Always on the tipping point – A search for signals of past societies and related peatland ecosystem critical transitions during the last 6500 years in N Poland

Lamentowicz, Mariusz; Kołaczek, Piotr; Mauquoy, Dmitri; Kittel, Piotr; Łokas, Edyta; Słowiński, Michael; Jassey, Vincent E. J.; Niedziółka, Kamil; Kajukało-Drygalska, Katarzyna; Marcisz, Katarzyna

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105954

Cited by 37 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…It is estimated that virgin nature was largely transformed by hunter-gatherers, farmers, and pastoralists by 3000 years ago 5 . In CE Europe, the first human impact signals recorded in paleoecological archives are dated up to 6000 years ago 13 , 14 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Joannites’ economy eradicated primeval forest and created anthroecosystems in medieval Central Europe

Lamentowicz

Marcisz

Guzowski

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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During European states’ development, various past societies utilized natural resources, but their impact was not uniformly spatially and temporally distributed. Considerable changes resulted in landscape fragmentation, especially during the Middle Ages. Changes in state advances that affected the local economy significantly drove trajectories of ecosystems’ development. The legacy of major changes from pristine forest to farming is visible in natural archives as novel ecosystems. Here, we present a high-resolution densely dated multi-proxy study covering the last 1500 years from a peatland located in CE Europe. The economic activity of medieval societies was highly modified by new rulers—the Joannites (the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller). We studied the record of these directorial changes noted in the peat profile. Our research revealed a rapid critical land-use transition in the late Middle Ages and its consequences on the peatland ecosystem. The shift from the virgin forest with regular local fires to agriculture correlates well with the raising of local economy and deforestations. Along with the emerging openness, the wetland switched from alkaline wet fen state to acidic, drier Sphagnum-dominated peatland. Our data show how closely the ecological state of wetlands relates to forest microclimate. We identified a significant impact of the Joannites who used the novel farming organization. Our results revealed the surprisingly fast rate of how feudal economy eliminated pristine nature from the studied area and created novel anthroecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Joannites’ economy eradicated primeval forest and created anthroecosystems in medieval Central Europe

Lamentowicz

Marcisz

Guzowski

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Throughout Eastern and Central Europe, this period is characterised by a progressive decrease in lake levels between 3300 and 2000 cal. BC, suggesting a drier climate (Dietze et al, 2016; Harrison et al, 1996; Lamentowicz et al, 2019; Słowiński et al, 2016; Tarasov et al, 1994, 1996; Warden et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the border between land and water: The environmental conditions of the Neolithic occupation from 4.3 until 1.6 ka BC at Serteya, Western Russia

et al. 2020

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The paper presents the results of a palaeoecological study of Neolithic archaeological layers from a wetland, multilayer site, Serteya II (Western Russia). It contains, domestic structures, rich organic artefacts, skeletons, and ecofacts preserved within lacustrine deposits that are extremely important on a European scale. We employed a set of specialised palaeoecological analyses and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating to identify the principal environmental conditions which attracted Neolithic hunter‐fisher‐gatherer communities from 4300 to 1600 cal. BC. The distinct impact of communities using a nonproductive economy on the ecology of the palaeolake shore zone was recorded. Also, palaeolake water level changes influenced the palaeoeconomic activity of local Neolithic societies, such as gathering of plants (for the medicinal use or serving as dietary components), fishing activities, and possible funeral practices. In addition, the identified phases of high‐water level changes, which were responses to climatic oscillations, were correlated with supraregional climatic events, especially ca. 6.2, 5.9, and 4.2 ka cal. BP. Thus, our results allowed for the reconstruction of environment transformations and conditions of Neolithic communities' activity, as well as for a better understanding of the relationships between local Neolithic communities' way of life and neolithisation processes in Eastern Europe.

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“…Signi cant reforestation in the region mainly with pine (Fig. 2) occurred only after World War II leading to a decrease in catchment erosion [44][45][46] .…”

Section: Anthropogenic-dominated Phase (1860 Ad Until Today)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of Medieval road operation on cultural landscape transformation

Słowiński

Brauer

Guzowski

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Connecting pathways are essential for cultural and economic exchange and play an important role in human life. Commonly, historians investigate the role of routes for cultural development, whereas the environmental consequences of historical route construction attract less attention. Here we present, for the first time, a high-resolution reconstruction of the impact of the major trade route via Marchionis in the southern Baltic lowlands on landscape evolution since its construction more than 800 years ago. We utilize precisely dated annually laminated lake sediments from Lake Czechowskie located alongside Via Marchionis to establish multiproxy data at 5-year resolution for an integrated interpretation with historical data. The transformation from a quasi-natural to a cultural landscape was promoted by the operation of Via Marchionis and occurred in three main phases. Superimposed on the long-term development were repeated interruptions by short-term downturns related to societal crisis caused by wars and partly overlapping with climatic deterioration.

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Always on the tipping point – A search for signals of past societies and related peatland ecosystem critical transitions during the last 6500 years in N Poland

Cited by 37 publications

References 108 publications

How Joannites’ economy eradicated primeval forest and created anthroecosystems in medieval Central Europe

How Joannites’ economy eradicated primeval forest and created anthroecosystems in medieval Central Europe

On the border between land and water: The environmental conditions of the Neolithic occupation from 4.3 until 1.6 ka BC at Serteya, Western Russia

The role of Medieval road operation on cultural landscape transformation

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