Paleoecological perspectives on landscape history and anthropogenic impacts at Uivak Point, Labrador, since AD 1400

Roy, Natasha; Woollett, James; Bhiry, Najat

doi:10.1177/0959683615591350

Cited by 13 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Many studies have shown that palaeoenvironmental studies can supplement or offer a new dimension to the chronology constructed by archaeological data (Gauthier et al 2010;Lemieux et al 2011;Massa et al 2012;Roy et al 2012Roy et al , 2015. In our study, palaeoenvironmental records from archaeological sites (and their immediate vicinity) helped us to identify changes in the landscape and land use by identifying traces left by humans since the occupation of Svalbarðstunga.…”

Section: Changes In Vegetation Linked To Anthropogenic Activities Andmentioning

confidence: 85%

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Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Roy

Woollett

Bhiry

et al. 2017

Boreas

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A series of peat monoliths was collected from Hjálmarvík, Kúðá and Bægístaðir, three abandoned farm sites located on a transect extending from the coast to 18 km inland in the Svalbarðstunga region (northeastern Iceland) in order to document the impact of human occupation and patterns of land use on landscape change and vegetation. Svalbarðstunga is of considerable interest because of the geographical and ecological features that distinguish it from other regions of Iceland, in particular by the more direct influence of the cold East Greenland Current (EGC). Plant and insect macrofossils and diatoms identified in peat monoliths provided proxy indicators of human settlement and land use that in some cases corroborate, and in others expand upon, existing archaeological and historical dates. Based on the presence of ecofacts (calcined bones, fish bones and charcoal), synanthropic insects and some anthropogenic plant‐indicators (e.g. weeds), we showed that there was a consistent occupation and use of the coastal site of Hjálmarvík since AD 970. At Kúðá, the scenario is quite different. Two periods of occupation or land use were identified: from prior to c. AD 960 to 1190 and from c. AD 1650 to 1870. In the 15th and into the 16th centuries, the decrease in the deposition of traces of fuel wastes around the inland farm sites (Kúðá and Bægístaðir) suggests that they were used much less frequently. The decline of such proxies for human occupation occurred shortly before the occurrence of the coldest conditions from the 16th to the 17th centuries as well as prior to the V1477 eruption, suggesting that these natural factors may not have been the primary or unique driver of changing modes of tenancy. A scenario of famine‐related depopulation would have played a significant role in this decrease in the human impact on vegetation.

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Section: Changes In Vegetation Linked To Anthropogenic Activities Andmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…; Roy et al . , ). In our study, palaeoenvironmental records from archaeological sites (and their immediate vicinity) helped us to identify changes in the landscape and land use by identifying traces left by humans since the occupation of Svalbarðstunga.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Roy

Woollett

Bhiry

et al. 2017

Boreas

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“…Houses 1 and 2 at the Oakes Bay 1 archaeological site were situated on sandy marine terraces rising between 5 and 7 m while House 7 of the Uivak Point archaeological site was established on a sandy slope between two boggy terraces at elevations of 8 and 11 m above sea level, respectively (Unit U0) (Roy, Bhiry, & Woollett, ; Roy, Woollett, & Bhiry, ). Lithorelic minerals (e.g., quartz, feldspars, amphiboles, and opaque minerals), which had become encrusted into the archaeological sediments (in Units 1 and 2), came from these sandy terraces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micromorphological Analyses of Inuit Communal Sod Houses in Northern Labrador, Canada

2016

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As part of ongoing multidisciplinary research at Uivak Point (HjCl‐09) and Oakes Bay 1 (HeCg‐8) in Labrador, Canada, undisturbed soil samples were collected in order to document archaeological sediments and examine anthropogenic processes within Inuit sod houses through soil micromorphology. These structures consist of multifamily winter dwellings used in Labrador and Greenland, which have been variously associated with Inuit social changes following contact with Europeans and environmental conditions prevailing during the “Little Ice Age.” Analyses of thin sections revealed anthropogenic features that can be associated with specific activities that are also documented independently through archaeological, anthropological, and historical sources. While sleeping platforms were characterized by low frequencies of wood and burnt organic matter, adjacent floor areas had moderate accumulations of a variety of anthropogenic features. The entrance tunnel area collected dense deposits of various kinds of detritus that showed evidence of trampling. Nevertheless, dedicated activity areas could not be documented with precision because of the small number of samples and the unexpected impact of household cleaning events.

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“…Palynological research has revealed a restricted suite of microfossils that appear to reflect human impact arising from the activity of these cultures (e.g. Böcher and Fredskild 1993;Roy et al 2015;Ledger 2017). Key amongst these appear to be the increased visibility of certain herbaceous taxa (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thule Inuit environmental impacts on Kangeq, southwest Greenland

Panagiotakopulu

Schofield

Vickers³

et al. 2020

Quaternary International

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Palaeoecological investigations of a rapidly eroding coastal midden and an adjacent peat bog on the island of Kangeq in southwest Greenland have provided new information on environmental change and human impact associated with Thule Inuit occupation. Palynological and palaeoentomological datasets have been produced through the 14 th to the 17 th centuries AD. The pollen and sedimentary data provide evidence for peat formation, increased frequency of the northern annual herb Koenigia islandica (Iceland purslane) from the end of the 15 th century AD, and a decline in shrub pollen over the same period. These changes are interpreted as local responses to Little Ice Age cooling. No clear signal for human impact on the vegetation was revealed in the pollen record, and there was little macroscopic charcoal recovered from either of the sedimentary contexts that were examined; microscopic charcoal evident in the peat column is probably evidence for domestic fires. The insect remains suggest periodic patterns of disposal on the midden and provide information on natural environments in the vicinity. Fossil fly puparia (Diptera) are associated with decaying animal materials and perhaps indicate waste produced from the skinning of marine mammals and birds as opposed to butchering. The faunas contrast with results from the Saqqaq site of Qeqertasussuk and several Norse farms.

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Paleoecological perspectives on landscape history and anthropogenic impacts at Uivak Point, Labrador, since AD 1400

Cited by 13 publications

References 28 publications

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Micromorphological Analyses of Inuit Communal Sod Houses in Northern Labrador, Canada

Thule Inuit environmental impacts on Kangeq, southwest Greenland

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