The numerous lake and peat sedimentary archives of Central European Russia are ideal for studying the Lateglacial–Holocene climate and vegetation history of the region. However, robustly dated palaeoenvironmental records have only become available in the last decade and are still few and far between. Together with the continuously growing archaeological record and increasing focus on absolute dating of cultural assemblages, such records, where available, offer an excellent opportunity to study human-environment interactions in the region. For this study we selected one of the most detailed regional pollen records, from a 4.5-m-long sediment section from Zmeinoe Mire (56°16′53″ N, 31°15′36″ E) at Zhizhitskoye Lake (165 m a.s.l.). We performed quantitative pollen-based biome reconstruction and constructed a Bayesian age-depth model to ensure maximum chronological control of the sediment succession. To link the reconstructed vegetation changes to human activities, we gathered and summarised available archaeological data from the study area. Our results show that humid conditions and taiga-like patchy forests (spruce, pine, birch) dominated the study region during the Lateglacial. The Early Holocene (ca. 11,650–8000 cal yr BP) was marked by a warming and drying trend indicated by the spread of cool temperate evergreen trees (elm, lime, hazel) and the retreat of spruce. Warmest conditions, expressed by the maximum contribution of temperate deciduous woody taxa to the pollen assemblages, were recorded during the Middle Holocene (ca. 8000–4000 cal yr BP) when Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-fisher-gatherer groups flourished in the region. The pollen record suggests that the regional climate became cooler and wetter after 4000 cal yr BP, which may explain the decline of the Neolithic pile dwelling settlement Naumovo at Zhizhitskoye Lake around 3800 cal yr BP. Evidence for human impact on natural forest vegetation becomes visible from 5000 cal yr BP, although it remains at modest levels until the end of the Neolithic (3500–3000 cal yr BP). Decline in arboreal pollen percentages intensified after ca. 2800 cal yr BP, indicating the onset of increased deforestation for pasture, farmland, construction material and fuel by Iron Age populations. This is in line with the foundation of the fortified Iron Age Anashkino settlement north of Zhizhitskoye Lake dated to around 2750 cal yr BP. Forest clearance further increased during the second half of the Iron Age (5th century BCE–5th century CE) and again from ca. 1200 cal yr BP after the onset of the Middle Ages.

俄罗斯中欧众多的湖泊和泥炭沉积档案是研究该地区晚冰期-全新世气候和植被历史的理想场所。然而，过时的古环境记录直到最近十年才出现，而且仍然很少。连同不断增长的考古记录和对文化组合绝对年代的日益关注，这些记录（如果有）提供了研究该地区人类与环境相互作用的绝佳机会。在这项研究中，我们选择了最详细的区域花粉记录之一，来自 Zmeinoe Mire（北纬 56°16′53″，东经 31°15′36″）的一个 4.5 米长的沉积物剖面，位于 Zizhitskoye 湖（海拔 165 米）。 ）。我们进行了基于花粉的定量生物群落重建，并构建了贝叶斯年龄深度模型，以确保对沉积物演替的最大时间顺序控制。为了将重建的植被变化与人类活动联系起来，我们收集并总结了研究区的可用考古数据。我们的结果表明，在晚冰期，潮湿的条件和类似针叶林的斑驳森林（云杉、松树、桦树）在研究区域中占主导地位。全新世早期（约 11,650-8000 cal yr BP）的特点是变暖和干燥趋势，表现为冷温带常绿树木（榆树、石灰、榛树）的蔓延和云杉的退缩。最温暖的条件，表现为温带落叶木本分类群对花粉组合的最大贡献，记录在全新世中期（约 8000–4000 cal yr BP），当时该地区中石器时代和新石器时代的狩猎-捕鱼-采集群体蓬勃发展。花粉记录表明，4000 cal BP 后区域气候变得凉爽湿润，这可能解释了 3800 cal BP 前后芝芝科耶湖新石器时代桩居聚居地 Naumovo 的衰落。从 5000 cal yr BP 开始，人类对天然森林植被影响的证据变得可见，尽管直到新石器时代末期（3500-3000 cal yr BP）仍处于中等水平。约后树栖花粉百分比的下降加剧。2800 cal yr BP，表明铁器时代人口开始增加对牧场、农田、建筑材料和燃料的森林砍伐。这与治日茨科耶湖以北约 2750 cal BP 铁器时代 Anashkino 定居点的基础相一致。在铁器时代下半叶（公元前 5 世纪至公元 5 世纪），森林砍伐进一步增加，大约从公元前 5 世纪起再次增加。中世纪开始后 1200 cal yr BP。