Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A mid-Holocene annually laminated sediment sequence from Lake Woserin : The role of climate and environmental change for cultural development during the Neolithic in Northern Germany

Feeser, Ingo ; Dörfler, Walter ; Czymzik, Markus LU and Dreibrodt, Stefan (2016) In Holocene 26(6). p.947-963
Abstract

Annually laminated sediments of Lake Woserin in north-eastern Germany are investigated using sedimentological and palynological methods. They facilitate high-resolution reconstruction of environmental and land-use change during ca. 7000–4000 cal. BP. Between 6100 and 5800 cal. BP, changes in woodland composition and structure are evident which coincide with a change in subsistence strategy, that is, the adoption of animal husbandry. For the remaining period, eight phases of enhanced human impact (5750–5390, 5270–5150, 4890–4750, 4670–4600, 4520–4450, 4390–4350, 4250–4170 and 4070–3930 cal. BP) are identified. Hereby, the first phase relates to an opening of the landscape in connection with the adoption of large-scale, extensive cereal... (More)

Annually laminated sediments of Lake Woserin in north-eastern Germany are investigated using sedimentological and palynological methods. They facilitate high-resolution reconstruction of environmental and land-use change during ca. 7000–4000 cal. BP. Between 6100 and 5800 cal. BP, changes in woodland composition and structure are evident which coincide with a change in subsistence strategy, that is, the adoption of animal husbandry. For the remaining period, eight phases of enhanced human impact (5750–5390, 5270–5150, 4890–4750, 4670–4600, 4520–4450, 4390–4350, 4250–4170 and 4070–3930 cal. BP) are identified. Hereby, the first phase relates to an opening of the landscape in connection with the adoption of large-scale, extensive cereal cultivation. Phases of decreased human impact are generally characterised by woodland regeneration. Over-regional comparison of the results reveals similar and synchronous fluctuation of human impact in the young moraine area of the south-western Baltic region and hints at a large-scale driver. In order to evaluate the role of environmental change for human activity, evidence for coinciding shifts in palaeoclimate records and their potential implication for human–environment interactions are discussed and generally support the idea that environmental changes played an important role for the cultural development during the Neolithic in Northern Germany. Hereby, climate change probably favoured the adoption of new subsistence strategies during the early Neolithic (6100–5350 cal. BP). Furthermore, the fluctuating human impact during Middle and Younger Neolithic (5350–4100 cal. BP) could indicate a socio-economic system susceptible for short-termed climatic fluctuation.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
annually laminated sediments, Funnel Beaker Culture, human–environment interaction, land-use history, Neolithic, Northern Germany, pollen analyses
in
Holocene
volume
26
issue
6
pages
17 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:84968561482
  • wos:000376305700009
ISSN
0959-6836
DOI
10.1177/0959683615622550
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
31c5044d-0f9b-4975-b3fe-7c2f7774d736
date added to LUP
2016-10-10 10:07:53
date last changed
2024-04-19 10:10:31
@article{31c5044d-0f9b-4975-b3fe-7c2f7774d736,
  abstract     = {{<p>Annually laminated sediments of Lake Woserin in north-eastern Germany are investigated using sedimentological and palynological methods. They facilitate high-resolution reconstruction of environmental and land-use change during ca. 7000–4000 cal. BP. Between 6100 and 5800 cal. BP, changes in woodland composition and structure are evident which coincide with a change in subsistence strategy, that is, the adoption of animal husbandry. For the remaining period, eight phases of enhanced human impact (5750–5390, 5270–5150, 4890–4750, 4670–4600, 4520–4450, 4390–4350, 4250–4170 and 4070–3930 cal. BP) are identified. Hereby, the first phase relates to an opening of the landscape in connection with the adoption of large-scale, extensive cereal cultivation. Phases of decreased human impact are generally characterised by woodland regeneration. Over-regional comparison of the results reveals similar and synchronous fluctuation of human impact in the young moraine area of the south-western Baltic region and hints at a large-scale driver. In order to evaluate the role of environmental change for human activity, evidence for coinciding shifts in palaeoclimate records and their potential implication for human–environment interactions are discussed and generally support the idea that environmental changes played an important role for the cultural development during the Neolithic in Northern Germany. Hereby, climate change probably favoured the adoption of new subsistence strategies during the early Neolithic (6100–5350 cal. BP). Furthermore, the fluctuating human impact during Middle and Younger Neolithic (5350–4100 cal. BP) could indicate a socio-economic system susceptible for short-termed climatic fluctuation.</p>}},
  author       = {{Feeser, Ingo and Dörfler, Walter and Czymzik, Markus and Dreibrodt, Stefan}},
  issn         = {{0959-6836}},
  keywords     = {{annually laminated sediments; Funnel Beaker Culture; human–environment interaction; land-use history; Neolithic; Northern Germany; pollen analyses}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{947--963}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Holocene}},
  title        = {{A mid-Holocene annually laminated sediment sequence from Lake Woserin : The role of climate and environmental change for cultural development during the Neolithic in Northern Germany}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959683615622550}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0959683615622550}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}