Approaches to the reconstruction of dynamic of the territory occupation according to the soil signs

Ponomarenko, Elena; Ponomarenko, Dmitry S.; Stashenkov, Dmitry A.; Kochkina, Anna F.

doi:10.24852/pa2015.1.11.126.160

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…Of particular interest, there were several literature reviews showing that any territory colonized by people is inevitably subjected to fires, which results in the formation of pyrogenic archives of specific archaeological epochs [15][16][17][18][19]. The majority of studies to date focused on macro fragments of charcoal that are used in the identification of tree species burned by ancient people for various industrial or domestic purposes ( [20][21][22][23][24] and others). There are few studies on the micro particles of charcoal [25] and even fewer assessments of the total reservoir of anthracomass produced by people [25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pyrogenic Archives of Anthropogenically Transformed Soils in Central Russia

et al. 2021

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Charred materials (anthracomass) stored within a soil constitute a major part of its pyrogenic archive and could provide evidence of past fire events, both natural and anthropogenic. However, the dynamics of man-made contributions to the total anthracomass of soil at different time scales are insufficiently understood. In this study, we determined the anthracomass concentrations, stocks, and particle-size distribution in anthropogenically transformed soils of different genesis and ages. Materials were collected from the following archaeological sites within Central Russia—3 Upper Paleolithic sites (Avdeevo, Khotylevo-2 and Yudinovo-1), 2 Early Iron Age settlements (Khotylevo-2 and Yaroslavl), and 1 Medieval site (Yaroslavl). Samples from different cultural layers (CLs), plough layers, and native soils (control) were studied. We identified anthracomass accumulation over a wide chronological scale starting from the Upper Paleolithic Period. The high degree of preservation of anthracomass in ancient anthropogenically transformed soils was explained by the presence of large fragments of charred bones, which are more durable in comparison to wood charcoal. The anthracomass concentrations and stocks in the Early Iron Age plough layer were lower than those in the Medieval plough layer. CLs were generally more enriched in the anthracomass than plough layers, due to their sedimentational genesis, which is more favorable for anthracomass preservation than the turbational genesis of plough layers. However, the differences between charred particle sizes in synlithogenic CLs and turbational plough layers were less clear than expected, due to the specific conditions of formation of each particular layer, e.g., burial rate, duration of ploughing, and type of agricultural land use.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pyrogenic Archives of Anthropogenically Transformed Soils in Central Russia

et al. 2021

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Demographic Changes, Trade Routes, and the Formation of Anthropogenic Landscapes in the Middle Volga Region in the Past 2500 Years

Vyazov

Ershova

Ponomarenko

et al. 2019

Socio-Environmental Dynamics Along the Historical Silk Road

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The development of landscapes of the central part of the Middle-Volga region in the last 2500 years was a discontinuous process of the explosive growth of population and land utilization alternating with stages of depopulation and desolation. The periods of depopulation and transitions of cultures occurred at similar times to climate changes. Some cultures were associated with distinct climatic episodes, such as the association of the Dark Ages Cold Period with Hun, post Hun, Heraldic, and Khasarian times, and the Medival Warm Period with the time of Volga Bulgaria. A combination of archaeological and paleoecological analyses allowed us to reconstruct a sequence of landscape and land use changes in relation to the historical development of the region. The first millennium CE was a time of major changes in population, agricultural technologies, social structure, and settlement patterns in the forest-steppe zone. The MiddleVolga region underwent a transition from a non-populated, mainlyforested landscape of first centuries CE to a highly deforested agricultural landscape of the Volga Bulgarian state by the 11th century CE. Within several centuries, the landscape was transformed by shifting cultivation, wood and ore extraction, and the formation and expansion of pastures and road networks. The process of deforestation in the region was facilitated by the relatively warm climates of the Medieval Warm Period.

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