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Temporal cultural landscape dynamics in a marginal upland area: agricultural expansions and contractions inferred from palynological evidence at Yttra Berg, southern Sweden

Skold, Eva ; Lageras, Per and Berglund, Björn LU (2010) In Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 19(2). p.121-136
Abstract
Agrarian history and local cultural landscape dynamics have been documented through pollen analysis of a peat core within the hamlet of Yttra Berg, which is situated in an upland area of southwest Sweden. The sequence covers the last 5,000 years, from Neolithic to modern time. Wood pasturing started at 2000 b.c., followed by grazing and small-scale cultivation with 500 year cycles from 650 b.c., and permanent fields of agriculture from a.d. 1150. The area was abandoned during the period a.d. 1350-1550. Three cycles of succession related to land-use have been identified for the period 650 b.c. to a.d. 1550. Correlation with frequent clearance cairns in the area is discussed. Recessions of agriculture/settlement during the late Middle Ages... (More)
Agrarian history and local cultural landscape dynamics have been documented through pollen analysis of a peat core within the hamlet of Yttra Berg, which is situated in an upland area of southwest Sweden. The sequence covers the last 5,000 years, from Neolithic to modern time. Wood pasturing started at 2000 b.c., followed by grazing and small-scale cultivation with 500 year cycles from 650 b.c., and permanent fields of agriculture from a.d. 1150. The area was abandoned during the period a.d. 1350-1550. Three cycles of succession related to land-use have been identified for the period 650 b.c. to a.d. 1550. Correlation with frequent clearance cairns in the area is discussed. Recessions of agriculture/settlement during the late Middle Ages and late modern time are documented. Pollen data indicate increased landscape and plant diversity since the Neolithic, closely linked to openness of the agrarian landscape. These results are important for landscape restoration. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Biodiversity, Heath expansion, Wood pasture, Shifting cultivation, Clearance cairns, Landscape diversity
in
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
volume
19
issue
2
pages
121 - 136
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000274044800004
ISSN
0939-6314
DOI
10.1007/s00334-009-0234-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
78a9d3a3-3f37-4366-91ca-c15196c11082 (old id 1546835)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:04:44
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:12:03
@article{78a9d3a3-3f37-4366-91ca-c15196c11082,
  abstract     = {{Agrarian history and local cultural landscape dynamics have been documented through pollen analysis of a peat core within the hamlet of Yttra Berg, which is situated in an upland area of southwest Sweden. The sequence covers the last 5,000 years, from Neolithic to modern time. Wood pasturing started at 2000 b.c., followed by grazing and small-scale cultivation with 500 year cycles from 650 b.c., and permanent fields of agriculture from a.d. 1150. The area was abandoned during the period a.d. 1350-1550. Three cycles of succession related to land-use have been identified for the period 650 b.c. to a.d. 1550. Correlation with frequent clearance cairns in the area is discussed. Recessions of agriculture/settlement during the late Middle Ages and late modern time are documented. Pollen data indicate increased landscape and plant diversity since the Neolithic, closely linked to openness of the agrarian landscape. These results are important for landscape restoration.}},
  author       = {{Skold, Eva and Lageras, Per and Berglund, Björn}},
  issn         = {{0939-6314}},
  keywords     = {{Biodiversity; Heath expansion; Wood pasture; Shifting cultivation; Clearance cairns; Landscape diversity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{121--136}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Vegetation History and Archaeobotany}},
  title        = {{Temporal cultural landscape dynamics in a marginal upland area: agricultural expansions and contractions inferred from palynological evidence at Yttra Berg, southern Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00334-009-0234-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00334-009-0234-6}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}