Holocene landscape evolution of an estuarine wetland in relation to its human occupation and exploitation: Waasland Scheldt polders, northern Belgium (original) (raw)
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Over the last decade, excavations in the lower Scheldt river basin (NW Belgium) have identified the first presence of the transitional MesolithiceNeolithic Swifterbant culture, previously only known from the Netherlands and one site in northwest Germany. These excavations have also yielded the first evidence for the presence of Early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik, Limbourg, Blicquy and Epi-R€ ossen cultural remains in these wetland landscapes. High quality organic preservation at these sites offered the opportunity to reliably place the Swifterbant within the absolute chronology of the MesolithiceNeolithic transition in this region, as well as the reconstruction of Swifterbant subsistence practices, most notably the incorporation of cattle husbandry into a traditional hunting-fishing-gathering economy. Two different site types could be identified between the six excavated sites e dune and natural levee sites e which had contemporaneous periods of occupation, but different occupation histories. The integration of the dates from these different site types with the palaeoenvironmental dates provides an initial model of the Swifterbant settlement system in the area and its role in the specific tempo and trajectories of cultural and economic change that occurred during the neolithisation of the Scheldt basin. This model consists of relatively specialized and temporarily inhabited cattle and hunting-fishing camps on the dunes and larger, more continuously occupied levee camps along the river valleys. Bayesian statistical modeling suggests that Swifterbant occupation of the dune sites occurred during a brackish water flooding period and that occupation of the levee sites was more continuous.
In Europe, Early Holocene bog sites play an important role in the reconstruction of Mesolithic and Early Neolithic lifestyles according to very well-preserved organic remains (bones and plant material). Still, this exceptional preservation of organic materials must not hide the archaeological complexity of these settlements. Indeed, the precise analysis of the archaeological layers, their depositional processes and their evolution in wetland context shows a complex sedimentary and taphonomic history (truncation, hiatus, chronological mixing, differential preservation...). In addition, the particular conditions of wetland archaeology (underwater intervention, limited test pits due to rising groundwater) can restrict field data recording or extensive excavations. These factors complicate the archaeological interpretation of the discovered remains, their meaning and their representativeness. Due to different views concerning the nature of the archaeological deposits, some major settlements in Europe have been, therefore, at the centre of intense debates about their place in the landscape and their role in mobility patterns. In comparison with dryland sites, can Stone Age bog sites be seen as exceptional settlements or just as exceptionally preserved occupation deposits? • This session will address the specific methodological and archaeological approaches developed to infer the function of Early Holocene wetland sites in Europe. Several questions could be discussed: • Field methodology • Taphonomic and archaeological approaches to sites and remains (environmental archaeology, dating and chronology of depositional process, analysis of organic and lithic remains...) • Reconstruction of wetland site function (specialised or temporary camps, permanent settlements, unique, stratified or mixed refuse layers) and their relationship with dryland sites. We will give priority to communications discussing one or more of these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Geologica Belgica, 2011
Local and regional environmental conditions for the south-eastern Scheldt estuary during the middle and late Holocene period have been reconstructed based on pollen analysis, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon dating of a sediment core from Doel (N-Belgium) and the comparison with existing data from other sites from the same region. Postglacial relative sea level rise resulted in the formation of alder carr vegetation in the lower parts of the landscape from c. 7640 cal BP onwards. The vegetation succession was weakly influenced by the deposition of tidal clay deposits between c. 6550 and 5650 a cal BP and eventually culminated in the development of an oligotrophic bog. Peat accumulation seems to have ceased between c. 2030 and 1220 a cal BP, well before it was covered by marine sediments in the late Middle Ages.
The maar lakes of the Eifel (Germany) are well known for continous records of annually laminated sediments of the Holocene and are thus an prime archive for paleoenvironmental and paleclimatology reconstruction in central Europe . We present paleobotanical evidence from 4 lakes, which show that the oldest human settlements in the Eifel began 3700 BC, however only at the Ulmener maar. The other lakes have seen an increase in human activity during the later Neolithic and subsequent Bronce age. Clear evidence for increased farming activty becomes visisble at 1800 BC with the spread of beech. A first maximum of creals and flax was then observed during the Urnfelder culture from 1300-800; even intensified after the transition into the Hallstatt Iron age at 800 BC. The following 900 years have seen only little changes in the paleobotanical record. The Romans apparently used the Eifel mainly for timber production. Dense forests devoloped after the Roman retreat in the 5th century and the Early Medieval, but humans were present in small numbers during the entire Migration period up to the raids of Wikings in the 9cth century, when forest clearings provided land for farming and charcoal production. Land use changed after the 1342 AD millennium flash flood, when large parts of the arable land were devasted; leading to a pronounced sediment eventlayer, which contains more than 50 different paleobotanical macro remains that allow to reconstruct that flax and rye have been the most important plants for late medieval agriculture in the Eifel.
Evidence of human impact on the vegetation obtained from pollen diagrams at sites in the process of neolithisation is often difficult to detect. Apart from aspects like site function and occupation intensity, methodological aspects play a considerable role. In the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands, neolithisation is documented at the Final Mesolithic sites Hardinxveld-Giessendam Polderweg and Hardinxveld-Giessendam De Bruin and the local Early Neolithic sites of Brandwijk-Kerkhof and the Hazendonk, covering the period of 5500–2500 cal. b.c. The off-site core from Hardinxveld-Giessendam De Bruin supports earlier results that human influence on the vegetation at Hardinxveld is restricted and difficult to distinguish from natural vegetation disturbance. Human impact is more easily recognisable in the diagrams of Neolithic phases at Brandwijk-Kerkhof and the Hazendonk that show evidence of both domestic animals and cereals. Continuing neolithisation and also research methodology, including the location of the pollen cores, may play a role in this. It is tested whether the use of a new pollen sum excluding extra-regional taxa increases the visibility of human impact. Keywords: Neolithisation, Human impact, Pollen sum, Palynological methodology, Mesolithic, Swifterbant culture.
Over the last decade, excavations in the lower Scheldt river basin (NW Belgium) have identified the first presence of the transitional MesolithiceNeolithic Swifterbant culture, previously only known from the Netherlands and one site in northwest Germany. These excavations have also yielded the first evidence for the presence of Early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik, Limbourg, Blicquy and Epi-R€ ossen cultural remains in these wetland landscapes. High quality organic preservation at these sites offered the opportunity to reliably place the Swifterbant within the absolute chronology of the MesolithiceNeolithic transition in this region, as well as the reconstruction of Swifterbant subsistence practices, most notably the incorporation of cattle husbandry into a traditional hunting-fishing-gathering economy. Two different site types could be identified between the six excavated sites e dune and natural levee sites e which had contemporaneous periods of occupation, but different occupation histories. The integration of the dates from these different site types with the palaeoenvironmental dates provides an initial model of the Swifterbant settlement system in the area and its role in the specific tempo and trajectories of cultural and economic change that occurred during the neolithisation of the Scheldt basin. This model consists of relatively specialized and temporarily inhabited cattle and hunting-fishing camps on the dunes and larger, more continuously occupied levee camps along the river valleys. Bayesian statistical modeling suggests that Swifterbant occupation of the dune sites occurred during a brackish water flooding period and that occupation of the levee sites was more continuous.
Geologica Belgica, 2011
Local and regional environmental conditions for the south-eastern Scheldt estuary during the middle and late Holocene period have been reconstructed based on pollen analysis, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon dating of a sediment core from Doel (N-Belgium) and the comparison with existing data from other sites from the same region. Postglacial relative sea level rise resulted in the formation of alder carr vegetation in the lower parts of the landscape from c. 7640 cal BP onwards. The vegetation succession was weakly influenced by the deposition of tidal clay deposits between c. 6550 and 5650 a cal BP and eventually culminated in the development of an oligotrophic bog. Peat accumulation seems to have ceased between c. 2030 and 1220 a cal BP, well before it was covered by marine sediments in the late Middle Ages.
Postglacial evolution of vegetation and environment in the Scheldt Basin (northern Belgium)
The infill of abandoned river channels is the main information source on postglacial vegetation and landscape evolution in inland northern Belgium. Palynological studies of these deposits also contribute to a better understanding of the environmental context of the numerous archaeological sites in this area. The results are presented of palynological analyses, including pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoal from the palaeochannel infill at seven sites in the Scheldt and Durme valleys in northern Belgium. Based on the regional vegetation evolution and radiocarbon dating, a biozonation for the Scheldt Basin is constructed encompassing the final Late-glacial and Holocene period. The local taxa show a hydroseral succession from open-water environment, through reed or sedge fen to carr forest. Salix and Viburnum opulus were important elements in the Early Holocene riparian and carr vegetation, but are often underrepresented in pollen diagrams from larger valleys. There are indications for human disturbance and agriculture between 7,000 and 6,400 cal BP. The simultaneous decline of elm and lime in the study area around 4,000 cal BP can be linked to human impact.
2015
Since the last decades, well preserved Late Glacial dune formations containing numerous prehistoric sites buried deeply below peat, OM rich clays and marine clayey to sandy sediments have been discovered during extensive construction works in the harbor of Antwerp situated in the lower Scheldt river basin in northwest Belgium. Archaeological excavations have identified the first presence of the transitional Mesolithic-Neolithic Swifterbant culture, previously only known from sites in the Netherlands and one site in northwest Germany, and evidence for the presence of other Final Paleolithic to Early Neolithic cultural remains. High quality organic preservation at these sites have offered the opportunity to reliably place Swifterbant occupation within the absolute chronology of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in this region, as well as the reconstruction of Swifterbant subsistence practices, most notably the incorporation of cattle husbandry into a traditional hunting-fishing-gath...
Radiocarbon, 2014
The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the wetland margins of the southern North Sea basin occurred well over a millennium after the transition in neighboring loess regions. This article investigates the possible role of hydrological dynamics in the presence of the last hunter-gatherer-fishermen in these wetland regions. A Bayesian modeling approach is used to integrate stratigraphic information and radiocarbon dates both from accurately datable archaeological remains and key horizons in peat sequences in the Scheldt floodplain of northwestern Belgium. This study tests whether the Swifterbant occupation of the study area was contemporaneous with hiatuses in peat growth caused by organic clastic sedimentation due to increased tidal influences and local groundwater rise. The results suggest that the appearance of this culture followed shortly after the emergence of a brackish tidal mudflat landscape replacing a freshwater marsh.