Late and Final Neolithic Land Use Reconstructions Based on Floodplain Deposits from the ‘Nachtweide’ Site in Hesse, Central Germany – a Challenge for Palynology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7472705 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Magda Wieckowska-Lüth (0000-0002-1940-6700, University of Kiel), Magda Wieckowska‐lüth (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, corresponding author), Christoph Rinne (0000-0002-9829-6182, University of Kiel) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 8-30 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4103 • E-ISSN: 1749-6314 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14614103.2023.2289719 |
| OpenAlex | W4389455046 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
This study reconstructs land use history with a focus on the Late and Final Neolithic using palynological data from floodplain deposits in the state of Hesse, central Germany. Our results demonstrate that humans were using the surrounding landscape continuously from the onset of the Michelsberg culture to the transition to the Bronze Age. However, a noticeable decline in human impact was shown during the transitional stage between the Michelsberg and Wartberg cultures. During this time, changes in the floodplain environment were noted that correlate with other floodplain pollen records from the region and supra-regional climate signals, thus providing other possible drivers for this socio-cultural change in addition to the factors coming from the archaeological side. Due to its location in the peripheral uplands of the Wetterau, the economy at the ‘Nachtweide’ site was based primarily on forest pasturing. However, cereal cultivation was also important. In contrast, no evidence was found for the use of open land for grazing during the Late Neolithic and only sporadic evidence for such use during the Final Neolithic. Our study also shows that, changes in land use were accompanied by hydrological changes within the floodplain and/or changes in the river dynamics
Archaeology · Bronze Age · Floodplain · Geography · Land use · Palynology · Physical geography · Pollen · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology
Pollen Analysis and Paleoecology of Alluvium
Pollen Taphonomy in a Canyon Stream
Human and climatic impact on the environment as derived from colluvial, fluvial and lacustrine archives—examples from the Bronze Age to the Migration period, Germany
Paleoecological studies in the Klokkeweel bog near hoogkarspel (prov. of Noord-Holland)
The Selection of Sites for Paleovegetational Studies
Loss on ignition as a method for estimating organic and carbonate content in sediments
Analytical Archaeology
Holocene climate variability in Central Germany and a potential link to the polar North Atlantic
Asynchronous Holocene colluvial and alluvial aggradation
Development and application of a pollen-based paleohydrologic reconstruction from the Lower Roanoke River Basin, North Carolina, USA
A palaeoecological attempt to classify fire sensitivity of trees in the southern Alps
Late Mesolithic environmental change at Black Heath, south Pennines, UK
The mid-Holocene Ulmus fall at Diss Mere, South-East England ? disease and human impact
Environmental reconstruction of a Roman Period settlement site in Uitgeest (The Netherlands), with special reference to coprophilous fungi
Testing micro-regional variability in the Holocene shaping of high mountain cultural landscapes
Die Zeit der großen Gräben
The Late Neolithic Michelsberg culture – just ramparts and ditches? A supraregional comparison of agricultural and environmental data
High-Precision Bayesian Chronological Modeling on a Calibration Plateau
The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55 cal kBP)
Historical Change of Large Alluvial Rivers
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |