The present study aims to document historical mining and smelting activities by means of geochemical and pollen analyses performed in a peat bog core collected around the Bibracte oppidum (Morvan, France), the largest settlement of the great Aeduan Celtic tribe (ca. 180 B.C. to 25 A.D.). The anthropogenic Pb profile indicates local mining operations starting from the Late Bronze Age, ca. cal. 1300 B.C. Lead inputs peaked at the height of Aeduan civilization and then decreased after the Roman conquest of Gaul, when the site was abandoned. Other phases of mining are recognized from the 11th century to modern times. They have all led to modifications in plant cover, probably related in part to forest clearances necessary to supply energy for mining and smelting. Zn, Sb, Cd, and Cu distributions may result from diffusional and biological processes or from the influence of groundwater and underlying mineral soil, precluding their interpretation for historical reconstruction. The abundance of mineral resources, in addition to the strategic location, might explain why early settlers founded the city of Bibracte at that particular place. About 20% of the anthropogenic lead record was accumulated before our era and about 50% before the 18th century, which constitutes a troublesome heritage. Any attempts to develop control strategies in accumulating environments should take into account past human activities in order to not overestimate the impact of contemporary pollution.

In the Mediterranean region, Corsica represents one of the most important hotspots of biodiversity, partly due to the high number of endemics species. This region is also one of the most affected by forest fires worldwide. The present vegetation is adapted to a wide range of disturbance regimes, but a change in fire frequency or intensity in the future may severely affect ecological resources and other socio-economical aspects. Here, we study the dynamics of vegetation–human–fire interactions for the past 12,000 years as recorded by Lake Bastani (Corsica, France). We used well-dated sedimentary records of charcoal, pollen and fungal spores to infer past fire regime, land cover and pastoral activities, respectively, and we compared our results with charcoal records from two other Corsican lakes (Nino and Creno, respectively). Our results suggest that climate and natural fires were the main factors shaping the landscape before 5000 cal. BP. Then, the extraordinary diversity of the current Corsican vegetation has been mainly promoted by human activities on the island (i.e. deforestation and pastoralism) at least from the Bronze Age (3500 cal. BP). The top of our record shows a sharp decrease in fungal remains ( Sporormiella-type), usually associated with pastoral activities, which could be attributed to the land abandonment occurring since a few decades.