The impact of the Romans on the environment of northern England: pollen data from three sites close to Hadrian's Wall

Abstract

Pollen diagrams from three sites along Hadrian's Wall in northern England are used to assess human impact on vegetation during the later Holocene, but with particular reference to the Roman period. In the light of available archaeological evidence, the radiocarbon-dated diagrams indicate that at Walton Moss and Glasson Moss, Cumbria, a period of woodland removal began during the Iron Age, continuing and accelerating during the Roman occupation. At Fozy Moss there was little human impact on vegetation in the area around the moss until the time of the Roman occupation when massive clearance resulted in an almost completely deforested landscape. These results are discussed against the background of previously published pollen diagrams from northern Britain.

Characterising the late prehistoric, ‘Romano-British’ and medieval landscape, and dating the emergence of a regionally distinct agricultural system in South West Britain

“…There was no extended woodland clearance recorded during this period, comparable to that recorded at the start of the Roman period in northern England (Dumayne & Barber, 1994).…”

“…Later Iron Age woodland clearance is a common feature across northern and western Britain, being recorded in Cumbria (Dumayne & Barber, 1994;Wimble et al, 2000), Lancashire (Mackay & Tallis, 1994), Wales (Turner, 1964), Shropshire (Leah et al, 1988) and southern Scotland (Tipping, 1994;1995). It is clear that the landscape around the study area in midDevon was already within an agricultural system and the evidence from the Rackenford sites strongly suggests increasing pressure on land resources, with clearance of what were likely to be more marginal areas (i.e.…”

Roman impact on the landscape near castellum Fectio, The Netherlands

“…The results of the wood analysis also indicate that alder was commonly present, in many cases as chips left after the processing of wood for building purposes. Consistent with the conclusion that the residual channel silted up during Roman occupation, no forest regeneration is detected, indicating that the Migration Period (compare Teunissen 1988;Dumayne and Barber 1994;Kalis et al 2008) is not represented in the Fectio core.…”

“…The arrival of Romans in an area can generally not be identified in palynological records, as a sudden shift in pollen composition is often lacking (Dumayne and Barber 1994;Kalis et al 2008). This is also the case in the present study.…”

“…This includes pastures for horses, as the fort was partially manned with cavalry (Zandstra and Polak 2012). Moreover, removing trees was a strategic measure for a castellum on the border of the Roman Empire (Teunissen et al 1987;Dumayne and Barber 1994). Large areas along the limes were cleared of forest to ensure enhanced sight.…”