During the late Iron Age, the eastern Baltic was inhabited by Finno-Ugric and Baltic speaking societies whose territories were conquered in the thirteenth century as a result of the crusades. This paper examines the degree to which indigenous landscapes were transformed as a result of the crusades, and the evidence for maintenance of indigenous land-use practices. Vegetation and land-use history are

(2020). Correction. Environmental Archaeology. Ahead of Print.

The archaeozoological analysis sets point to the vital role of pigs in the subsistence economy of Early Medieval Mikulčice, an important Great Moravian centre (Czech Republic). The results of slaughtering distribution analyses indicate that pigs were a meat source for a consumer population. Analyses of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon suggest that the demand for pork was predominantly met by

The archaeological landscape of the Tadrart Acacus massif (SW Libya, central Sahara) is made of sites testimony of complex systems of cultural-specific settlement and economic strategies stretching over millennia of occupation. Here, caves and rock shelters represent the main physiographic features exploited by prehistoric herders. Climate fluctuations, settlement patterns and economic strategies regulate

This paper offers a new numerical approach to model the effects of archaeological site placement and population density on environmental suitability using two ecological models, the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) and Ideal Despotic Distribution (IDD), treating the Oued Loukkos in northern Morocco as an example. This method incorporates local resource depletion with increasing population density consistent

A range of methods have been applied to identify whether phytoliths have been heated or fired: morphological alterations, changes in colour and opacity, refractive index and Raman spectroscopy. As not all phytoliths seem to be affected in the same way, these methods are obviously limited and none provide satisfactory results for sufficient discrimination between heated/burned and unheated/unburned

Evidence from several earthwork-building societies has recently been discovered in Amazonia that challenges existing theories about precolonial, human-environment interactions. Combining data obtained by plant macrofossil analyses, archaeological excavations, historical sources, and indigenous oral histories, we focus on the pre-colonial sources of subsistence and domestication processes of some tree

Campanian Plain (southern Italy) mid-late Holocene landscape information is preserved by repeated eruption debris from the Mt Vesuvius volcano and the Campi Flegrei caldera and suggests a long-lasting prehistoric settlement pattern based on extensive plough-based agriculture dating between at least c. the 3rd millennium BC Agnano Monte Spina eruption and the Middle Bronze Age (1620-1430 cal BC) AP2

The colonisation of North America and subsequent adaptation to climate change are major research foci in the American Southeast. Here, we used the Ideal Free Distribution from Behavioural Ecology and projections of fossil pollen to generate predictions for landscape use. We tested these predictions against the distribution of previously recorded projectile points in the Paleoindian Database of the

This paper explores the concept of suitability within applications of Ideal Distribution Models (IDMs). Specifically, we investigate the effectiveness of single measures of suitability in contexts where diverse local populations practised a range of subsistence strategies with different environmental requirements and sociocultural consequences. To do so, we draw on legacy survey data from northern

ABSTRACT The beginning of commercial fishing in and around the North Sea is dated to ca. AD 1000, but it only reached the north-eastern Baltic with the Danish and Swedish colonists at the beginning of the 13th century. Their arrival changed the market and also the demand for seafood amongst locals. In this article, the foodways of fish resources, namely the production and consumption of fish, are examined

Beckery Chapel, near Glastonbury, is the site which has the earliest scientific dating evidence for monastic life in the UK, and later in the medieval period became a Chapel that played a significant role as a destination for pilgrims, as part of the Glastonbury Abbey estate. The site was previously excavated in the 1880s and the 1960s, and in 2016 the South West Heritage Trust excavated a building

Dental enamel represents an important mineralized archive of an individual’s early life. Previously, isotopic (Ca) or trace element ratios (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca) have been used to reveal dietary and weaning histories, although few studies have utilized both proxies to evaluate the respective results. Here we report histologically-defined, spatially-resolved Ca-isotope (laser-cut & TIMS) and trace element ratio

Speleothems are useful in detecting past geoenvironmental events. Variations in trace element concentrations may constitute a diagnostic of volcanic eruptions, enabling both dating and environmental impact assessment. This work attempts to detect possible ‘signatures’ of past volcanic eruptions in speleothems from Zoodochos Pigi cave on Santorini. Higher-than-usual concentrations of elements and minerals

Lembi Lõugas is a research track associate professor at the Tallinn University and the head of the Archaeological Research Collection department. Lembi’s special area of research includes archaeozoology, environmental archaeology and multidisciplinary studies. The animal groups included in her research are mostly those living in the North Europe, both the aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates are in

ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is on regionality, the use of main territories and how they are interlinked in the Mesolithic in south Norway during the culmination of the settlement of the mountain area, 8500–7600 cal BP. The main territories and their boundaries are identified by the distribution of specific lithic raw materials and one artefact type, distribution of ungulates and drainage systems

How might subsistence strategies structure the costs and benefits of habitat selection and, therefore, drive settlement patterning? We explore this question within an Ideal Distribution framework, arguing that (i) a habitat can be decomposed into its environmental covariates, (ii) their relative contributions to suitability can vary as a function of subsistence strategy, and (iii) the resulting differences

This paper presents the results of archaeobotanical studies carried out on the Late Mesolithic layer at Melnychna-Krucha (6460–6100 cal BC) and the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) site of Kamyane-Zavallia (5295–4960 cal BC), close to the Southern Bug River. Despite the relatively modest dataset presented in this paper, these preliminary results provide new data for a region where the environmental setting

Fluvial environments represent complex human-water systems, as floodplains have always been among the most suitable environments for human subsistence. In this paper, we present one of the first attempts to investigate human adaptation to fluvial environments in the past using spatial statistics (Point Pattern Analysis). In particular, the paper addresses the influence of alluvial geomorphology on

Recent research emphasises the importance of both within-group cooperation and between-group competition for human sociality, past and present. We hypothesise that the shift from foraging to food production in eastern North America provided novel socioecological conditions that impacted interpersonal and intergroup interactions in the region, inspiring both greater cooperation as well as competition

The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition is a classic topic of archaeological discussion, and the East Adriatic is of particular interest as a gateway region for agriculture entering Europe from the Near East. Neolithisation along the East Adriatic coast has been characterised as a two-wave process of leap-frog demographic replacement along the Dalmatian coast, followed by a longer process of acculturation

Following the Roman conquest, agricultural production in Britain faced increasing demand from large urban and military populations. While it has long been thought that this necessitated an increase in agricultural production, direct archaeological evidence for changes in cultivation practices has been scarce. Using a model that conceptualises cereal farming strategies in terms of intensive or extensive

The Elm Decline (ED), is a marked reduction in Ulmus recognised in pollen diagrams from across north/northwest Europe c. 5-6000 cal BP, the causes of which have been much discussed for over half a century, partly because of its broad chronological correspondence with the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. We present a formal statistical analysis of the ED chronology in Ireland, analysing its association

The Historic England Zooarchaeology Reference Collection includes more than 3470 mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish specimens, the majority of which are complete skeletons. It comprises important research collections that support internal, national and international projects, and is being continuously developed, mainly through in-house specimen preparation. The collection is housed in different

Iona is renowned for its early monastery, founded following the arrival of Columba in AD 563. This paper uses palaeoecological data to provide insight into the social and environmental transformations that influenced the landscape of Iona during the later prehistoric and historic periods. The identification of cereal pollen suggests that arable farming occurred during the Bronze Age and possibly continued

ABSTRACT Insect pests affecting standing and stored crops can cause severe damage and reduce yields considerably. Was this also the case in Neolithic Europe? Did early farming populations take a certain amount of harvest loss into account? Did they decide to change crops or rotate them when they became too infested? Did they obtain new crops from neighbouring communities as part of this process? Or

A large assemblage of small mammal and other small vertebrate bones was excavated within a relatively small area of a single room in a Roman villa close to the River Thames in South Oxfordshire. It is argued that these bones are the remains of barn owl pellets and that their presence shows that the roof on this room at least had remained intact for some time after either the entire building or this

Exploratory examinations were performed in sediments of archaeological levels from Cerro Casa de Piedra, cave 7 (CCP7). The aim of the present study was to identify parasitic remains present in the floor where human occupation has been reported. Parasite remains of Eimeria macusaniensis, molineids and two capillariids nematodes were identified. A single oocyst of Eimeria ivitaensis was found, resulting

Strontium isotopes allow tracking the scale and pattern of movements of people and animals. With the ultimate goal of reconstructing human mobility in the southern Andes (Argentina and Chile), we present isotopic values for rodent samples selected from the main geological units, thus contributing to building a macro-regional framework of bioavailable strontium. The results show an important variation

This study employs an ideal free distribution (IFD) model to conduct a fine-grained analysis of environmental factors affecting the pre-Columbian colonisation sequence and settlement patterning in the southern Lesser Antilles of the Eastern Caribbean. We compiled a database of all known archaeological site locations and associated chronological data from St. Vincent, the Grenadines, and Grenada, and

The aims of the present study were: (1) to examine the parasite fauna found in carnivore coprolites from Cueva Huenul 1 archaeological site, located in northern Patagonia (Neuquén Province, Argentina), (2) to evaluate the role of this carnivores in the cycle of zoonotic parasites in the past, (3) to discuss the possible effect of the infections in humans that inhabit the cave during the Quaternary

Zooarchaeological studies in Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Portugal have witnessed important developments in recent years, even if still largely based on taxonomic analyses. Other approaches depend heavily on the abundance and preservation conditions of faunal collections, which are often inadequate; such limitation prevents in-depth studies of animal exploitation strategies (e.g. the

This paper presents two high-resolution pollen records dating to ∼AD 1000–1400 that reveal the impacts of Norse colonists on vegetation and landscape around a remote farmstead in the Western Settlement of Greenland. The study is centred upon a ‘centralised farm’ (ruin group V53d) in Austmannadalen, near the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet (64°13′N, 49°49′W). The climate is low arctic and considered

The charred bulbs of tuber oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum) are found in different archaeological contexts from various periods all over Europe. However, following the pre-Roman Iron Age, the occurrence of the plant gets scarcer. To understand why and how the bulbs of tuber oat grass have entered the archaeological record, it is crucial to study the habitus and the ecology of the plant

Climate niches that modern humans and earlier hominin ancestors occupied have changed dramatically over time, but the extent of those changes has gone largely undocumented. This study investigates the manner in which the realised hominin climate niche has expanded, contracted, or stayed stationary across four time periods (Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, Mid-Holocene, and 1950–2000) in Western

Desiccated objects made out of wood and plant fibres are exceptional archaeological finds in Europe, due to prevailing climatic conditions. The use of wood and plant fibres as raw materials in the past is not well-known due to the scarce availability of archaeological finds, especially in comparison with other non-perishable materials (lithic, pottery, metals). Dry environments suitable for the conservation

The Nanhai No. 1 Shipwreck is a wooden ship sunk 800 years ago during the Southern Song Dynasty of China. The zoobenthic shellfish communities in the sediments covering the wreck came from 296 species from 5 phylums, of which 290 were molluscs. These molluscs were mainly composed of local marine fauna based on the literature. By comparing the structural parameters of the zoobenthic debris communities

For over a century, it has been pondered how the biting louse Heterodoxus spiniger, which evolved on the agile wallaby (Macropus agilis) in Australia/New Guinea, came to be found on domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) throughout much of the world. Various theories suggest that ancient transport of Australian dingoes (Canis dingo), or recent transport of domestic dogs or macropods are responsible for its

Kettle Falls, located 1125 km from the mouth of the Columbia River in present-day Washington State (USA), was the second-most important salmon fishing and trading locus on that river in the early historic era. We encapsulate the late Holocene history of the fishery by deriving a summed probability distribution function (SPDF) from 50 radiocarbon ages from 13 archaeological sites within 2 km of the

‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that manifest in landscapes (‘weather-worlds’). This paper elaborates the role of sea ice and sea ice hunting outside the lateglacial Doggerland beaches. The winter–spring sea ice was a seasonal extension of the continental plains, and a potential meeting ground for the human hunters of the plains and the mammals

Environmental archaeological enquiry has a long and vibrant history. Many of the same questions have persisted in archaeological dialogues over the past century. In particular, the effects of environmental change on demographic patterns, health, and societal stability are among the most pervasive questions being addressed by anthropological research. These studies have limitations, however. For example

(2019). Past Andean Pastoralism: A Reconsidered Diversity. Introduction to the Special Issue. Environmental Archaeology. Ahead of Print.

The archaeological site of Williamson’s Moss, located in north-west England, was excavated in the 1980s as part of an investigation of the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age populations living around the estuary of the River Esk in Cumbria. Recovery of plant remains was generally low, but bulk sediment samples were collected from different contexts as part of a project archive for future analysis

Archaeozoological assemblages are important sources of information on past management strategies, which are influenced by cultural practices as well as the physical geography and climate. Sheep, goat and cattle arrived in Europe with early Neolithic migrants. Their distribution is believed to have been mainly influenced by the geography of European regions although individual species may have held

The ongoing excavations at Black Loch of Myrton in south-west Scotland have revealed the existence of an Iron Age wetland village, preserved through both waterlogging and charring. Of particular interest is a single roundhouse (Structure 2) from which a large macroplant assemblage has been recovered. Dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating have revealed that this roundhouse was in use from 435 BC for

When compared with earlier periods, the Neolithic in Ireland (4000–2500 cal BC) witnessed enormous changes in the foods being produced, and the work involved in their production and processing. Several crops were introduced – archaeobotanical studies indicate that emmer wheat became the dominant crop, with evidence also for barley (hulled and naked) and flax. Gathered resources were not abandoned;

This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary investigation of the wreck of a riverine flat-bottom sewn barge dated to the fifth century AD. The wreck was recovered west of the city of Comacchio (Ferrara, North Italy), near the sixth century church Santa Maria in Padovetere (SMP). It was found in the silty sediments filling a paleo channel of the Po River and is one of the very few well-preserved

(2020). Integrated Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany: proceedings of the 2016 and 2017 workshops, University of Reading, UK. Environmental Archaeology: Vol. 25, Special Issue: Integrated Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany: proceedings of the 2016 and 2017 workshops, University of Reading, UK, pp. 131-134.

In this paper, we analyze the isotopic niche and resource use of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) and marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) on the temperate plain of the northern Pampa region in the southeast of South America. The measured stable isotope compositions in bone tissue are δ13C, δ15N and δ18O. All the analyzed samples were recovered from different archaeological

(2020). Fuelling the Fires: The Contribution of Wood Charcoal Analysis to a Landscape Scale Project at and Around Pre-Conquest Iron Age Silchester and a Reflection on Its Wider Implications. Environmental Archaeology: Vol. 25, Special Issue: Integrated Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany: proceedings of the 2016 and 2017 workshops, University of Reading, UK, pp. 227-245.

The integrated results of micromorphology, plant macrofossil, pollen, phytolith, and non-pollen palynomorph analyses represent an important study of two thirteenth-century Teutonic Order castles at Karksi (Livonia), and Elbląg (Prussia). The research examines deposits that formed during the period of active crusading. At Karksi, the investigation of a midden and of the organic-rich sediment beneath

Camelids were domesticated in the Andean highlands, such as in the puna habitat, and dispersed into lowland areas and the northern Central Andes. As camelids domesticated in a particular region would have had a greater economic benefit than visiting- or hunted wild camelids, it is important to reconstruct the dispersal of camelid husbandry from its initial site throughout the ancient Andean civilisation

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions were determined for camelid bone collagen, hair, and wool (fibre) sampled from textiles from archaeological sites in the Santa Valley (north coast of Perú) occupied during Moche III (El Castillo, A.D. 300−500) and Moche IV (Guadalupito, A.D. 500−700) phases; a small number of camelid bone collagen samples were also analysed from the Late Suchimancillo

Animals and plants, both farmed and hunted/collected, were an integrated part of the Neolithic food economy. When jointly analysed these can provide a holistic view of early food production systems which goes beyond individual descriptions of herd management and crop cultivation. Exhaustive surveys of both Neolithic zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical data were collected from the western Balkans

Morphometric analysis offers an alternative or augmentation to traditional archaeobotanical methods to address differences within and between plant species and their remains, refining and enhancing taxonomic resolution. Morphometrics, the measurement of size and shape, and the multivariate statistical analysis of generated quantitative variables, have long played a major role in biological research

This study investigates fireplaces in the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük in Anatolia, Turkey (levels South L–S and 4040 G–H, 6700–6100 BC). Taking a holistic view with a contextual, multi-scalar approach, I consider spatial and temporal dimensions: Large-scale landscape resources and small-scale material assemblages associated with food processing provide the context for the fireplaces, and I observe

Recent archaeological excavations carried out at the site of Bayovar-01 (occupied from the 5th to 8th centuries AD) in the Sechura Desert provide new data on the activities and adaptations of the desert’s ancient inhabitants. The presence of two small structures, a large activity area containing a significant amount of fish remains and traces of large hearths, indicate that Bayovar-01 was an opportunistic

People have harnessed beneficial microbes to preserve, protect, and improve food for thousands of years. However, the significance and techniques of food fermentation are poorly understood in prehistoric archaeology. This paper explains what food fermentation is and discusses its relevance in an early farming context. It sets out the beginnings of a theoretical and material framework that can be drawn

Palaeoparasitological investigation was conducted on a first set of samples from 13 sacrificed domestic camelids recovered from the pre-Hispanic Chimú culture site of Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, Peru. The aim was to establish the animals’ gastrointestinal parasite diversity and enlighten on their health status at the time of their death. To this end, 20 samples of coprolites and intestinal contents were

Pastoralism and camelid management have been essential to all aspects of pre-Hispanic Andean societies. Here, we present zooarchaeological and isotopic data on domestic camelid remains from Huaca Cao Viejo (El Brujo archaeological complex) on the northern coast of Peru, and dated to the Lambayeque/Sicán period—to characterise their biological age, diet, life history, possible geographic origin and