Lucia Wick | University of Basel (original) (raw)
Papers by Lucia Wick
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2021
A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-021-00835-0
Von den pollenanalytisch untersuchten drei Bohrkernen aus dem Profundalsediment des Ortasees in N... more Von den pollenanalytisch untersuchten drei Bohrkernen aus dem Profundalsediment des Ortasees in Norditalien umfassen zwei Kerne die Vegetationsentwicklung der letzten drei Jahrtausende, der dritte Kern die letzten 15 Jahrtausende von der Ältesten Dryaszeit bis ins Jüngere Subatlantikum. Nachgezeichnet wird der generelle Ablauf der spät- und postglazialen südalpinen Entwicklung mit der Abfolge NBP (Nichtbaumpollen) – Pinus (Kiefer) – Quercus (Eiche) – Abies (Tanne) – Quercus/Alnus (Eiche/Erle) und Quercus/Castanea/Alnus (Eiche/ Esskastanie/Erle). Die zeitliche Einordnung erfolgte durch die Korrelation mit radiokarbondatierten limnischen Profilen aus der Region. Bei der Betrachtung des anthropogenen Einflusses in diesem Gebiet und im Vergleich mit der Situation am nördlichen Alpenrand, werden menschliche Eingriffe als Hauptursache für den Rückgang der Weißtanne im Späten Atlantikum und Frühen Subboreal wahrscheinlich gemacht. Aus dem Ortasee steht somit ein weiteres Pollenprofil zur Verfügung, das künftig in regionale Untersuchungen der Vegetationsentwicklung und der Landnutzungsdynamik einbezogen werden kann. Riassunto: Tre carote con sedimento da lago di Orta sono stati analizzati palynologico. Questo lavoro vuol essere un contributo alla conoscenza sull’evolutione tardo- e postglaciale della vegetazione pedemontana piemontese nel Lago di Orta. E’ stato possible di determinare la vecchiaia dell’ evoluzione della vegetazione per confrontare i diagrammi con altri diagrammi di laghi piemontesi datati assolutamente con il metodo del 14C. Due carote contengono un po’ meno di tre millennii, la terza circa quindici millennii. Lo sviluppo della vegetazione è dominato per primo da piante non arboree, poi da pino, poi da quercia, poi da abete, poi da quercia e alno e finalmente per quercia, castagno et alno. L’influsso umano sulla vegetazione è in discussione e viene messo in confronto dell’ influsso umano nella zona prealpina settentrionale. La diminuzione dell’ abete nel quinto millennio è probabilemente causato della colonizzazione neolithico nella zona pedemontana. (Für sprachliche Überarbeitung danken wir Susanne Faber, Lignano.)
Quaternary Science Reviews
Archäologie im Kanton St.Gallen, 2013
Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verz... more Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar.
La decouverte en 1996 d'un site faunistique au lieu-dit » Schachlete «, une carriere au nord ... more La decouverte en 1996 d'un site faunistique au lieu-dit » Schachlete «, une carriere au nord de Laufen BL, ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour la recherche : le remplissage karstique tardiglaciaire, a la base d'une gouttiere d'erosion, a livre les ossements de nombreux animaux (cerf, taupe, lievre brun ou variable, hamster, campagnol roussâtre, campagnol des champs et tetras-lyre). Le depot, d'origine naturelle et rapidement scelle, peut etre situe par la palynologie et le radiocarbone au debut de l'interstade de Bolling: c'est la premiere fois qu'on dispose pour le nord-ouest de la Suisse de donnees environnementales sur le Tardiglacaire, permettant d'eclairer la fin du Magdalenien d'une lumiere nouvelle.
Im Rahmen eines von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft geförderten interdisziplinären Projekts ... more Im Rahmen eines von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft geförderten interdisziplinären Projekts konnten erstmals Seesedimente aus den Zentren der großen Schwarzwaldseen (Titisee, Schluchsee, Feldsee und Bergsee) archäobotanisch und geochemisch untersucht werden. Parallel dazu wurden archäologische (Begehungen, Grabungen) und archäopedologische Prospektionen im und am Rand des Südschwarzwalds durchgeführt. Die grundsätzliche Frage war, wann, auf welche Art und mit welcher Intensität die Menschen den klassischen 'Ungunstraum' von der Steinzeit bis in die frühe Neuzeit nutzten. Die archäologischen Begehungen erbrachten zahlreiche neue Silexartefakte. Vorgeschichtliche Keramik war sehr selten, ab der Merowingerzeit häufen sich jedoch die Funde. Am Rand des Schwarzwalds konnten zahlreiche neue Fundstellen entdeckt werden, die eine intensivere Nutzung dieses Raums nahelegen. Die Ausgrabung mehrerer sog. Steinhügel belegte, dass diese als Zeugnisse spätmittelalterlicher und neuzei...
The Holocene, 2016
This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site pal... more This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site palaeoenvironmental data from the area of the Central European lake dwellings (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2011). The types of data considered are as follows: high-resolution off-site pollen cores, including micro-charcoal counts, and on-site data, including botanical macro- and micro-remains, hand-collected animal bones, remains of microfauna, and data on woodland management (dendrotypology). The period considered is the late Neolithic (c. 4300–2400 cal. BC). For this period, especially for its earlier phases, discussions of land-use patterns are contradictory. Based on off-site data, slash-and-burn – as known from tropical regions – is thought to be the only possible way to cultivate the land. On-site data however show a completely different picture: all indications point to the permanent cultivation of cereals ( Triticum spp., Hordeum vulgare), pea ( Pisum sativum), flax ...
Arctic and Alpine Research, 1997
Pollen and plant-macrofossil data are presented for two lakes near the timberline in the Italian ... more Pollen and plant-macrofossil data are presented for two lakes near the timberline in the Italian (Lago Basso, 2250 m) and Swiss Central Alps (Gouille Rion, 2343 m). The reforestation at both sites started at 9700-9500 BP with Pinus cembra, Larbc decidua, and Betula. The timberline reached its highest elevation between 8700 and 5000 BP and retreated after 5000 BP, due to a mid-Holocene climatic change and increasing human impact since about 3500 BP (Bronze Age). The expansion of Picea abies at Lago Basso between ca. 7500 and 6200 BP was probably favored by cold phases accompanied by increased oceanicity, whereas in the area of Gouille Rion, where spruce expanded rather late (between 4500 and 3500 BP), human influence equally might have been important. The mass expansion of Alnus viridis between ca. 5000 and 3500 BP probably can be related to both climatic change and human activity at timberline. During the early and middle Holocene a series of timberline fluctuations is recorded as declines in pollen and macrofossil concentrations of the major tree species, and as increases in nonarboreal pollen in the pollen percentage diagram of Gouille Rion. Most of ·the periods of low timberline can be correlated by radiocarbon dating with climatic changes in the Alps as indicated by glacier ad vances in combination with palynological records, solifluction, and dendrocli matical data. Lago Basso and Gouille Rion are the only sites in the Alps showing complete palaeobotanical records of cold phases between 10,000 and 2000 BP with very good time control. The altitudinal range of the Holocene treeline fluc tuations caused by climate most likely was not more than 100 to 150 m. A possible correlation of a cold period at ca. 7500-6500 BP (Misox oscil lation) in the Alps is made with paleoecological data from North America and Scandinavia and a climatic signal in the GRIP ice core from central Greenland 8200 yr ago (ca. 7400 yr uncal. BP).
The Holocene, 1998
Eight synchronous pre-Roman cold phases were found at 9600–9200, 8600–8150, 7550–6900, 6600– 6200... more Eight synchronous pre-Roman cold phases were found at 9600–9200, 8600–8150, 7550–6900, 6600– 6200, 5350–4900, 4600–4400, 3500–3200 and 2600–2350 radiocarbon years BP by reconstructing past climate at two sites on the Swiss Plateau and at timberline in the Alps. The cooling events during the early-and mid-Holocene represent temperature values similar to today, and apparently the onset of cooling events represents a deviation from today's mean annual temperature of about 1°C and is triggered at a 1000-year periodicity. At Wallisellen-Langachermoos (440 m), a former oligotrophic lake near Zürich, the correlation between sum mertime lake levels and the seed production of the amphi-Atlantic aquatic plant Najas flexilis was used to reconstruct lake levels over a 3000-year period during the first part of the Holocene. At Lake Seedorf on the western Swiss Plateau (609 m) the sedimentological, palynological and macrofossil record revealed fluctuations of lake levels for the complete Holo...
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011
Skip to Main Content. ...
Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2007
The culmination of the glacial advance related to the Last Glaciation in the Alps is marked by we... more The culmination of the glacial advance related to the Last Glaciation in the Alps is marked by well defined pedemontane end moraine systems built up in front of the mouth of the main alpine valleys. Some Alpine glaciologists used the term “Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)” to indicate the position of maximal extent of glaciers reached in the end moraine systems, dated back to 19-24 ka cal BP (Ivy Ochs et al., 2004), whereas the term LGM is used here in a global sense, ie we refer to the global interval of maximum integrated ice volume ...
Johannes Miocic1, Ruth Drescher-Schneider2, Hans Rudolf Graf3, Marlu Kühn4, Frank Preusser1, Wern... more Johannes Miocic1, Ruth Drescher-Schneider2, Hans Rudolf Graf3, Marlu Kühn4, Frank Preusser1, Werner H. Schoch5, Nigel Thew6, Lucia Wick4, and Heinz Furrer7 1Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 23b, 79104 Freiburg, Germany, 2Schilingsdorfer Straße 27, 8010 Kainbach bei Graz, Austria, 3Dr. von Moos AG, Bachofnerstrasse 5, 8037 Zürich, Switzerland,4Integrative Prähistorische und Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Universität Basel, 4055 Basel, Switzerland, 5Labor für Quartaere Hoelzer/ Laboratory for Ancient Wood Research, Unterrütistrasse 17, 8135 Langnau a.A., Switzerland, 6Rue Paul Bouvier 2, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 7Paläontologisches Institut und Museum Universität Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
Le contenu de ce volume a fait l'objet d'une relecture critique (peer review). déjà parus dans la... more Le contenu de ce volume a fait l'objet d'une relecture critique (peer review). déjà parus dans la collection des Cahiers d'archéologie jurassienne consacrés à Develier-Courtételle, un habitat rural mérovingien CAJ 13 vol. 1 Structures et matériaux de construction (2004) CAJ 14 vol. 2 Métallurgie du fer et mobilier métallique (2007) CAJ 15 vol. 3 Céramiques et autres objets en pierre, verre, os, bois ou terre cuite (2006) CAJ 17 vol. 5 Analyse spatiale, approche historique et synthèse. Vestiges gallo-romains (2007) La direction scientifique de la Collection est assumée par François Schifferdecker, archéologue cantonal.
climatic change and human impact in
Pfyngut: Geologischer Rahmen und naturliches Umfeld Dieses Kapitel ist der Geologie der Region ge... more Pfyngut: Geologischer Rahmen und naturliches Umfeld Dieses Kapitel ist der Geologie der Region gewidmet, unter besonderer Beachtung der Schichtabfolge von Pfyngut. Die Fundstelle befindet sich im alpinen Raum, am Oberlauf der Rhone, zwischen Siders und Leuk. Sie liegt auf einem Schuttkegel, der sich am Fusse des Illgrabens gebildet hat, einer tief in die penninischen Decken eingeschnittenen Schlucht mit carbonatreichen Gesteinen und Quarziten. Die untersuchten Schichtabfolgen liegen auf der linken Seite des Rhonetals, rund 20 m uber der Uberschwemmungsebene, und bestehen hauptsachlich aus Wildbachablagerungen und durch Oberflachenwasser verlagerten Feinsedimenten, zwischen denen sich fossile Boden erhalten haben. Diese Ablagerungen erreichen eine Gesamtmachtigkeit von maximal 2,50 m und liegen uber den pedogen verwitterten Schottern (cambisol) des Illgrabenfachers. Die Sequenz beginnt an der Basis mit einer Abfolge fossiler Boden. Mikromorphologische Untersuchungen, in Kombination m...
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2021
A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-021-00835-0
Von den pollenanalytisch untersuchten drei Bohrkernen aus dem Profundalsediment des Ortasees in N... more Von den pollenanalytisch untersuchten drei Bohrkernen aus dem Profundalsediment des Ortasees in Norditalien umfassen zwei Kerne die Vegetationsentwicklung der letzten drei Jahrtausende, der dritte Kern die letzten 15 Jahrtausende von der Ältesten Dryaszeit bis ins Jüngere Subatlantikum. Nachgezeichnet wird der generelle Ablauf der spät- und postglazialen südalpinen Entwicklung mit der Abfolge NBP (Nichtbaumpollen) – Pinus (Kiefer) – Quercus (Eiche) – Abies (Tanne) – Quercus/Alnus (Eiche/Erle) und Quercus/Castanea/Alnus (Eiche/ Esskastanie/Erle). Die zeitliche Einordnung erfolgte durch die Korrelation mit radiokarbondatierten limnischen Profilen aus der Region. Bei der Betrachtung des anthropogenen Einflusses in diesem Gebiet und im Vergleich mit der Situation am nördlichen Alpenrand, werden menschliche Eingriffe als Hauptursache für den Rückgang der Weißtanne im Späten Atlantikum und Frühen Subboreal wahrscheinlich gemacht. Aus dem Ortasee steht somit ein weiteres Pollenprofil zur Verfügung, das künftig in regionale Untersuchungen der Vegetationsentwicklung und der Landnutzungsdynamik einbezogen werden kann. Riassunto: Tre carote con sedimento da lago di Orta sono stati analizzati palynologico. Questo lavoro vuol essere un contributo alla conoscenza sull’evolutione tardo- e postglaciale della vegetazione pedemontana piemontese nel Lago di Orta. E’ stato possible di determinare la vecchiaia dell’ evoluzione della vegetazione per confrontare i diagrammi con altri diagrammi di laghi piemontesi datati assolutamente con il metodo del 14C. Due carote contengono un po’ meno di tre millennii, la terza circa quindici millennii. Lo sviluppo della vegetazione è dominato per primo da piante non arboree, poi da pino, poi da quercia, poi da abete, poi da quercia e alno e finalmente per quercia, castagno et alno. L’influsso umano sulla vegetazione è in discussione e viene messo in confronto dell’ influsso umano nella zona prealpina settentrionale. La diminuzione dell’ abete nel quinto millennio è probabilemente causato della colonizzazione neolithico nella zona pedemontana. (Für sprachliche Überarbeitung danken wir Susanne Faber, Lignano.)
Quaternary Science Reviews
Archäologie im Kanton St.Gallen, 2013
Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verz... more Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar.
La decouverte en 1996 d'un site faunistique au lieu-dit » Schachlete «, une carriere au nord ... more La decouverte en 1996 d'un site faunistique au lieu-dit » Schachlete «, une carriere au nord de Laufen BL, ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour la recherche : le remplissage karstique tardiglaciaire, a la base d'une gouttiere d'erosion, a livre les ossements de nombreux animaux (cerf, taupe, lievre brun ou variable, hamster, campagnol roussâtre, campagnol des champs et tetras-lyre). Le depot, d'origine naturelle et rapidement scelle, peut etre situe par la palynologie et le radiocarbone au debut de l'interstade de Bolling: c'est la premiere fois qu'on dispose pour le nord-ouest de la Suisse de donnees environnementales sur le Tardiglacaire, permettant d'eclairer la fin du Magdalenien d'une lumiere nouvelle.
Im Rahmen eines von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft geförderten interdisziplinären Projekts ... more Im Rahmen eines von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft geförderten interdisziplinären Projekts konnten erstmals Seesedimente aus den Zentren der großen Schwarzwaldseen (Titisee, Schluchsee, Feldsee und Bergsee) archäobotanisch und geochemisch untersucht werden. Parallel dazu wurden archäologische (Begehungen, Grabungen) und archäopedologische Prospektionen im und am Rand des Südschwarzwalds durchgeführt. Die grundsätzliche Frage war, wann, auf welche Art und mit welcher Intensität die Menschen den klassischen 'Ungunstraum' von der Steinzeit bis in die frühe Neuzeit nutzten. Die archäologischen Begehungen erbrachten zahlreiche neue Silexartefakte. Vorgeschichtliche Keramik war sehr selten, ab der Merowingerzeit häufen sich jedoch die Funde. Am Rand des Schwarzwalds konnten zahlreiche neue Fundstellen entdeckt werden, die eine intensivere Nutzung dieses Raums nahelegen. Die Ausgrabung mehrerer sog. Steinhügel belegte, dass diese als Zeugnisse spätmittelalterlicher und neuzei...
The Holocene, 2016
This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site pal... more This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site palaeoenvironmental data from the area of the Central European lake dwellings (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2011). The types of data considered are as follows: high-resolution off-site pollen cores, including micro-charcoal counts, and on-site data, including botanical macro- and micro-remains, hand-collected animal bones, remains of microfauna, and data on woodland management (dendrotypology). The period considered is the late Neolithic (c. 4300–2400 cal. BC). For this period, especially for its earlier phases, discussions of land-use patterns are contradictory. Based on off-site data, slash-and-burn – as known from tropical regions – is thought to be the only possible way to cultivate the land. On-site data however show a completely different picture: all indications point to the permanent cultivation of cereals ( Triticum spp., Hordeum vulgare), pea ( Pisum sativum), flax ...
Arctic and Alpine Research, 1997
Pollen and plant-macrofossil data are presented for two lakes near the timberline in the Italian ... more Pollen and plant-macrofossil data are presented for two lakes near the timberline in the Italian (Lago Basso, 2250 m) and Swiss Central Alps (Gouille Rion, 2343 m). The reforestation at both sites started at 9700-9500 BP with Pinus cembra, Larbc decidua, and Betula. The timberline reached its highest elevation between 8700 and 5000 BP and retreated after 5000 BP, due to a mid-Holocene climatic change and increasing human impact since about 3500 BP (Bronze Age). The expansion of Picea abies at Lago Basso between ca. 7500 and 6200 BP was probably favored by cold phases accompanied by increased oceanicity, whereas in the area of Gouille Rion, where spruce expanded rather late (between 4500 and 3500 BP), human influence equally might have been important. The mass expansion of Alnus viridis between ca. 5000 and 3500 BP probably can be related to both climatic change and human activity at timberline. During the early and middle Holocene a series of timberline fluctuations is recorded as declines in pollen and macrofossil concentrations of the major tree species, and as increases in nonarboreal pollen in the pollen percentage diagram of Gouille Rion. Most of ·the periods of low timberline can be correlated by radiocarbon dating with climatic changes in the Alps as indicated by glacier ad vances in combination with palynological records, solifluction, and dendrocli matical data. Lago Basso and Gouille Rion are the only sites in the Alps showing complete palaeobotanical records of cold phases between 10,000 and 2000 BP with very good time control. The altitudinal range of the Holocene treeline fluc tuations caused by climate most likely was not more than 100 to 150 m. A possible correlation of a cold period at ca. 7500-6500 BP (Misox oscil lation) in the Alps is made with paleoecological data from North America and Scandinavia and a climatic signal in the GRIP ice core from central Greenland 8200 yr ago (ca. 7400 yr uncal. BP).
The Holocene, 1998
Eight synchronous pre-Roman cold phases were found at 9600–9200, 8600–8150, 7550–6900, 6600– 6200... more Eight synchronous pre-Roman cold phases were found at 9600–9200, 8600–8150, 7550–6900, 6600– 6200, 5350–4900, 4600–4400, 3500–3200 and 2600–2350 radiocarbon years BP by reconstructing past climate at two sites on the Swiss Plateau and at timberline in the Alps. The cooling events during the early-and mid-Holocene represent temperature values similar to today, and apparently the onset of cooling events represents a deviation from today's mean annual temperature of about 1°C and is triggered at a 1000-year periodicity. At Wallisellen-Langachermoos (440 m), a former oligotrophic lake near Zürich, the correlation between sum mertime lake levels and the seed production of the amphi-Atlantic aquatic plant Najas flexilis was used to reconstruct lake levels over a 3000-year period during the first part of the Holocene. At Lake Seedorf on the western Swiss Plateau (609 m) the sedimentological, palynological and macrofossil record revealed fluctuations of lake levels for the complete Holo...
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011
Skip to Main Content. ...
Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2007
The culmination of the glacial advance related to the Last Glaciation in the Alps is marked by we... more The culmination of the glacial advance related to the Last Glaciation in the Alps is marked by well defined pedemontane end moraine systems built up in front of the mouth of the main alpine valleys. Some Alpine glaciologists used the term “Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)” to indicate the position of maximal extent of glaciers reached in the end moraine systems, dated back to 19-24 ka cal BP (Ivy Ochs et al., 2004), whereas the term LGM is used here in a global sense, ie we refer to the global interval of maximum integrated ice volume ...
Johannes Miocic1, Ruth Drescher-Schneider2, Hans Rudolf Graf3, Marlu Kühn4, Frank Preusser1, Wern... more Johannes Miocic1, Ruth Drescher-Schneider2, Hans Rudolf Graf3, Marlu Kühn4, Frank Preusser1, Werner H. Schoch5, Nigel Thew6, Lucia Wick4, and Heinz Furrer7 1Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 23b, 79104 Freiburg, Germany, 2Schilingsdorfer Straße 27, 8010 Kainbach bei Graz, Austria, 3Dr. von Moos AG, Bachofnerstrasse 5, 8037 Zürich, Switzerland,4Integrative Prähistorische und Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Universität Basel, 4055 Basel, Switzerland, 5Labor für Quartaere Hoelzer/ Laboratory for Ancient Wood Research, Unterrütistrasse 17, 8135 Langnau a.A., Switzerland, 6Rue Paul Bouvier 2, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 7Paläontologisches Institut und Museum Universität Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
Le contenu de ce volume a fait l'objet d'une relecture critique (peer review). déjà parus dans la... more Le contenu de ce volume a fait l'objet d'une relecture critique (peer review). déjà parus dans la collection des Cahiers d'archéologie jurassienne consacrés à Develier-Courtételle, un habitat rural mérovingien CAJ 13 vol. 1 Structures et matériaux de construction (2004) CAJ 14 vol. 2 Métallurgie du fer et mobilier métallique (2007) CAJ 15 vol. 3 Céramiques et autres objets en pierre, verre, os, bois ou terre cuite (2006) CAJ 17 vol. 5 Analyse spatiale, approche historique et synthèse. Vestiges gallo-romains (2007) La direction scientifique de la Collection est assumée par François Schifferdecker, archéologue cantonal.
climatic change and human impact in
Pfyngut: Geologischer Rahmen und naturliches Umfeld Dieses Kapitel ist der Geologie der Region ge... more Pfyngut: Geologischer Rahmen und naturliches Umfeld Dieses Kapitel ist der Geologie der Region gewidmet, unter besonderer Beachtung der Schichtabfolge von Pfyngut. Die Fundstelle befindet sich im alpinen Raum, am Oberlauf der Rhone, zwischen Siders und Leuk. Sie liegt auf einem Schuttkegel, der sich am Fusse des Illgrabens gebildet hat, einer tief in die penninischen Decken eingeschnittenen Schlucht mit carbonatreichen Gesteinen und Quarziten. Die untersuchten Schichtabfolgen liegen auf der linken Seite des Rhonetals, rund 20 m uber der Uberschwemmungsebene, und bestehen hauptsachlich aus Wildbachablagerungen und durch Oberflachenwasser verlagerten Feinsedimenten, zwischen denen sich fossile Boden erhalten haben. Diese Ablagerungen erreichen eine Gesamtmachtigkeit von maximal 2,50 m und liegen uber den pedogen verwitterten Schottern (cambisol) des Illgrabenfachers. Die Sequenz beginnt an der Basis mit einer Abfolge fossiler Boden. Mikromorphologische Untersuchungen, in Kombination m...
In 1996, well preserved deer bones, antler and some bones of black grouse were found in a filled ... more In 1996, well preserved deer bones, antler and some bones of black grouse were found in a filled karst crack (1). Those animal remains were discovered in the course of an expansion of a limestone quarry in the Jura Mountains near Dittingen (canton Basle-Land, Northwest Switzerland) (Fig 2). The site is situated in a gully of a dry valley beneath a high plain covered with loess (2) (Fig. 1). In the framework of an archaeological excavation, the karst crack filling as well as the overlying sediments (colluvium of the gully and loess bearing deposits of a dry valley) were documented. Samples for granulometry, chemical analysis, micromorphology and palynology were analysed in order to reconstruct formation processes. The animal remains deriving from the karstic fissure were dated by
radiocarbon analysis to the early Bølling oscillation (14’800 to 14’200 cal. BP). In addition the palynological study shows that the overlying sediments of the dry valley were deposited between the Younger Dryas (Dryas III) up to the Middle Ages. In combination with the geoarchaeological results, a reconstruction of morphogenetic processes as well as hints concerning early soil formation processes in periglacial environment can be postulated.
We present quantitative reconstructions of regional vegetation cover in north-western Europe, wes... more We present quantitative reconstructions of regional vegetation cover in north-western Europe, western Europe north of the Alps, and eastern Europe for five time windows in the Holocene [around 6k, 3k, 0.5k, 0.2k, and 0.05k calendar years before present (BP)] at a 1° 9 1° spatial scale with the objective of producing vegetation descriptions suitable for climate modelling. The REVEALS model was applied on 636 pollen records from lakes and bogs to reconstruct the past cover of 25 plant taxa grouped into 10 plant-functional types and three land-cover types [evergreen trees,summer-green (deciduous) trees, and open land]. The model corrects for some of the biases in pollen percentages by using pollen productivity estimates and fall speeds of pollen, and by applying simple but robust models of pollen dispersal and deposition. The emerging patterns of tree migration and deforestation between 6k BP and modern time in the REVEALS estimates agree with our general understanding of the vegetation history of Europe based on pollen percentages. However, the degree of anthropogenic deforestation (i.e. cover of cultivated and grazing land) at 3k,
0.5k, and 0.2k BP is significantly higher than deduced from pollen percentages. This is also the case at 6k in some parts of Europe, in particular Britain and Ireland. Furthermore, the relationship between summer-green and evergreen trees, and between individual tree taxa, differs significantly when expressed as pollen percentages or as REVEALS estimates of tree cover. For instance, when Pinus is dominant over Picea as pollen percentages, Picea is dominant over Pinus as REVEALS estimates. These differences play a major role in the reconstruction of European landscapes and for the study of land cover–climate interactions, biodiversity and human resources.
Fachwerk aus dem 16. Jahrhundert; dieselbe Farbgebung wurde auch im ersten Obergeschoss vorgefund... more Fachwerk aus dem 16. Jahrhundert; dieselbe Farbgebung wurde auch im ersten Obergeschoss vorgefunden. Ziel der restaura torischen Massnahme war es, ein geschlossenes Erscheinungsbild der Wand zu erzeugen. Die Begleitlinien wurden erkennbar rekonstruiert. Die Holzdecke über dem zweiten Obergeschoss wurde ebenfalls restauriert und bleibt weiterhin sichtbar. Die äussere Farbgebung der Dorfstrasse 1 wünschte die Bauherrschaft gleich wie bisher (Abb. 38). Der Neubau an der Dorfstrasse 3 wurde in einem Oxidrot gestrichen.
This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on-and off-site pala... more This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on-and off-site palaeoenvironmental data from the area of the Central European lake dwellings (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2011). The types of data considered are as follows: high-resolution off-site pollen cores, including micro-charcoal counts, and on-site data, including botanical macro-and micro-remains, hand-collected animal bones, remains of microfauna, and data on woodland management (dendrotypology). The period considered is the late Neolithic (c. 4300-2400 cal. BC). For this period, especially for its earlier phases, discussions of land-use patterns are contradictory. Based on off-site data, slash-and-burn -as known from tropical regions -is thought to be the only possible way to cultivate the land. On-site data however show a completely different picture: all indications point to the permanent cultivation of cereals (Triticum spp., Hordeum vulgare), pea (Pisum sativum), flax (Linum usitatissimum) and opium-poppy (Papaver somniferum). Cycles of landscape use are traceable, including coppicing and moving around the landscape with animal herds. Archaeobiological studies further indicate also that hunting and gathering were an important component and that the landscape was manipulated accordingly. Late Neolithic land-use systems also included the use of fire as a tool for opening up the landscape. Here we argue that bringing together all the types of palaeoenvironmental proxies in an integrative way allows us to draw a more comprehensive and reliable picture of the land-use systems in the late Neolithic than had been reconstructed previously largely on the basis of off-site data.
by Sabine Hornung, Thomas Knopf, Sophia Adams, Gilles Pierrevelcin, Claudia Sarge, Stefanie Wefers, Stéphane Marion, Guntram Gassmann, Aline Specklin, Debora C. Tretola Martinez, and Lucia Wick
Archäologie im Thurgau, 2020
Lake-dwellings, Eschenz, Neolithic, Bronze Age, underwater archaeology, dendrochronology
Archäologie im Kanton St.Gallen, 2013
In den Jahren 2005 und 2006 konnten auf den Grundstücken Fluhstrasse 6 und 8/10 in Kempraten (Rap... more In den Jahren 2005 und 2006 konnten auf den Grundstücken Fluhstrasse 6 und 8/10 in Kempraten (Rapperswil-Jona SG) auf einer Fläche von 1'100 m2 archäologische Ausgrabungen durchgeführt werden. Das Areal befindet sich mitten in der bekannten römischen Siedlung. Die grosse Fläche und die vielschichtige Stratigrafie erlauben tiefe Einblicke in Siedlungsgeschichte, Architektur und materielle Kultur.
Eine mehrphasige Bebauung mit Holzgebäuden ab den Jahren 35/40 n. Chr. fiel einem verheerenden Brandereignis zum Opfer. Ab ca. 120 n. Chr. wurde in Steingebäuden gewohnt. Entlang der römischen Strasse standen grosse Häuser, die teilweise mediterrane Bauschemata befolgten und bis in die Spätantike bestehen blieben. Die Hofbereiche wurden im Lauf der Zeit mit kleineren, ein- bis zweiräumigen Gebäuden bebaut.
Das geborgene Fundmaterial kann hier erstmals für Kempraten nach Befunden vorgelegt werden. Verschiedene Materialgruppen wurden vertieft bearbeitet (Lavez, Münzfunde, Glas, Metallfunde). Ebenso werden die Resultate erster naturwissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen zu Kempraten präsentiert (Geoarchäologie, Archäobiologie, Petrographie).
The present volume, fourth in a series of five devoted to the Merovingian hamlet of... more The present volume, fourth in a series of five devoted to the
Merovingian hamlet of Develier-Courtételle (Canton of Jura,
Switzerland), presents environmental information obtained
through a series of specialised analyses of material found at this
archaeological site and in its surroundings. The results of these six
distinct approaches are integrated in a final synthesis.
A description of the natural environment of the site enriched with
information from historical sources opens the volume (chap. 1).
Situated within the Delémont basin in north-western Switzerland,
in the central part of the Jura mountain range, Develier-Courtételle
lies on a flood plain at an altitude of 450 m. The site covers a
surface of 3,5 ha and lies on the banks of the brook “La Pran”, in
a lateral valley filled with quaternary sediments dating from the
Würm glacial maximum to the Late Holocene. The sedimentary
approach which follows this introductory chapter is based on a
description of the stratigraphy (chap. 2). The site is divided into
eight different domains and composite stratigraphic cuts are used
to explain the extension of the different layers. The sediments
are characterised using Passega’s method, i.e. the construction
of C/M patterns of the alluvial deposits. This analysis permits
us to propose a reconstruction of the palaeogeography of the
site, including some observations on the nature of the soils. The
palaeo-hydrological and climatic fluctuations occurring locally
between 500 and 800 AD are also described. Additional relevant
data are provided by an “off-site” sedimentological analysis
undertaken at Delémont, La Communance (chap. 3). It provides
a palustrine sequence dating from the 6th to the 11th century and
documenting the evolution of the local hydrology.
The three following chapters present the archaeobotanical
approaches. The pollen analysis documents the changing landscape
around the site and the use of the land by the Early Medieval
population (chap. 4). The study of seeds and fruit reveals the large
spectrum of plant species that were cultivated during this period
(chap. 5). The vegetational landscape surrounding the site and
the human impact on it can be reconstructed from the remains of
wild plants. A geobotanical approach is used to deduce the spatial
distribution of woodlands and fields around the site during the
7th century by looking at modern vegetation (chap. 6). The last
analysis presented in this volume is the study of the faunal remains
recovered in and around the settlement which reveal the dietary
choices made by the inhabitants (chap. 7). The varying frequency
and age at death of the different species of domesticates say much
about animal husbandry during the Merovingian period. The rare
remains of hunted wild animals were also identified.
The concluding synthesis is divided into three thematic sections
(chap. 8). The climatic context and the evolution of the landscape
during the Early Medieval period are the subject of the first
section. A short summary of current knowledge introduces
the chronological reconstitution of events deduced from the
preceding analyses. At Develier-Courtételle, hydrological activity
is quite sustained before 550. Forest cover is still relatively dense
and actually expanded during Late Antiquity. From 550 to 750,
the hydrological activity at the site becomes very intense, peaking
around 580 and 650. At La Communance, the hydrological balance
is at this time in surplus. From the beginning of this phase, forest
cover diminishes ; this clearance was caused by the intensification
of agriculture and the appearance of ironworking. As a result,
erosion cuts ravines into the slopes. Several factors indicate a
cool and possibly wet phase affecting the whole region which
correlates well with data from other studies. The period between
700 and 830-890 appears to be a transition towards a somewhat
dryer climate, a decrease of hydrological activity persisting after
800 could be observed on the site. At La Communance, the
hydrological balance becomes negative only after the middle or
towards the end of the 9th century. Forest cover does not vary to
any major extent. The climate continues to improve between 830-890 and 1000 : several swamps and marshes in the region appear
to have experienced a negative hydrological balance during this
time and superficial sediments undergo pedogenesis. The rupture
of the landscape equilibrium occurring during the later Middle
Ages is thought to be due to the increasing impact of human
activity, in particular ironworking.
The second theme of the synthesis is the landscape surrounding
the settlement during the 7th century. A pictorial reconstruction
allows us to conclude that the divisions of the territory are largely
based on the meanders of the stream. To the inhabitants, the
advantages of being close to the water necessary for various craft
activities clearly outweighed the real risks posed by flooding.
The marshy surfaces directly abutting on the settlement were
good pasture but not useful for agriculture ; the fields were
situated somewhat further away. The transition from cultivated
land to forest occurred gradually and gave the landscape a
structured appearance. The forest, dominated by beech and pine,
is transformed by the selective exploitation of plant resources.
It too is used for pasture.
A discussion of available resources and land use closes the
volume. The stream could not have been used for transporting
cargo. Used land surfaces included fields, pastures and grasslands.
Cereals and legumes were the primary crops, oily or fibrous plants
were of secondary importance and fruit and vegetables appear to
have formed only a relatively minor source of food. Supplying the
needs of the settlement seems to have been the principal goal of
these activities, a characteristic of subsistence agriculture. Textile
production occurred but was not very extensive. The forests
and hedges are a source of timber, but particularly of firewood.
Among the domestic animals, cattle are dominant and seem to
have mostly been raised for meat, a part of which may have been
exported. Goats and especially sheep are the next most important
group according to the bone counts. The pigs are in third position
but were actually in second place in terms of meat production.
Fowl, mostly chicken, were principally kept for the eggs. The
diverse wild fauna was nutritionally a very minor factor but is a
good indicator of the natural environment surrounding the site.
The presence of deer and bear speaks of nearby biotopes not yet
disturbed by human activity.