AMS-dated archaeobotanical assemblages from hearth deposits of Middle Yayoi (fourth century bce–first century ce) cultural layers of the Maenakanishi site (36°09′N, 139°24′E) in northern Saitama Prefecture demonstrate that besides rice, foxtail and broomcorn millet were the most important staple crops during the second and first centuries bce. The reliance on less demanding dry-field crops at Maenakanishi

Integration of a diverse set of data from pollen, wood, macrofossils and dendrochronological studies from the Sierra de Ayllón, a mountainous region in central Spain, enables one of the most complete palaeoecological vegetation reconstructions for almost the whole Holocene on the Iberian Peninsula. Previously, the absence of pollen data for the early Holocene in the eastern part of the Sistema Central

This paper reviews the results of the many years of investigations on the ecological aspects of settlement development in the oldest districts of the city of Gdańsk, the impacts of the changing climate and growing human pressure on the local environment, as well as the question of plant use by the inhabitants during the Middle Ages. Before the settlement was established, the landscape was dominated

The Spanish conquest of the Cuchumatanes Highlands (1524–1541 ce) led to dramatic land use changes adhering to colonial practices and values, which included the rearing of livestock, agriculture, timber extraction, mining, and the relocation of indigenous populations to new settlements. These changes are often recorded in historical accounts and official records; however, these are sparse, incomplete

Palaeoecological analyses including pollen and charcoal analyses on a sediment core (NP3) collected from Nong Pling freshwater spring area in Thong Pha Phum, western Thailand are used to reconstruct past environmental change. The results demonstrate that there were changes in plant composition over the past 700 years resulting from interactions between hydrological conditions in relation to rainfall

Excavation work carried out at Istres and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Provence, Southern France), in the framework of preventive archaeology, uncovered evidence of ancient gardens (13/14th–17th centuries), equipped with lined wells. Significant numbers of waterlogged remains of fruit species as well as legumes and condiments provided information on the availability of “healthy” foods to complement and

The archaeological sites of Shunshanji and Hanjing are recorded as the earliest Neolithic sites in the middle Huai river valley, China, which were occupied between 8,500 and 7,500 cal bp, and provide crucial evidence of rice growing. However, the water availability and management of arable land systems for rice cultivation and the main stages of rice processing at the two sites have not been studied

We investigated lake sediments from Großer Ursee, Landkreis Ravensburg, Allgäu, Baden-Württemberg, to explore whether human activity was delayed and less intense at higher sites compared to those in the adjacent lower area around Bodensee (Lake Constance). A 11.1 m high resolution pollen profile from the centre of the lake was analysed, which covers the late Würm and complete Holocene sequence, providing

In a continuous, perfectly stratified sedimentary sequence which was discovered under a large sandstone overhang in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic, we analysed multiple biological remains, archaeological features and artefacts. This multi-proxy record has allowed us to examine the interactions between woodland and humans in a permanently wooded environment throughout almost the entire Holocene. We

Throughout Earth’s most extreme environments, such as the Kalahari Desert or the Arctic, hunter–gatherers found ingenious ways to obtain proteins and sugars provided by plants for dietary requirements. In the hyperarid Atacama Desert, wild plant resources are scarce and unevenly distributed due to limited water availability. This study brings together all available archaeobotanical evidence gathered

Relative pollen productivity (RPP) is critical for quantitative vegetation reconstruction of past vegetation cover. The Extended R-value (ERV) model is commonly used for estimating RPP. In this study, we used modern pollen assemblages from 30 randomly selected surface sample sites, and these and vegetation data were applied to an ERV model to estimate pollen productivity of Pinus, Quercus, Corylus

This paper is a palaeoenvironmental investigation into prehistoric farming activity in the southern Burren, a distinctive karst landscape in western Ireland, from the Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age (ca 4600–10 bc). This archaeologically rich landscape has been exploited by humans since the Neolithic and both the archaeological record and published pollen records from the area attest to its importance

Riwi, a limestone cave located in the south central Kimberley, northwest Western Australia, has one of the most accurately dated archaeological sequences in Australia, with human occupation beginning between 46,400 and 44,600 cal bp. Macrobotanical remains are well preserved at the site, particularly in upper stratigraphic units 1 and 2 dated to the late and mid-Holocene, respectively. Macrobotanical

The present study provides a critical review of the available historical data on the distribution of Abies nebrodensis, a fir tree endemic to Sicily. The only (somewhat ambiguous) references to its occurrence on Mount Etna date back to the 1st century bc and refer back to the 3rd century bc. Although the botanical and forestry literature and the very few surviving herbarium specimens do not prove that

Conifer-stomata analysis is an essential part of the palaeoecological toolbox because it allows the determination of the local presence of plant populations with a lower degree of uncertainty than pollen analysis. Although the European postglacial pool of conifer taxa is broad, stomata morphologies for only few taxa have been investigated. Prior stomata morphology studies focused on taxa having wide

This article explores the Late Bronze Age agrarian intensification in the south-east Baltic. In recent years several studies have illustrated that to date there is no solid evidence on Neolithic farming and that the agricultural history of the region was probably distinctly different in comparison to other parts of northern Europe. The recently excavated Kukuliškiai settlement (887–406 cal bc) in coastal

Kilgii Gwaay is an early Holocene archaeological wet site located in the intertidal zone of Ellen Island in the southern Haida Gwaii archipelago of coastal British Columbia, Canada. The Kilgii site includes one of the oldest shell middens in western North America and provides evidence of early maritime adaptations by humans. Radiocarbon-dated cultural deposits that surround a small palaeopond (Kilgii

This study of the Kanna calcareous spring fen on Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, elucidates its history of fen development and vegetation diversity over the last 9,200 years. Pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs, macrofossils, loss-on-ignition and humification index analyses were carried out to reconstruct fen succession, vegetation development, environmental changes and human impact. Hierarchical

Woody plant resources are important to human societies today and were also in the past. Here we assess the woody plant resources available to peoples in Northeastern Argentina in the pre-Hispanic period and assess how they were used. The Upper Paraná Delta (Entre Ríos province, Argentina) was occupied by indigenous societies during the last 2000 years, and evidence of those peoples has been found at

Newly acquired palaeobotanical data, including pollen, charred and uncharred wood, provided an exhaustive overview of the temporal changes in woodlands, which changes are due to the cumulative effect of natural processes and the long-term impact of pre-agrarian societies. We used the unique advantage of the peat bog archaeological site at Szczepanki located on an island in the former Lake Staświn (Masurian

Historic land survey records (LSRs) offer important details on local- and landscape-scale vegetation patterns related to Native American land-use practices prior to widespread Euro-American settlement. This study’s use of an expanded range of vegetation-related variables derived from LSR sources, combined with archaeological site distribution data, and analysed using complementary multivariate statistical

Waldgirmes in Hesse (Germany) is one of the oldest Roman towns east of the Rhine River. It was founded in 3 bc and abandoned after ad 9, probably in ad 16, when the departing soldiers set fire to the town. In one of the two excavated wells, partially laminated, organic-rich sediments have been preserved which were deposited during the colonisation of the town. The pollen, plant macro-remains and micromorphological

The twofold aim of this study was to investigate the long-term landscape development in an intensely cultivated region of south-western Scania, southern Sweden, and to discuss the potential of pollen records from wells for this purpose. Pollen records from 36 different wells from 12 archaeological sites were compiled. Based on 35 of the wells, ranging ca 800 cal bc–cal ad 1900, regional vegetation

Pollen analysis has long been used as a tool to make an assessment of regional vegetation. On-site pollen samples are taken for the same purpose at some excavations, because they are often the only available contexts with good preservation conditions. This paper shows that the analysis of on- and off-site pollen samples from the same region (West Frisia, the Netherlands) and time period (Dutch Bronze

National parks are supposed to protect large-scale ecological processes, along with species and ecosystems. Detailed knowledge about past vegetation and disturbance regimes therefore forms an important basis for appropriate management. In the Bavarian Forest National Park in SE Germany, we therefore studied fossil pollen, spores and macrofossils from lake Rachelsee, a nearby mire, and Stangenfilz mire

Reference collections of phytoliths from plant taxa commonly used by the ancient inhabitants of an archaeological site are critical to researchers conducting analyses on these microbotanical remains. Phytoliths recovered from the site are compared to those in reference collections to make inferences about which taxa were being used, as well as where, why and how. This study presents one of the first

The results of high-resolution records of pollen, plant macroremains and charred plant particles, diatoms, Cladocera and geochemistry from a 14C-dated core, and geomorphological studies enabled the reconstruction of landscape development at a site in western Poland which was occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups. Special attention was paid to the evidence of human activities recorded in the

Human activities have profoundly transformed mountain woodland landscapes, particularly in the Pyrenees where they have intensified and diversified since the Bronze Age. Quantification of the role played by past practices with regard to woodland cover is critical for accurate assessment of how ongoing global environmental change may affect its dynamics in the future. A local study was made of charcoal

In a paper from 1942 Johannes Iversen described a warm phase prior to the Allerød warming from lake Bølling in western Denmark and thereby extended the common classification of Lateglacial biostratigraphy. Iversen’s assumptions concerning the Bølling-Oscillation were based on sedimentological features and high Betula (birch) pollen values in two pollen samples prior to the onset of the Allerød warming

Located in the Romanian Banat region, the Late Bronze Age (LBA) fortification Corneşti-Iarcuri is the largest known prehistoric settlement in Europe. Archaeobotanical and geoarchaeological investigations have targeted the reconstruction of vegetation, land use practices and subsistence strategies at the site, together with related human impact and environmental changes in the wider study area. Since

Abstract Pendimoun rock-shelter is among the oldest Neolithic sites known on the French littoral (Impressa culture, since ca. 5700 bce). It was discontinuously occupied from the Mesolithic to the end of the Neolithic. During the Neolithic, it was used for pastoral purposes and domestic activities as well as for pottery production. Agriculture and cereal processing are clearly attested during the Impressa

Abstract Fuelling ancient Maya cities and industries has been identified for some time now as a critical concern for the pre-Columbian Maya, especially since there is evidence of dramatic deforestation throughout the Maya Lowlands during the Preclassic and Classic periods. This article aims to trace the domestic fuel economy at the lowland site of Naachtun, Guatemala, over 8 centuries (150–950 ce)

Abstract Annual pollen accumulation rates of the main tree and shrub taxa of European Russia (Picea, Pinus, Betula, Alnus, Quercus, Tilia, Fraxinus, Ulmus and Corylus), as well as several herbaceous taxa (Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia), were obtained using Tauber pollen traps which were placed along a northwest to southeast transect in European Russia. The work was carried out within

Abstract Many recent studies recognize the crucial role that ancient agropastoralists (pastoralists who also engaged in farming) in Xinjiang played in facilitating dispersal of prehistoric crops across Eurasia. However, most of these studies predominantly relied on only fragments of the much larger amount of data found in local Chinese journals. This article reviews archaeobotanical and stable isotope

Abstract The rising demand for charcoal from industrialization during the eighteenth century led to the establishment of a large number of charcoal production sites (CPSs) within the woodland ecosystems of Europe. The CPSs still present today can be investigated to assess the past woodland composition in terms of taxa present and timber size, at a high spatial resolution. The present study was done

Abstract This paper is a review of the seeds/fruits obtained from about one hundred Roman period archaeological sites (ca. 3rd century bc to 6th century ad) located in Northern Italy. The types of deposit involved are various, and come from residential, productive and other structures (A sites), and cemeteries and cult areas (B sites). The aim of this study is to highlight the seeds/fruits of food

Abstract Dendrochronological studies demonstrate a highly dynamic settlement system in prehistoric wetland sites in the northern Alpine forelands. In this article, we apply an agent-based simulation model of the human–environment system to better understand possible causes of these dynamics. Therefore, we formulate a generic quantitative model of land use and calorie supply in Neolithic wetland sites

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the history of the olive in Puglia, southern Italy, from prehistory to the Middle Ages, including evidence from various sources. The primary source of information is from archaeological sites, where the remains have been found of olive pollen, stones and wood charcoal, olive presses and pottery kilns for making amphorae for transporting olives or their

In Amazonia, a growing body of studies has shown that rainforests were affected by human occupation in many areas during pre-Columbian times, inducing changes in their floristic compositions. The northern part of Amazonia, and in particular the Guiana Shield, is much less studied, although past human occupations have also been documented in this region. Therefore, the actual impact of pre-Columbian

The ancient Silk Road was a link of economic-cultural exchanges and religious communication between China and the West. Turpan in Xinjiang is an important site on this road and was once one of the areas where Buddhism flourished in the Western Regions. However, the relationship between environment, agricultural activity and Buddhism has received little attention. Here we analyzed the adobe samples

Past plant food consumption has been studied diachronically and spatially for many Dutch settlements. However, research into the plant food consumption of Early Modern Dutch inhabitants of urban settlements is somewhat underrepresented in the scientific archaeobotanical literature. To fill this knowledge gap, archaeobotanical data from cesspits dating to the period ad 1500–1850 contained in the Dutch

Isotopic measurements of plant remains from archaeological sites are now routinely used to reconstruct agricultural practices in the Old World. These studies use charred botanical remains as the analytical substrate because (1) these are the materials that are commonly preserved in the archaeological record and (2) the integrity of the isotopic compositions of archaeological plant remains that are

Fossil spores of coprophilous fungi preserved in lake and bog sediments are well-established palaeoecological tracers for the local history of pastoralism and other animal husbandry. However, applications in Africa are limited by the lack of information on the exact relationship between human activity and fungi growing on large-herbivore dung. Here we use 25 small crater-lake basins in western Uganda

In this study we present evidence of braided plant fibres and basketry imprints on clay recovered from Coves de Santa Maira, a Palaeolithic-Mesolithic cave site located in the Mediterranean region of Spain. The anatomical features of these organic fibre remains were identified in the archaeological material and compared with modern Stipa tenacissima (esparto grass). Based on direct dating, the fragments

The Czech Republic (CR) has an exceptionally high number of pollen sites, but large areas, such as the area south and southwest of Praha (Prague), still lack pollen records. Although we know the basic scenario of Holocene vegetation development in the CR, questions remain. Recent discussions have concerned the role of Picea abies and Abies alba in the mid and late Holocene, especially in upland regions

Archaeobotanical evidence from southwest Asia is often interpreted as showing that the spectrum of wild plant foods narrowed during the origins of agriculture, but it has long been acknowledged that the recognition of wild plants as foods is problematic. Here, we systematically combine compositional and contextual evidence to recognise the wild plants for which there is strong evidence of their deliberate

The transition to urbanism has long focused on annual staple crops (cereals and legumes), perhaps at the expense of understanding other changes within agricultural practices that occurred between the end of the initial domestication period and urbanisation. This paper examines the domestication and role of fruit tree crops within urbanisation in both Western Asia and China, using a combination of evidence

Seeds of the extant Urtica kioviensis Rogow. (Urticaceae) and endocarps of the extinct Potamogeton sukaczevii Wieliczk. (Potamogetonaceae) were recorded in diverse plant macrofossil assemblages recovered from organic sediments exposed during excavations at Saham Toney, Norfolk, UK. Aminostratigraphical data show the sediments were deposited during the Ipswichian (Last Interglacial) Stage. Palynological

The two cultivated species of buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum (common buckwheat) and F. tataricum (Tartary buckwheat) are Chinese domesticates whose origins are usually thought to lie in upland southwestern China, outside the major centres of agricultural origins associated with rice and millet. Synthesis of the macro- and microfossil evidence for buckwheat cultivation in China found just 26 records

This paper presents an integrated methodology for the analysis of archaeological remains of cereal meals, based on scanning electronic microscopic analyses of microstructures of charred food fragments from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey). The remains of cereal foods as 'bread-like' or 'porridge-like' small charred lumps of various amalgamated plant materials are frequently recovered from Neolithic and

This investigation combines two independent methods of identifying crop growing conditions and husbandry practices-functional weed ecology and crop stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis-in order to assess their potential for inferring the intensity of past cereal production systems using archaeobotanical assemblages. Present-day organic cereal farming in Haute Provence, France features crop varieties

We have collated and reviewed published records of the genera Panicum and Setaria (Poaceae), including the domesticated millets Panicum miliaceum L. (broomcorn millet) and Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. (foxtail millet) in pre-5000 cal b.c. sites across the Old World. Details of these sites, which span China, central-eastern Europe including the Caucasus, Iran, Syria and Egypt, are presented with associated

Laguna Santa Elena (8.9290° N, 82.9257° W, 1055 m a.s.l.) is a small lake in the Diquís archaeological sub-region of southern Pacific Costa Rica. Previous analyses of pollen and charcoal in a sediment core from Santa Elena revealed a nearly 2,000 year history of vegetation change, maize cultivation and site occupation that is consistent with the archaeological record from the lake basin and surrounding

Historical accounts (ca 17th–19th centuries ce) are valuable for understanding how and where past Native American cultures used fire as a land management tool. Previous research has compiled and interpreted accounts, but methods of compiling them remains less systematic, leaving open the possibility that undiscovered accounts exist. This study uses information retrieval methods to locate accounts of

A promising method of reconstructing past vegetation from pollen records uses mathematical models of the relationship between pollen and vegetation. These can be calibrated using the extended R-value (ERV) approach on datasets of modern pollen assemblages and related vegetation surveys. This study presents the results of calibrating the pollen-vegetation models for non-arboreal pollen types in alpine

The present study aims to reconstruct vegetation development, climate changes and human impact using an ombrotrophic peat core from the Coltrondo bog in the eastern Italian Alps. Evidence from pollen, micro-charcoal, major and trace elements, and lead isotopes from this 7,900 years old peat deposit has been combined, and several climatic oscillations and phases of human impact detected. In particular

The existence of a fire event at the Iron Age hillfort of Nabás, which is located on the southern bank of the Ría de Vigo (Galicia, NW of the Iberian Peninsula), favoured an extraordinary preservation of carbonised plant remains and offered an unusual opportunity to focus our research on the study of the final episode of a house life-cycle. The archaeobotanical approach focused on perishable materials