Archaeological sites in the Katynka river basin (Smolensk Region): Paleogeographic study (original) (raw)
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Paleosols, paleovegetation and Neolithic occupation of the Moskva River floodplain, Central Russia
Quaternary International, 2014
This article describes the results of a comprehensive study of the first Zvenigorod Neolithic site, the cultural layer of which lies in the buried soil of the Moskva River floodplain. The soil dates to the late 5th e beginning of the 4th millennium BC. Pedological methods placed this soil in the Chernozem soil group, which is markedly different from modern Fluvisols and Albeluvisols. Similar Chernozem soil, dated 5000 e3500 cal BC, has been found previously in other sites of the Moskva River valley. Pollen analysis of the buried soil showed that in the second half of the Atlantic period the vegetation of the floodplain consisted of meadow-steppe and broad-leaved forest elements. This vegetation is notably different from the vegetation of the late Holocene, which consisted mostly of spruce-deciduous forests. Archaeological and radiocarbon data indicate that this Neolithic site was a long-term settlement. Some traces of human impact on the vegetation of the Neolithic were revealed. The potential nature of the economy of Neolithic settlements in Moscow area is discussed.
Paleosols, paleovegetation and Neolithic occupation of the Moskva River floodplain
Ershova E.G., Alexandrovskiy A.L., Krenke N.A., 2014. Palaeosols, palaeovegetation and Neolithic occupation of the Moskva River floodplain // Quaternary International, 324, p. 134-145, 2014
This article describes the results of a comprehensive study of the 1st Zvenigorod Neolithic site, the cultural layer of which lies in the buried soil of the Moscow River floodplain. The soil dates to the late 5th - beginning of 4th millennium BC. Pedological methods placed this soil in the Chernozem soil group, which is markedly different from modern Fluvisols and Albeluvisols. Similar Chernozem soil, dated 5000-3500 cal BC, has been found previously in other sites of the Moscow River valley. Pollen analysis of the buried soil showed that in the second half of the Atlantic period the vegetation of the floodplain consisted of meadow-steppe and broad-leaved forest elements. This vegetation is notably different from the vegetation of the late Holocene, which consisted mostly of spruce-deciduous forests. Archaeological and radiocarbon data indicate that this Neolithic site was a long-term settlement. Some traces of human impact on the vegetation of the Neolithic were revealed. The potential nature of the economy of Neolithic settlements in the Moscow area is discussed.
Paleochannel Studies in Archaeology: The Case of The Vychegda River, Northeastern European Russia
Geological and geomorphological settings are often taken into account when choosing strategy in archaeological studies. In the Vychegda River valley (Archangelsk Province, Komi Republic), at the end of the Late Pleistocene and in the Holocene, lateral channel migrations were the dominant process of riverine landscape changes and hence directly in uenced human occupation of the valley. Therefore, to assess the physical settings of archaeological sites we employed paleochannel analysis, a geomorphological technique aimed at reconstructing river channel transformations in the historical and geological past. The potential application of paleochannel analysis in archaeology includes designing archaeological surveys and predicting destructive river actions at archaeological sites located in river valleys.
CATENA, 2021
Paleosol-sedimentary sequences encountered in the settlements with long occupation history could provide a unique insight into the trends of landscape development and human-environment interaction over long time scales. We studied paleosols exposed by the excavations in the Kremlin of Zaraysk (Central European Russia) which were formed during the late Pleistocene and the Holocene and contain archaeological materials spanning from Upper Palaeolithic till late Medieval. Archaeological findings and numerous radiocarbon dates provide a reliable time frame for paleopedological record which we extracted from paleosols using macro-and micromorphological observations as well as physical and chemical properties and paleobotanical indicators (phytolith assemblages). The basal layer without archaeological materials presents signs of soil formation which resemble Bryansk fossil soil developed in the second half of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. The overlying archaeological stratum-one of the Gravettian cultural layers is linked to the paleosol level known as Zaraysk soil. Its age is estimated at 16 ka BP. Macro-and micromorphological features point to moderate dark humus accumulation, anthropogenic compaction and cryogenic processes at the final stages of paleopedogenesis. Poorly sorted heterogeneous composition of the mineral material with a large proportion of sand grains indicates colluvial origin of the paleosol parent material. The overlying sorted silty deposit supposes contribution of windblown material to its formation. We associate cryogenic and eolian processes at the end and after Zaraysk soil development with the cold intervals at the end MIS 2, presumably with the Oldest and Younger Dryas. The complete profile of Luvisol/Grey Forest Soil with eluvial and illuvial horizons and relict dark humus morphons is developed within the silty unit. This soil indicates long-term natural pedogenesis under first steppe and then deciduous forest vegetation during major part of the Holocene. The topsoil however is formed by clear plough horizon which points to cultivation started in the Middle Ages. Sharp boundary separates the buried Luvisol from the overlying cultural layer-Technosol developed after building of Zaraysk Kremlin in the 16th century. Technosol presents a mixture of natural soil with construction materials, especially limestone fragments. Soil units, both natural and affected by humans, are not separated one from another by an unaltered C horizon, so soil-forming processes from the upper soils penetrate into the underlying ones forming a multistory pedocomplex.
Palaeoecology of the Moskva-river floodplain: soil, pollen and archaeological records
Alexandrovskiy A., Ershova E., Krenke N. Palaeoecology of the moskva-river floodplain: soil, pollen and archaeological records // Вестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия "Экология и безопасность жизнедеятельности". 2014. no. 3. P. 62–76. , 2014
Floodplain deposits in the valley of the Moskva-river contain a series of buried soils of the Holocene age, which can be an important source of palaeoecological information. These soils are aged: Soil 1 - last 4 centuries, Soil 2 - cal 1200 AD-500 BC, Soil 3 - 900-2700 BC, Soil 4 - 3500-5000 BC. Archaeological monuments attributed to these soils are dated: Neolithic (Soil 4), Early Bronze Age (Soil 3), the Iron Age and the Middle Ages (Soil 2). Buried soils have well developed profiles and diagnostic features. Buried soils of the Sub-Atlantic period (Soil 2) are usually referred to Luvisols and Albeluvisols. Dark-colored soils of the Atlantic period (Soil 4) in most cases refer to Phaeozems; pollen analysis shows that these soils were formed under forest-steppe communities. Buried soils of Subboreal period (Soil 3) are traced in rare cases and have no clear diagnostic features; pollen analysis shows that this soil could be developed under mixed forests dominated by spruce. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the landscapes of the lower levels of the valley have changed dramatically between 5000 and 4500 cal BP. The forest-steppe communities, typical for the Atlantic period, were replaced by dense spruce forests due to early Subboreal climate change. Some traces of human impact on the floodplain vegetation from the Neolithic and Bronze Age were revealed. The maximum anthropological transformation was noted in the beginning of Middle Ages.
Floodplain Paleosols of Moskva River Basin: Chronology and Paleoenvironment
Radiocarbon, 2018
ABSTRACTSeven main periods of soil formation can be distinguished in the floodplain of the Moskva (Moscow) River, with the oldest paleosols dated to the Allerød age. We analyzed paleosols buried under alluvial deposits, colluvial sediments, and archaeological deposits within the catchment area of the Moskva River. Paleopedological reconstructions were correlated with the results of the pedoanthracological and palynological analyses. Series of radiocarbon (14C) dates were obtained on humic acids and dispersed macro-charcoal from paleosols and archaeological features. Wide time frames of the floodplain paleosol formation were determined at a 95% probability as 14,600–12,600 cal BP for Soil 7; 9500–7000 cal BP for Soils 6 and 5; 6700–5500 cal BP for Soil 4; 5000–4400 cal BP for Soil 3b; 4100–2700 cal BP for Soil 3a; and 2000–700 cal BP for Soil 2. The dates were compared with the age of archaeological sites from the same areas. The comparison revealed a close correspondence between the...
In this article, the methodical and practical problems of creating reconstructions of the subsistence practices and settlement systems for Lowland Upper Paleolithic sites are discussed. Sites of the Kamennaya Balka district are located in small valleys on the right bank of the Lower Don River near its mouth. The environment of the area of the archaeological sites was investigated with combined geologicalgeomorphological, pedological, paleozoological, and pollen methods. The paleolandscapes and paleоgeographic reconstructions of the main stages of the relief and landscape development of the sites area as the mutual features of the subsistence strategies in this region for the period of 17,000e14,000 BP are described. The complex of paleoecological research of the Kamennaya Balka clearly show that the “steppe zone” did not exist as a single entity, but it was divided into numerous separate loci with their specific features of occupation and cultural adaptations. Our investigations gave a principally different picture of vegetation and climate. During three periods of settlement at the Kamennaya Balka II, paleoecological conditions changed but in a general way remained favourable.
In this article the methodical and practical problems of creating reconstructions of the subsistence practices and settlement systems for Lowland Upper Paleolithic sites is discussed. Sites of Kamennaya Balka district are located in small valleys at the right bank of the Lower Don River near to its mouth. The environment of the area of the archaeological sites was investigated with combined geological-geomorphological, pedological, paleozoological and pollen methods. The paleolandscapes and paleоgeographic reconstructions of the main stages of the relief and landscapes development of the sites area as the mutual features of the subsistence strategies in this region for the period of 16,000 14,000 BP was described. The complex of paleoecological research of the Kamennaya Balka clearly show that the “steppe zone” did not exist as a single whole, but it was divided into numerous separate locuses with their specific features of housekeeping and cultural adaptations.