south-western Norway

In 1985 archaeological excavations at Stavanger Airport, Sola, south-western Norway, revealed evidence for five phases of human activity ranging in age from the Mesolithic to the Late Bronze Age. The two youngest phases, namely 4 and 5 which reflect agrarian activity, are considered in detail in this paper. The fourth phase, which dates to ca. 3500 B.P., contains the first evidence of animal husbandry at the site and, in the fifth phase, there is evidence for a mixed farming economy. Physical evidence of cultivation includes intersecting patterns of plough-marks and, at seven sites, pollen assemblages indicative of arable farming have been recorded. The arable fields, in which weed-rich crops of Hordeum and Triticum were grown, date to ca. 2550-2200 B.P. The fields were subsequently covered by a thick layer of aeolian sand.     

Genomic affinities of two 7,000-year-old iberian hunter-gatherers

The genetic background of the European Mesolithic and the extent of population replacement during the Neolithic [1-10] is poorly understood, both due to the scarcity of human remains from that period [11-18] and the inherent methodological difficulties of ancient DNA research. However, advances in sequencing technologies are both increasing data yields and providing supporting evidence for data authenticity, such as nucleotide misincorporation patterns [19-22]. We use these methods to characterize both the mitochondrial DNA genome and generate shotgun genomic data from two exceptionally well-preserved 7,000-year-old Mesolithic individuals from La Bra?a-Arintero site in León (Northwestern Spain) [23]. The mitochondria of both individuals are assigned to U5b2c1, a haplotype common among the small number of other previously studied Mesolithic individuals from Northern and Central Europe. This suggests a remarkable genetic uniformity and little phylogeographic structure over a large geographic area of the pre-Neolithic populations. Using Approximate Bayesian Computation, a model of genetic continuity from Mesolithic to Neolithic populations is poorly supported. Furthermore, analyses of 1.34% and 0.53% of their nuclear genomes, containing about 50,000 and 20,000 ancestry informative SNPs, respectively, show that these two Mesolithic individuals are not related to current populations from either the Iberian Peninsula or Southern Europe.     

The Emergence of Mesolithic Cemeteries in SW Europe: Insights from the El Collado (Oliva,Valencia, Spain) Radiocarbon Record

Located on the Iberian Mediterranean coast, El Collado is an open-air site where a rescue excavation was conducted over two seasons in 1987 and 1988. The archaeological work excavated a surface area of 143m2 where 14 burials were discovered, providing skeletal remains from 15 individuals. We have obtained AMS dates for 10 of the 15 individuals by means of the direct dating of human bones. The ranges of the probability distribution of the calibrated dates suggest that the cemetery was used during a long period of time (781–1020 years at a probability of 95.4%). The new dates consequently set back the chrono-cultural attribution of the cemetery from the initial proposal of Late Mesolithic to an older date in the Early Mesolithic. Therefore, El Collado becomes the oldest known cemetery in the Iberian Peninsula, earlier than the numerous Mesolithic funerary contexts documented on the Atlantic façade such as the Portuguese shell-middens in the Muge and Sado Estuaries or the funerary sites on the northern Iberian coast.     

Plant subsistence and environment at the Mesolithic site T?gerup, southern Sweden: new insights on the “Nut Age”

Pollen was analysed from a sediment sequence collected in the close vicinity of the Mesolithic settlement T?gerup, southern Sweden. Macroremains were also retrieved from numerous samples taken at the site of the archaeological excavations of Kongemose and Erteb?lle settlement phases, 6700–6000 b.c. and 5500–4900 b.c. respectively. Plants and other organic remains were well preserved in the refuse layers from the settlements embedded in the gyttja. The pollen record includes no clear indications of human impact on the vegetation during the Mesolithic. The occurrence of charcoal particles and pollen of grass and herbs associated with nutrient-rich soils are contemporaneous with the Kongemose settlement. The Erteb?lle settlement phase, although characterised by considerable dwelling activities less than a hundred metres from the pollen sampling site, is scarcely seen in the pollen data. Numerous finds of crushed dogwood stones from the Kongemose phase, often partly carbonised, suggest that these stones were used for the extraction of oil. Other plants found in the Kongemose refuse layers that may have been used are apples, cherries, raspberries, acorns and rowan-berries. Based on the abundance of hazelnut shells found at the studied site and in other studies of Mesolithic sites in southern Scandinavia it is proposed that these remains may testify to an important food supply rather than just use as a supplement to animal protein. It is also hypothesised that a regional decrease in hazel populations and thus hazelnut availability at the end of the Mesolithic may have motivated the adoption of Neolithic subsistence.     

Vegetation, landscape and human activity in Midland Ireland: mire and lake records from the Lough Kinale-Derragh Lough area, Central Ireland

A high-resolution pollen record for the Holocene has been obtained from Derragh Bog, a small raised mire located on a peninsula in Lough Kinale-Derragh Lough, in Central Ireland as part of the Discovery Programme (Ireland) Lake Settlements Project. The data are compared with two lower resolution diagrams, one obtained from Derragh Lough and one from adjacent to a crannog in Lough Kinale. The general trends of vegetation change are similar and indicate that landscape-scale clearance did not occur until the Medieval period (ca. a.d. 800–900). There are, however, significant differences between the diagrams due primarily to core location and taphonomy, including pollen source area. Only the pollen profile from Derragh Bog reveals an unusually well represented multi-phase primary decline in Ulmus ca. 3500–3100 b.c. (4800–4750¹⁴C b.p.) which is associated with the first arable farming in the area. The pollen diagram indicates a rapid, and almost complete, clearance of a stand of Ulmus with some Quercus on the Derragh peninsula, arable cultivation in the clearing and then abandonment by mobile/shifting late Neolithic farmers. Subsequently there are a number of clearance phases which allow the colonisation of the area by Fraxinus and are probably associated with pastoral activity. The pollen sequence from adjacent to a crannog in Lough Kinale shows clear evidence of the construction and use of the crannog for the storage of crops (Hordeum and Avena) whereas the Derragh Bog diagram and the diagram from Derragh Lough reflect the growth of the mire. This study reveals that in this landscape the record from a small mire shows changes in prehistoric vegetation caused by human agriculture that are not detectable in the lake sequences. Although in part this is due to the higher temporal resolution and more consistent and complete chronology for the mire, the most important factor is the closer proximity of the raised mire sequence to the dry land. However, the pollen sequence from adjacent to a crannog does provide detailed evidence of the construction and function of the site. It is concluded that in order to ascertain a complete picture of vegetation changes in a lowland shallow lake-dominated landscape, cores from both the lake and surrounding small mires should be analysed.     

Detection of the impact of early Holocene hunter-gatherers on vegetation in the Czech Republic, using multivariate analysis of pollen data

Pollen data from the Czech Republic was used to detect the early Holocene impact of hunter-gatherers on vegetation based on a selection of 19 early Holocene pollen profiles, complemented with archaeological information regarding the intensity of local and regional Mesolithic human habitation. Archaeological evidence was assigned to simple categories reflecting the intensity of habitation and distance from pollen sites. Multivariate methods (PCA and RDA) were used to determine relationships between sites and possible anthropogenic pollen indicators and to test how these indicators relate to the archaeological evidence. In several profiles the pollen signal was influenced by local Mesolithic settlement. Specific pollen types (e.g. Calluna vulgaris, Plantago lanceolata, Solanum and Pteridium aquilinum) were found to be significantly correlated with human activity. The role of settlement proximity to the investigation site, the statistical significance of pollen indicators of human activity, as well as the early occurrence of Corylus avellana and its possible anthropogenic dispersal, are discussed.     

Neolithisation at the site Brandwijk-Kerkhof, the Netherlands: natural vegetation, human impact and plant food subsistence

Brandwijk-Kerkhof (ca. 4600 to 3630 cal b.c.) is a Neolithic site, located on a river dune in the Dutch Rhine/Maas river area. The natural vegetation and human impact upon it have been investigated by analysis of pollen and macroremains from four cores that are located at increasing distances up to 20 m from the site. The relationship between the strength of human impact on the vegetation and the distance of the cores from the river dune has been investigated as well. The results show that the natural vegetation on top of the river dune consisted of deciduous woodland, while in the surrounding wetlands alder carr and eutrophic marsh vegetation dominated. Human impact of limited strength resulted in more open and disturbed vegetation. There is no correlation between the strength of the evidence of human impact in the pollen diagrams and the distance of the cores from the river dune. The evidence for presence of crop plants from the cores is compared with evidence from the excavation. The first presence of crop plants from ca. 4200 b.c. onwards corresponds with data from other Dutch wetland sites. Large-scale local crop cultivation cannot however be demonstrated. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

New evidence of possible crop introduction to north-eastern Europe during the Stone Age

Long term (from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age) habitation of the Akali settlement on a clearly defined bog-island in East Estonia is used as an example of transitional development from a prosperous foragers’ habitation centre to a hinterland of established farming cultures, taking place through availability, substitution and consolidation phases of crop farming in the boreal forest zone. The pre-Neolithic finds of Triticum and Cannabis t. pollen at c. 5600 b.c. are interpreted as possible indications of the acquaintance of foragers with farming products, through contacts with central European agrarian tribes during the availability phase. The substitution phase is marked by more or less scattered pollen finds of various cereals and hemp and, at Akali, is connected with Neolithic period 4900–1800 b.c. An increasing importance of crop farming in the economy is characteristic of the consolidation phase, but because natural conditions are unfavourable for arable land-use, a regression of human presence is recorded during the second part of the Neolithic. The settlement was abandoned during the Bronze Age at the time when crop farming become the basis of the economy in Estonia. The re-colonisation of the area, traced to ca. a.d. 1200, took place for political reasons rather than through increasing suitability of the landscape.Editorial responsibility: Felix Bittmann     

La séquence mésolithique et néolithique du Trou Al’Wesse (Belgique) : résultats pluridisciplinaires

The site of Trou Al’Wesse has been interpreted as a site of possible contact between Mesolithic and Neolithic populations, given the discovery of Neolithic ceramics and Mesolithic tools in stratum 4. However, recent excavations have also revealed the presence of three Early Mesolithic facies overlain by a Neolithic layer, while a Late Mesolithic presence is suggested for a fourth facies at the base of the terrace slope. Lithic and faunal analyses, as well as spatial analysis of the stratigraphic position of material recovered, indicate a clear separation of Mesolithic and Neolithic occupations. We present a new interpretation of the sequence of Holocene human occupations at Trou Al’Wesse in light of these data, arguing that the site was regularly occupied during the Early Mesolithic, forming a palimpsest of these visits, followed by an occupational hiatus and then reoccupation during the Late Mesolithic. The Early Neolithic is a separate occupation clearly unrelated to the Early Mesolithic underlying it, but ongoing fieldwork may recover data concerning the Final Mesolithic and its relation to the Early Neolithic at the site.     

Further observations on the alleged presence of non-argyrophile argentaffin cells in the human gastro-intestinal tract

Summary The relationship between the argentaffin and argyrophile cells of the human gastro-intestinal tract has been studied by staining paraffin sections first by the Masson-Hamperl method and then by the Bodian method. The investigations confirms the author's earlier observation (Singh 1963) that all argentaffin cells of the human gastro-intestinal tract are also argyrophile and that there is no evidence to support the claim of Hellweg (1952) and of Hamperl (1952) regarding the presence of non-argyrophile argentaffin cells.     

Phytolith and starch analysis of sediment samples from two archaeological sites on Dauar Island,Torres Strait,northeastern Australia

Current archaeological research suggests that first human occupation of the Torres Strait Islands occurred sometime between 2500 and 3000 cal b.p., and evidence indicates that the development of agricultural mound-and-ditch systems occurred there after 1200 cal b.p. Although archaeological remains testify to the existence of a marine based subsistence economy prior to 1200 cal b.p., the potential presence of earlier prehistoric horticultural signatures has yet to be adequately examined. This study investigates such evidence through a preliminary application of fossil phytolith and starch grain analysis using excavated sediments from two archaeological sites on Dauar Island, eastern Torres Strait. The results show the early presence of yam (Dioscorea sp.), and Musa species not endemic to the island. The occurrence of these edible plant types in association with carbonised phytoliths and anthropogenic shell and bone deposits may be indicative of a combined insular horticultural and marine subsistence system on Dauar Island. We suggest that with a larger and appropriate phytolith reference set for the research area, there is a potential to more clearly define human induced changes to vegetation and patterns of subsistence in the Torres Strait Islands.