Palaeoenvironmental conditions and human activity in the vicinity of the Grodzisko fortified settlement (central Europe, Poland) from the late‐Neolithic to the Roman period

Abstract

We present results from a palaeoecological analysis conducted on deposits accumulated in an oxbow lake of the Prosna River (Poland), next to the Grodzisko fortified settlement. Palaeobotanical and geochemical analyses—supported by radiocarbon dating—were performed to (i) reconstruct palaeoenvironmental conditions of the oxbow lake and its surrounding area; (ii) determine the beginning of the human activity in the fortified settlement vicinity; and (iii) assess the impact of human pressure on the environment. The Grodzisko fortified settlement was originally located on a river island, encircled by a wetland, improving its defensive value. Increases in the water level (1800–1300 BC and 700–200 BC) created a small lake/moat around the fortified settlement. Indicators for human activity from pollen records suggest the presence of human populations from the late Neolithic, ca. 2800 BC, with a clear intensification ca. 1700 BC. From ca. 1600 BC, a decrease in some decidous trees suggests forest clearance. Low levels of human activity indicator pollen ca. 2000 BC suggest a reduction of human pressure (possible depopulation). The regular presence of macrocharcoal pieces and an increase in human activity indicator pollen from ca. 1300 to 200 BC provide evidence for renewed human habitation around the sampling site.

Early medieval human–environment interaction in the context of changes in the hydrological regime in the Upper Vistula valley (Central Europe)

“…Hydrological conditions, especially from the second half of the 2nd century AD to the middle of the 4th century AD, generally favoured migration and settlement in low‐lying riverside areas (Dobrzańska & Kalicki, 2003; Gałka, Kołaczek, et al, 2021).…”

“…Some examples are the Kluizen peatland in Belgium (Deforce et al, 2020), Gościąż Lake in Poland (Ralska‐Jasiewiczowa & van Geel, 1998) and the Xingyun Lake in SW China (Chen et al, 2022). The study of sediments has allowed us to suggest that environmental transformations related to human activity were manifested not only in deforestation (Behre, 1988; Dietze et al, 2018; Gałka, Kołaczek, et al, 2021) but also in changes to broader plant cover and environmental pollution (Breitenlechner et al, 2010; Gałka et al, 2019; Jouffroy‐Bapicot et al, 2007; Karlsson et al, 2015; Monna et al, 2004; Szymczyk & Nita, 2021). In several cases, the relationship between human activity and the transformation of the relief of valleys and river sediments has also been indicated (Florek, 1997; Starkel, 2001; Wójcicki et al, 2020).…”