The first millennium AD was a transformative period when many of the medieval kingdoms of Europe began to take shape, but despite recent advances in palaeoecological and archaeological research there remains a shortage of interdisciplinary collaborative research targeting this period. For some regions we know relatively little about the societies who lived during this formative period. This current investigation focusses on an early medieval elite centre near to Rhynie in NE Scotland; an important power-centre during the fourth–seventh centuries AD as evidenced by a remarkable series of Class I Pictish symbol stones, fortified enclosures at Cairn more, Tap o’ Noth and the Craw-Stane, as well as high status metal-working and a range of continental imports from the Craw-Stane enclosure. However, by the end of the seventh century AD, elite focus appears to have shifted elsewhere with the Craw-Stane and Cairn More enclosures all being abandoned. By combining paleoenvironmental analysis with available historical and archaeological archives this paper provides new insights into societal change during the first Millennium AD, with focus on the economic, social and environmental impacts caused by the rise and subsequent abandonment of elite nodes of power. A calibrated age of AD 260–415, near the base of the core, coincides with the earliest dates for the Craw-Stane complex and pre-dates the construction of the nearby Cairn More enclosure. The results provide a rare snapshot of the Late Roman Iron Age to Medieval environment of Northeast Scotland. This centre appears to have been supported by a rich agricultural landscape, with evidence of pastoral and arable farming, and potential metal working. One of the most significant findings of this study has revealed that despite abandonment of these elite enclosed sites by the seventh century AD, people continued to utilise the surrounding landscape and available resources right through until modern times.

公元第一个千年是一个转型时期，许多中世纪的欧洲王国开始形成，但是尽管古生态学和考古学研究取得了最新进展，但仍然缺乏针对这一时期的跨学科合作研究。对于某些地区，我们对这个成长时期所生活的社会知之甚少。当前的调查重点是苏格兰东北部Rhynie附近的早期中世纪精英中心。公元四世纪至七世纪是重要的权力中心，一系列杰出的I级Pictish符号石，位于Cairn more的坚固围墙，Tap o'Noth和Craw-Stane以及高水平的金属加工和加工证明了这一点。从Craw-Stane防护林进口的一系列大陆。但是，到公元七世纪末，精英的焦点似乎转移到了其他地方，克劳·史丹（Craw-Stane）和凯恩·莫尔（Cairn More）围墙全部被废弃了。通过将古环境分析与可用的历史和考古档案相结合，本文提供了对第一个千年公元前社会变革的新见解，重点关注了由权力精英节点的崛起和随后的放弃所造成的经济，社会和环境影响。岩心底部附近的校准时间为公元260–415年，与Craw-Stane建筑群的最早日期相吻合，并且早于附近的Cairn More围墙的建造。结果为罗马东北晚期到中世纪苏格兰中世纪环境的罕见快照。这个中心似乎得到了丰富的农业景观的支持，有牧场和耕作的证据，和潜在的金属加工。这项研究最重要的发现之一表明，尽管在公元七世纪之前已经放弃了这些封闭的精英地区，但人们一直在利用周围的景观，直到现代。