Catastrophic changes in vegetation ca. 8.2 ka & lake settlements in the Volga-Oka Region (based on the site Zamostje 2) (original) (raw)
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Question of the cultural identity early Neolithic systems with flat-bottomed cookware, decorated in the art pinned of Mari Volga is considered. The author identifies a number of problems of the Middle Volga Neolithic process: 1 – whether to serve as a cultural and chronological sign silt and clay materials, 2 – the problem of establishing the lower limit of the Neolithic process, 3 – the role of social factors in Neolithic process, 4 – issue of isolation of culture determines signs, 5 – the role of the primary source, 6 – issue of the original allocation of Early Neolithic (Dubovskaya and Оtarskaya) culture. Conclusion: Based on a comprehensive analysis of the material culture of the carriers of flat-bottomed cookware with stroke-ornamented decor of Mari lowlands Dubovskay and otarskaya culture is allocated, that is kinship of Samara and the Upper Volga, genetically related to the forest-steppe elshanskiy formation.
V. Lozovski, O. Lozovskaya, A. Mazurkevich, D. Hookk, M. Kolosova 2014 Late Mesolithic–Early Neolithic human adaptation to environmental changes at an ancient lake shore: The multi-layer Zamostje 2 site, Dubna River floodplain, Central Russia //Quaternary International, Volume 324, р.146-161, 2014
The multilayer waterlogged site Zamostje 2 in Central Russia represents a unique opportunity to study the interplay of human cultural history and its environmental context over the late Mesolithic e Middle Neolithic, ca. 7900e5500 BP (7000e4300 BC). Compared to previous paleogeographical reconstructions made more than 15 years ago and pollen diagrams for a number of profiles from Zamostje 2, along with materials from other sites from the region, in this paper we present new data about the use of wood by ancient inhabitants of lake settlements, and the discovery of fishery constructions. These data are used to reconstruct local changes in paleo-landscape and its exploitation by ancient huntersefishermen during a period of two thousand years. It was possible to correlate the types of fishing constructions with the water-depth of the ancient lake. The fishery economic zone of the paleo-lake always been a structural part of the settlement. New data allowed us to revise or update previous schemes of local paleolandscape changes at the site, and the regional scheme of the Holocene vegetation development in the Volga-Oka region.
Arheološki radovi i rasprave, 2021
One of the rapid climate change (RCC) events, which had lesser impact on the environmental conditions of the Northern Hemisphere but had stronger impact on the micro regional scale, is 7.1 ka BP event. Cooler and wetter conditions at its onset seem to have accompanied initial dispersal of the central European LBK from its core area to the regions, among other, of western Transdanubia and beyond, populating the area south of the Drava River. In the local chronology, this change in the material culture is marked by the appearance of the Middle Neolithic around 5400 BC. The end of this climate event is, however, marked by initial stage of dry and warmer conditions around 5000 BC which enabled settlement formation in the lowlands of the Eastern Slavonia. after this initial phase and the formation of the Late Neolithic tell settlements, over a period of about 500 years change in humidity and temperature occurred, eventually leading to the abandonment of most of the tell sites. Human adaptation to the changes in environmental conditions in both micro regions and archaeological contexts is discussed in this paper.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Today the East-European forest-steppe is an agricultural landscape with very few remains of the former natural vegetation. The history of the transformation from natural vegetation to a human-made landscape in the area of Sudzha (Kursk region, Russia) is studied here. Therefore, we compare the off-site pollen record Sudzha with three on-site pollen records obtained from the archaeological site Kurilovka-2. The sediment core Sudzha covering the last 2500 years was taken from an oxbow lake in an area with archaeological sites of the early Slavonic period (3 rd-8 th cent. CE). The Sudzha pollen record indicates dominance of broadleaf forests and meadow steppes in the area from 2500 to 200 cal yr BP with two major settlement phases one between ~2000 and 1600 cal yr BP (~50 BCE to 350 CE) and the other between 1100 and 600 cal yr BP (850 to 1350 CE) followed by a total deforestation and transformation to an agricultural landscape over the last 200-300 years. Noteworthy, however, the record Sudzha does not provide an intensive signal of human impact during the main settlement period of Kurilovka-2 (3 rd-8 th cent. CE). This points to a quite restricted spatial influence of the Early Slavonic settlements on the vegetation, leading to a relative low contribution of palynological anthropogenic indicators to the regional pollen rain signal.
Late- and postglacial environment of the Buzuluk area, middle Volga region, Russia
Quaternary Science Reviews, 1999
A 13 m long core from the lake-swamp at Pobochnoye (5330130 N, 5135030 E) in the Buzuluk pine forest in the middle part of the Volga River basin, Russia was studied for pollen, peat stratigraphy, mollusc, O/ O and C/ C analyses and radiocarbon dating. For the "rst time the environment history of the east European Russia has been reconstructed for the last 14,000 years; ca 14,000}13,000 BP cold dry steppes spread across the basin of the Samara River. Isotope data indicate that the main climate shift occurred ca 10,000 BP at the Lateglacial}Holocene transition when climate became warmer and forests expanded. Pinus sylvestris L. expanded 10,000 BP. Ca 9,000 BP ;lmus, Quercus and Corylus appeared in the Buzuluk forest followed at ca. 7,000 BP by Alnus, then ¹ilia and Acer at 6000 BP. Between 6000 and 4500 BP the climatic conditions were optimal for the forest growth in the Samara River basin. 5500}5000 BP the lake became shallower and was transformed into the eutrophic peat swamp. Between 4500}3500 BP climate became drier and hotter and forest less abundant. Between 3500}2400 BP the forest cover again increased. Between 2400}2000 BP the pine forest area has reduced, apparently due to increased dryness, and around 2000 BP the modern environment in the Buzuluk area has been in existence.
Environmental changes during Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Kuyavia Lakeland, Central Poland
Quaternary International, 2021
The Wietrzychowice Cultural Park protects one of the last preserved megalithic barrows constructed by the Funnel Beaker Culture societies at the Kuyavia Lakeland (Central Poland). The nearby archaeological site at ´Smieły located on the shore of Kara´snia Lake provided numerous Mesolithic and Neolithic remains such as flint artefacts, potsherds, arrowheads, and mammal bones with traces of human processing. The lake and peat sediments at the ´Smieły site provided a unique opportunity to investigate man-environment relationships during the transition period from Mesolithic to Neolithic. The age-depth model for the deposits was based on five radiocarbon dates as well as archaeological artefacts. The multi-proxy study, including geochemistry, pollen, plant macrofossils, Mollusca, Cladocera and Chironomidae analyses, were conducted to recognize palaeoenvironmental changes between 7500 and 3500 BCE. Combining environmental and archaeological data, we attempt to distinguish between natural phenomena triggered by climate factors with those induced by human activity. The data indicated hydrological changes associated with natural factors: (1) the phase of aquatic ecosystem since 7500 to 5800 BCE, (2) the phase of water shallowing between 5800 and 4600 BCE, and (3) the development of alder fen in the lake shore zone since ca. 4600 BCE. Vegetation changes suggest early landscape transformations in Central Poland already due to the activity of Mesolithic societies. Fossil pollen and plant macroremains data combined with detailed map of modern soil distribution in the area allowed to identify pattern of vegetation distribution around the Mesolithic campsite. Neolithic discontinuity of habitation process between ca. 4600 and 4000 BCE (in the times of Brze´s´c Kujawski Group of Lendyel Culture) can be associated with climate change resulting in Kara´snia Lake level lowering.
In: The East European Plain on the Eve of Agriculture, P. M. Dolukhanov, G. R. Sarson and A. M. Shukurov (eds), BAR Int. Ser. 1964, 2009 , 2009