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The environmental context of a prehistoric rock carving on the Bjare Peninsula, Scania, southern Sweden

Brown, Alex D. ; Bradley, Richard J. ; Goldhahn, Joakim ; Nord, Jenny LU ; Skoglund, Peter and Yendell, Virgil (2011) In Journal of Archaeological Science 38(3). p.746-752
Abstract
Palaeoecological analysis of peat deposits from a small bog at Lingarden, southern Sweden, have been used to examine the nature and timing of vegetation changes and anthropogenic activity associated with a nearby rock carving located close to the edge of the wetland. This study is the first of its type to investigate the environmental context of rock carvings in southern Sweden. Debate has tended to focus on chronology and iconography, with little consideration of the environmental relationships of rock carvings and how vegetation may help construct a site within its surrounding landscape. The pollen evidence from Lingarden demonstrates that the rock carving was located in an isolated semi-wooded setting during the late Bronze Age. This is... (More)
Palaeoecological analysis of peat deposits from a small bog at Lingarden, southern Sweden, have been used to examine the nature and timing of vegetation changes and anthropogenic activity associated with a nearby rock carving located close to the edge of the wetland. This study is the first of its type to investigate the environmental context of rock carvings in southern Sweden. Debate has tended to focus on chronology and iconography, with little consideration of the environmental relationships of rock carvings and how vegetation may help construct a site within its surrounding landscape. The pollen evidence from Lingarden demonstrates that the rock carving was located in an isolated semi-wooded setting during the late Bronze Age. This is in stark contrast to several other pollen studies from the Bjare Peninsula that record widespread woodland clearance and agricultural activity from the late Neolithic Bronze Age transition. The results of this study support hypotheses that suggest complex rock carvings, such as Lingarden, were separated from settled areas. This sense of separation and isolation is reinforced by the vegetation surrounding the rock carving. This paper also discusses the relationship between charcoal in the pollen sequence and evidence that the decorated outcrop had been burnt. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Palaeoecology, Human impact, Bronze age, Rock carving, Sweden, Fire
in
Journal of Archaeological Science
volume
38
issue
3
pages
746 - 752
publisher
Academic Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000286954100024
  • scopus:78650309867
ISSN
1095-9238
DOI
10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.009
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bcde5568-a366-4e88-aeee-07e58d61fce5 (old id 1869226)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:40:46
date last changed
2022-01-26 01:24:40
@article{bcde5568-a366-4e88-aeee-07e58d61fce5,
  abstract     = {{Palaeoecological analysis of peat deposits from a small bog at Lingarden, southern Sweden, have been used to examine the nature and timing of vegetation changes and anthropogenic activity associated with a nearby rock carving located close to the edge of the wetland. This study is the first of its type to investigate the environmental context of rock carvings in southern Sweden. Debate has tended to focus on chronology and iconography, with little consideration of the environmental relationships of rock carvings and how vegetation may help construct a site within its surrounding landscape. The pollen evidence from Lingarden demonstrates that the rock carving was located in an isolated semi-wooded setting during the late Bronze Age. This is in stark contrast to several other pollen studies from the Bjare Peninsula that record widespread woodland clearance and agricultural activity from the late Neolithic Bronze Age transition. The results of this study support hypotheses that suggest complex rock carvings, such as Lingarden, were separated from settled areas. This sense of separation and isolation is reinforced by the vegetation surrounding the rock carving. This paper also discusses the relationship between charcoal in the pollen sequence and evidence that the decorated outcrop had been burnt. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Brown, Alex D. and Bradley, Richard J. and Goldhahn, Joakim and Nord, Jenny and Skoglund, Peter and Yendell, Virgil}},
  issn         = {{1095-9238}},
  keywords     = {{Palaeoecology; Human impact; Bronze age; Rock carving; Sweden; Fire}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{746--752}},
  publisher    = {{Academic Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Archaeological Science}},
  title        = {{The environmental context of a prehistoric rock carving on the Bjare Peninsula, Scania, southern Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.009}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.009}},
  volume       = {{38}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}