Palaeoenvironments, the archaeological record and cereal pollen detection at Clickimin, Shetland, Scotland

Edwards, Kevin J.; Whittington, Graeme; Robinson, M.; Richter, Daniela

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2005.06.004

Cited by 26 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The separation of B. pubescens from B. nana was based on the assignation of all Betula pollen ≤20 μm to B. nana and the remainder to B. pubescens (Caseldine, 2001;Karlsdóttir et al, 2007). In an attempt to enhance the anthropogenic pollen signal, rapid scanning for cereal pollen was applied (Edwards and McIntosh, 1988;Edwards et al, 2005b). Scanning at 100× magnification until an estimated total of ca.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetational response to human colonisation of the coastal and volcanic environments of Ketilsstaðir, southern Iceland

Erlendsson

Edwards

Buckland³

2009

Quat. res.

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Tephra-dated, high-resolution pollen profiles from Ketilsstaðir, southern Iceland, indicate a largely unwooded pre-settlement environment, a probable consequence of the exposed coastal location. The degree of change associated with the Norse landnám is more limited than in many Icelandic pollen diagrams. There are three main periods of change in the post-settlement vegetational development of the area. Firstly, Norse settlement affected the hydrology of the bog, resulting in the near-disappearance of Sphagnum and agricultural activity led to a reduction of some species (e.g. Angelica spp. and Salix). Secondly, the establishment of probable permanent settlement in the mid-11th century AD initiated expansion of such apophytic taxa as Plantago spp. Lactuceae, Ranunculus spp. and Pteridophytes. Thirdly, the ≥ 10 cm thick Katla tephra, deposited in AD 1357, enhanced drainage of the bog surface, favouring dryland taxa (e.g. Poaceae, Galium and Lactuceae). The tephra deposit and the associated drainage probably caused or contributed to the local extinction of the wetland beetle Hydraena britteni. The study has enabled a series of natural and humanly-related issues to be addressed including tephra-vegetation relationships, the anthropogenic reduction in plant diversity, and comparisons between historical and environmental settlement records.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetational response to human colonisation of the coastal and volcanic environments of Ketilsstaðir, southern Iceland

Erlendsson

Edwards

Buckland³

2009

Quat. res.

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“…The timing and extent of anthropogenic modification of vegetation during the Holocene are important both for our understanding of the long-term dynamics of global carbon budgets (Ruddiman, 2003(Ruddiman, , 2005 and for improved linkage of the archaeological and palaeoecological records Edwards et al, 2005). The Ruddiman hypothesis argues for a significant, widespread conversion of vegetation from forest to cultivated and pastoral landscapes beginning at least 7000 years ago in regions potentially stretching from Indo-China to northern Europe (Ruddiman, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Ruddiman hypothesis argues for a significant, widespread conversion of vegetation from forest to cultivated and pastoral landscapes beginning at least 7000 years ago in regions potentially stretching from Indo-China to northern Europe (Ruddiman, 2003). Archaeological data comprise point samples indicating at least local clearance and cultivation, and these data can potentially be up-scaled to generate landscape reconstructions when matched to palaeoecological results, although interpreting the timing of landscape change using these two sources of data can be problematic (Edwards et al, 2005). Potential scale mismatches between pollen and archaeological data will be partially resolved by new, model-based analytical techniques that are under development (Sugita et al, 1999;Sugita, in 2007a,b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Bronze Age landscape of the Bjäre peninsula, southern Sweden, and its relationship to burial mounds

Hannon

Bradshaw

Nord

et al. 2008

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Following Erdtman's pioneering studies, British adopters of palynology, mainly academic staff and their research students in departments of botany and geography, have been responsible for the burgeoning post-war corpus of published Holocene research on Scotland (e.g., Durno 1957, 1959; Nichols 1967; Vasari & Vasari 1968; Moar 1969; Birks 1970, 1975; Pennington et al 1972; O'Sullivan 1974; Keatinge & Dickson 1979; Birks & Williams 1983; Bennett et al . 1990, 1992; Whittington et al 1990; Whittington & Edwards 1995; Edwards et al 2000, 2005a, b; Davies & Tipping 2004; Tipping 2010), and for which summaries are available (e.g., Edwards 1974, 2004a, b; Birks 1977, 1996; Tipping 1994, 1997; Bennett et al 1997; Huntley et al 1997; Ramsay & Dickson 1997; Edwards & Whittington 2003; Saville et al 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Palaeoecological perspectives on Holocene environmental change in Scotland

Edwards

Bennett

Davies

2018

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Socie

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Palaeoecology has been prominent in studies of environmental change during the Holocene epoch in Scotland. These studies have been dominated by palynology (pollen, spore and related bio-and litho-stratigraphic analyses) as a key approach to multi- and inter-disciplinary investigations of topics such as vegetation, climate and landscape change. This paper highlights some key dimensions of the pollen- and vegetation-based archive, with a focus upon woodland dynamics, blanket peat, human impacts, biodiversity and conservation. Following a brief discussion of chronological, climatic, faunal and landscape contexts, the migration, survival and nature of the woodland cover through time is assessed, emphasising its time-transgressiveness and altitudinal variation. While agriculture led to the demise of woodland in lowland areas of the south and east, the spread of blanket peat was especially a phenomenon of the north and west, including the Western and Northern Isles. Almost a quarter of Scotland is covered by blanket peat and the cause(s) of its spread continue(s) to evoke recourse to climatic, topographic, pedogenic, hydrological, biotic or anthropogenic influences, while we remain insufficiently knowledgeable about the timing of the formation processes. Humans have been implicated in vegetational change throughout the Holocene, with prehistoric woodland removal, woodland management, agricultural impacts arising from arable and pastoral activities, potential heathland development and afforestation. The viability of many current vegetation communities remains a concern, in that Scottish data show reductions in plant diversity over the last 400 years, which recent conservation efforts have yet to reverse. Palaeoecological evidence can be used to test whether conservation baselines and restoration targets are appropriate to longer-term ecosystem variability and can help identify when modern conditions have no past analogues.

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Palaeoenvironments, the archaeological record and cereal pollen detection at Clickimin, Shetland, Scotland

Cited by 26 publications

References 15 publications

Vegetational response to human colonisation of the coastal and volcanic environments of Ketilsstaðir, southern Iceland

Vegetational response to human colonisation of the coastal and volcanic environments of Ketilsstaðir, southern Iceland

The Bronze Age landscape of the Bjäre peninsula, southern Sweden, and its relationship to burial mounds

Palaeoecological perspectives on Holocene environmental change in Scotland

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