Iron age and Roman vegetation clearance in Northern Britain: Further evidence

Abstract

The long-standing debate of whether the Romans faced a wooded landscape when they invaded northern Britain is reassessed in light of new palynological evidence in the Hadrianic-Antonine frontier zone. The radiocarbon-dated pollen diagrams suggest that, except for at Fozy Moss, Northumbria, substantial woodland clearance was already underway prior to the Roman invasion of the area. It is evident that there was considerable spatial and temporal variability in the vegetation cover during the period under consideration.

Human Impact on the Environment during the Iron Age and Romano-British Times: Palynological Evidence from Three Sites near the Antonine Wall, Great Britain

“…90 - 220) extends into the Romano-British period, the clearance may have been underway before the Romans reached the Forth-Clyde isthmus. This compares well with pollen diagrams from west-central Scotland (Ramsay, 1995) and those from Scotland south of the Antonine Wall (Innes & Shennan, 1991;Dumayne, 1992Dumayne, , 1993bTipping, 1992Tipping, , 1995 where woodland was cleared extensively during the Iron Age, although pollen profiles from Bloak Moss, Ayrshire (Turner, 1965(Turner, , 1975 and Swindon Hill in the Cheviots (R. Tipping, pers. comm.)…”

“…Questions also surround the nature of the local agrarian economy prior to and during the Roman occupation (Hanson & Macinnes, 1980Hanson & Breeze, 1991;Smout, 1991;Dickson, 1992;Breeze, 1992;Dumayne, 1993b). Palynology clearly provides a method of addressing these contentious issues and the aim of this paper is to present new palynological results for vegetation change near the Antonine Wall during Iron Age and Romano-British times which contribute to the above debates.…”

Continuity or discontinuity? Vegetation change in the Hadrianic–Antonine frontier zone of northern Britain at the end of the Roman occupation

“…Several recent publications have concentrated on the possible effects of the Roman invasion and occupation of northern England and southern Scotland on the landscape and its vegetation (e.g. Dumayne, 1993a, b, 1994; Dumayne & Barber, 1994; McCarthy, 1995; Dumayne‐Peaty & Barber, 1997; Manning et al , 1997; Dumayne‐Peaty, 1998), but in contrast, the vegetation changes which occurred when the Romans withdrew from the Hadrianic‐Antonine frontier zone have received less attention. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the palynological evidence for vegetation changes which took place in the Hadrianic–Antonine Wall zone at the end of the Roman occupation using data obtained from eleven mires in the area.…”

Roman Frontiers and Landscapes of Occupation: Road Building and Landscape Change in the Hadrianic-Antonine Frontier Zone

“…Following the final departure of the Roman military forces from the Hadrianic-Antonine Frontier zone at the end of the Severan campaigns (AD 208-211) (Birley 1999b) palynological records indicate areas of woodland regeneration which may be due to settlement abandonment as the local agricultural economy, previously buoyed by the presence of the Roman army, collapsed (Dumayne-Peaty, 1999). The end of demands for timber for the construction and maintenance of military structures (Dumayne 1993b) may also have led to woodland regeneration. The end of the Roman period sees the end of rye cultivation and the replacement of some arable land with pasture at Crag Loch (Dark 2005), but there is no increased extent in woodland cover.…”