Extreme jungholozäne hygrische Klimaschwankungen in Mitteleuropa und ihre Folgen

Zur Rekonstruktion extremer hygrischer mittelalterlicher und neuzeitlicher Witterungsereignisse wurden zahlreiche Bodenprofile analysiert. Als wichtigstes Ergebnis ist festzuhalten, daß in der ersten Hälfte des 14. Jahrhunderts an den Hängen und in den Talauen bis über 10 m tiefe Schluchten einrissen. Die Steilheit der Kerbenwände und die aus Rutschmassen bestehenden Kerbenfüllungen erlauben wesentliche Rückschlüsse auf die Eintiefungsgeschwindigkeit und damit auf die Niederschläge, die diesen Abtrag auslösten. Demnach verursachten wenige katastrophale Starkregen das von stärkster flächenhafter Bodenerosion begleitete Schluchtenreißen. Schriftquellen bestätigen diese Resultate. Der überwiegende Teil der spätmittelalterlichen Erosionsformen wurde in den folgenden Jahrhunderten durch schwach erosive Niederschläge verfüllt. Eine zweite, schwächere, auf extreme Starkregen zurückzuführende Zerschneidungsphase wurde für das 18. Jh. nachgewiesen.researc

Prehistoric and Recent Land Use Effects on Poike Peninsula, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Since the first Polynesian settlers set foot on Rapa Nui, probably between AD 300 and AD 600, cultivation of plants and the development and adaptation of agriculture in the new environment became the key factor for a growing community and a flourishing culture. The biotic resources the people found on Rapa Nui were relatively poor due to the lack of diversity of edible and usable plants and animals, a consequence of its isolation in the Pacific Ocean. The people depended on the supplies they carried with them in their canoes as they did for hundreds of years while exploring the solitary Polynesian islands. And they depended of course on the abiotic resources as these set the limits for cultivation of plants and fruits. Key factors in this point of view were the availability of water and the fertility of the soils for growing plants, suitable climatic factor for the species cultivated, geomorphologic conditions that would allow farming and the availability of area for land use in relation to the population size.</p

The monumental landscape transformation of the Island of Babeldaob (Republic of Palau)

Babeldaob is the largest island of Palau. The landscape of this mostly volcanic island is dominated by monumental earthworks, like terraced hills, crown and moat constructions, and modified ridgelines. The majority of the Palau earthworks were built between 2400 and 1200 BP, making them the oldest examples of monumentality in Oceania according to the current state of research. Despite the degree of landscape transformation on Babeldaob, the monumental aspect of the earthworks, and the fact that oral traditions are of utmost importance in the Palauan society, little information about the construction, the function, and significance of them has been passed down. Notwithstanding several archaeological investigations in the last years, questions about the chronology, genesis, function, and use of the earthworks are still open. Did the terraces serve as settlement areas? Have they been used for horticulture? Did they have a ritual or political significance? Or were they used for defence? Using aerial photogrammetry, we generated 3D-models of 14 earthworks that served as a basis for placing test trenches to investigate the construction methods and function of the monuments. Detailed geoarchaeological, geomorphological, pedological, and sedimentological analysis showed many aspects of building techniques, ancient land use, and the high stability of the earthworks

Holocene soil erosion in Eastern Europe-land use and/or climate controlled? The example of a catchment at the Giant Chalcolithic settlement at Maidanetske, central Ukraine

The Younger Quaternary erosion history was reconstructed in a catchment close to the Chalcolithic giant settlement Maidanetske, central Ukraine based on dated sediment sequences. Four trenches and a long percussion drill-core were analyzed in a valley grading from a Loess covered plateau towards the Talianky River. The sediments were dated by a combination of radiocarbon dating, optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) and embedded artifacts. Although there is some weakness of numerical dating so far, a non-coincidence between phases of soil erosion and the local and regional settlement history over long periods of the Holocene is indicated. This, viewed in the light of the geographical setting of the site in the climate sensitive forest-steppe borderland, suggests climatically driven erosion processes. The detected phases of erosion coincide with global (cal 27.6 ± 1.3 kyrs BP, 12.0 ± 0.4 kyrs BP), northern hemispheric (cal 8.5 ± 0.3 kyrs BP), Mediterranean (cal 3.93 ± 0.1 kyrs BP) as well as western to central European (2700 to 2000 cal BP) climate anomalies. Increased occurrences of heavy precipitation events, probably during phases of a weakened vegetation cover, could explain the observed record. Investigations at additional sites in Eastern Europe are needed to verify the representativeness of the presented record from central Ukraine at a regional level.The composition of the sediments indicates changes of the slope-channel connectivity during the deposition history. Whereas the glacial to early Holocene and modern times sediments were derived from the whole catchment area, during the mid- to late-Holocene a tendency to lower slope storage of colluvial material and valley incision is indicated

Der Großdolmen Lüdelsen 3 in der westlichen Altmark (Sachsen-Anhalt) – Baugeschichte, Rituale und Landschaftsrekonstruktion

The megalithic tomb Lüdelsen 3 was excavated in 2007 within the frame of the project „Megalithic landscapes of the Altmark“. A complex architectural and depositional history of one of the earliest Funnel Beaker chambered cairns (ca. 3600 cal BC) was decoded. Both early to late Funnel Beaker activities as well as a Single Grave burial could be reconstructed. The architecture and functional change was synchronised to changing local environs. The building ground was subject to deforestation und reforestation activities, related to differential ritual activities. Forest covered the surroundings of the megalithic tomb and the monument itself during most parts of the Neolithic. Accordingly, the tomb could not function as a territorial marker. In spite of a wide range of ritual activities as documented inside the chamber and at the surrounding mound, the number of deposited items is limited. This is in clear contrast to ritual activities at passage graves, within which larger assemblages of artefacts were deposited

Déclaration sur l’approche par l’archéologie sociale du changement climatique

Manifiesto sobre Arqueología Social del Cambio Climático aprobado en la Cumbre SACC celebrada en Kiel. Aprobado y firmado el 6 de septiembre de 2021.[ES] El SACC es un grupo independiente, constituido en Kiel, de investigadores e investigadoras que trabajan sobre cambio climático. El objetivo de SACC es reunir científicos y científicas internacionales y representantes de importantes organizaciones internacionales de las áreas de arqueología, paleoecología y gestión del patrimonio para con el fin de discutir y evaluar la contribución de la investigación arqueológica y paleo-ecológica para comprender la interrelación entre el cambio social, el cultural, el ecológico y el climático. Pretendemos resaltar cómo la arqueología, a través del estudio de la conducta adaptativa en el pasado, es capaz de reforzar tanto la resiliencia socio-ecológica de nuestras sociedades, como su capacidad adaptativa ante el actual cambio climático. Además, pretendemos contribuir a la comprensión del impacto del cambio climático en los yacimientos y sitios arqueológicos y patrimoniales, así como en los paisajes culturales, los museos, las colecciones y archivos patrimoniales. SACC celebrará cumbres cada dos años y emitirá una declaración o manifiesto al término de cada una de ellas. S ACC está organizada por un comité interino presidido por las personas convocantes del SACC 1.[EN] SACC is an independent group of researchers working on climate change in the past constituted in Kiel. The aim of SACC is to bring together international scientists and representatives of important international organisations in the fields of archaeology, paleoecology and heritage management to discuss and evaluate the contribution of archaeological and paleo-ecological research to understand the link between social, cultural, ecological and climatic change; and to highlight how archaeology, through the study of past adaptive behaviour, is able to enhance socio-ecological resilience of societies as well as their adaptive capacity to current climate change; furthermore, to contribute to the understanding of the impact of climate change on archaeological and heritage sites as well as on cultural landscapes, museums, collections, and archives. SACC will hold its summit every second year with a declaration at the end of each summit. SACC is organized by a steering committee chaired by the SACC 1 organisers.[FR] Le SACC est un groupe indépendant de chercheurs travaillant sur le changement climatique dans le passé, qui s’est formé à Kiel. L’objectif du S ACC est de réunir des scientifiques internationaux et des représentants d’organisations internationales importantes dans les domaines de l’archéologie, de la paléoécologie et de la gestion du patrimoine. Il a pour objectif de discuter et d’évaluer la contribution de la recherche archéologique et paléo-écologique à la compréhension du lien entre les changements sociaux, culturels, écologiques et climatiques et de souligner comment l’archéologie, par l’étude du comportement adaptatif du passé, est capable d’améliorer la résilience socioécologique des sociétés ainsi que leur capacité d’adaptation au changement climatique actuel. En outre, il contribue à la compréhension de l’impact du changement climatique sur les sites archéologiques et patrimoniaux ainsi que sur les paysages culturels, les musées, les collections et les archives. Le SACC tiendra son conseil tous les deux ans avec une déclaration à la fin de chaque conseil. Il est organisé par un comité de pilotage présidé par les organisateurs de SACC 1.Peer reviewe

The Key Role of Jubaea Palm Trees in the History of Rapa Nui

This paper presents an estimate of the number of Jubaea palm trees on Rapa Nui prior to the last clearance of the palm forest: more than 16 million palm trees. The labor requirements for clearance were enormous (a few hundred people were probably employed in this task for six to eight centuries), as well a the acquired amount of wood and the potential volume of the palm's sap (approx. 1,600,000 liter per year?). Possible uses of the palm's sap are discussed.</p