Environment and Economy of the Early Medieval Settlement in Žatec

Bibliographic Data

ID12940427
AuthorsPetr Kočár (0000-0002-0695-2913, University of West Bohemia), Petr Čech (0000-0003-0360-2544, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Prague), Radka Kozáková (0000-0002-8567-7242, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Prague, corresponding author), Romana Kočárová (University of West Bohemia)
Year2010
Volume1
Issue1-2/2010
Pages45-60
Publication date2010-12-31
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInterdisciplinaria Archaeologica - Natural Sciences in Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1804-848X • E-ISSN: 2336-1220
PublisherArcheologické centrum Olomouc (PUBLISHER • CZ)
DOI10.24916/iansa.2010.1-2.5
OpenAlexW2609641915
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited4

Long term archaeological research of the Early Medieval agglomeration at atec was combined with archaeobotanical analyses of urban layers. Macroremains, pollen and charcoal samples were taken mostly from sunken settlement objects and moats that were a part of the urban fortification. Analysed sediments were dated according to a detailed pottery chronology. the main aim of the research was to detect important changes in cereal crop production that coincided with the development of the town as evidenced in the archaeological record. pollen and charcoal data were used to reconstruct the natural environment of the town and its vicinity. Archaeological excavations showed intensified development of the town during the 11 th century, a transition supported by the macroremains analysis. urban layers from the 9 th and 10 th centuries contain large numbers of naked wheat macroremains, while from the 11 th century there is marked increase in the abundance of rye and weeds of winter crops. such changes can point to a different, more intensive, system of farming that was similar or identical to a three field system. Pollen spectra available for the 9 th and 10 th century evidence extensive deforestation around atec. Synanthropic and cultivated taxa were dominant among herbs, typical for medieval towns, and only a small proportion of pollen spectra included the grassland taxa indicative of a warm and dry climate. according to the analysis of charcoals and non carbonized wood, Pinus and Quercus were the prevailing tree taxa. Increasing finds of fir, beech, spruce and yew charcoal during the 11 th and 12 th centuries is likely connected with wood imported during the development of iron-working. In any case the main outcome of the research in atec is the relatively early dating, to the 11 th century, of the agricultural shift that is generally supposed to be connected with the high Medieval transformation of the Czech state during the 13 th century

Agriculture · Archaeology · Beech · Biology · Charcoal · Chronology · Deforestation (computer science · Geography · Grassland · Paleoethnobotany · Pollen · Pottery · Prehistory · Woodland · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Ecology · Forestry · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction

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