Mapping past human land use using archaeological data: A new classification for global land use synthesis and data harmonization

In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic land cover change influenced regional and global climate. However, the representation of past land use in earth system models is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the past and current state of the earth system. In order to improve repre- sentation of the variety and scale of impacts that past land use had on the earth system, a global effort is underway to aggregate and synthesize archaeological and historical evi- dence of land use systems. Here we present a simple, hierarchical classification of land use systems designed to be used with archaeological and historical data at a global scale and a schema of codes that identify land use practices common to a range of systems, both imple- mented in a geospatial database. The classification scheme and database resulted from an extensive process of consultation with researchers worldwide. Our scheme is designed to deliver consistent, empirically robust data for the improvement of land use models, while simultaneously allowing for a comparative, detailed mapping of land use relevant to the needs of historical scholars. To illustrate the benefits of the classification scheme and meth- ods for mapping historical land use, we apply it to Mesopotamia and Arabia at 6 kya (c. 4000 BCE). The scheme will be used to describe land use by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k working group, an international project comprised of archaeologists, historians, geographers, paleoecologists, and modelers. Beyond this, the scheme has a wide utility for creating a common language between research and policy communities, link- ing archaeologists with climate modelers, biodiversity conservation workers and initiatives.publishedVersio

Mapping past human land use using archaeological data: A new classification for global land use synthesis and data harmonization.

In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic land cover change influenced regional and global climate. However, the representation of past land use in earth system models is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the past and current state of the earth system. In order to improve representation of the variety and scale of impacts that past land use had on the earth system, a global effort is underway to aggregate and synthesize archaeological and historical evidence of land use systems. Here we present a simple, hierarchical classification of land use systems designed to be used with archaeological and historical data at a global scale and a schema of codes that identify land use practices common to a range of systems, both implemented in a geospatial database. The classification scheme and database resulted from an extensive process of consultation with researchers worldwide. Our scheme is designed to deliver consistent, empirically robust data for the improvement of land use models, while simultaneously allowing for a comparative, detailed mapping of land use relevant to the needs of historical scholars. To illustrate the benefits of the classification scheme and methods for mapping historical land use, we apply it to Mesopotamia and Arabia at 6 kya (c. 4000 BCE). The scheme will be used to describe land use by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k working group, an international project comprised of archaeologists, historians, geographers, paleoecologists, and modelers. Beyond this, the scheme has a wide utility for creating a common language between research and policy communities, linking archaeologists with climate modelers, biodiversity conservation workers and initiatives

Mapping past human land use using archaeological data: A new classification for global land use synthesis and data harmonization

In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic land cover change influenced regional and global climate. However, the representation of past land use in earth system models is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the past and current state of the earth system. In order to improve representation of the variety and scale of impacts that past land use had on the earth system, a global effort is underway to aggregate and synthesize archaeological and historical evidence of land use systems. Here we present a simple, hierarchical classification of land use systems designed to be used with archaeological and historical data at a global scale and a schema of codes that identify land use practices common to a range of systems, both implemented in a geospatial database. The classification scheme and database resulted from an extensive process of consultation with researchers worldwide. Our scheme is designed to deliver consistent, empirically robust data for the improvement of land use models, while simultaneously allowing for a comparative, detailed mapping of land use relevant to the needs of historical scholars. To illustrate the benefits of the classification scheme and methods for mapping historical land use, we apply it to Mesopotamia and Arabia at 6 kya (c. 4000 BCE). The scheme will be used to describe land use by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k working group, an international project comprised of archaeologists, historians, geographers, paleoecologists, and modelers. Beyond this, the scheme has a wide utility for creating a common language between research and policy communities, linking archaeologists with climate modelers, biodiversity conservation workers and initiatives

Pravěká transhumance a salašnické pastevectví na území České republiky: možnosti a pochybnosti

Horské sezónní pastevectví tvořilo důležitou součást hospodářství mnoha evropských zemí prakticky od počátků zemědělství. V novodobé historii České republiky se praktikovalo ve formě valašského pastevectví zhruba od konce 15. stol. na moravských vnějších západních Karpatech, Hrubém Jeseníku a Kralickém Sněžníku. V Čechách bylo zavedeno až v průběhu 17. stol. v Krkonoších a na Šumavě. Z ostatních horských hřebenů a ze starších období, zejména pravěkých, doklady této činnosti chybějí. Důvod, proč se horské sezónní pastevectví v Čechách objevovalo v tak malé míře, není plně objasněn. Jednou z příčin může být rozlehlost pahorkatin, která umožňovala případnou sezónní pastvu mimo horská území. Horské pylové profily však zaznamenávají indikátory lidského vlivu již na konci doby bronzové a v době železné. V souvislosti s tím je diskutována možnost specifické formy pravěkého a raně středověkého horského zemědělského hospodaření, jehož poznání naráží na limity současné archeologie i palynologie

Environment and prehistoric agricultural societies (in Bohemia)

Práce se zabývá vztahy mezi pravěkými zemědělskými kulturami a vybranými faktory přírodního prostředí v Čechách. Největší pozornost je věnována klimatu, jehož charakter a změny ovlivňují všechny další prvky ekosystému včetně lidské společnosti. Dále jsou zkoumány vztahy k nadm. výšce, půdám, teplotám a srážkám, způsoby pravěkého zemědělství, vývoj porostu, míra odlesňování. Mapy prostorového rozšíření pravěkých kultur a předpokládaná hustota osídlení tvoří podklady pro odhad intenzity lidského vlivu na prostředí. Všechny sledované parametry (včetně klimatu) jsou regionálně omezené a i závěry z nich vyvozené mají pouze regionální platnost. Na základě rozvoje orného zemědělství a vztahu archeologických období k půdním a klimatickým podmínkám jsou stanoveny čtyři etapy pravěkého vývoje: neolit ¸ eneolit - starší fáze starší doby bronzové, mladší fáze starší doby bronzové - latén, doba římská - doba stěhování národů. Tyto etapy jsou konfrontovány s klimatickou historií modelovanou podle archeoklimatického modelu MCM. Zdá se, že závislost společnosti na klimatu a dalších sledovaných prvcích přírodního prostředí je silnější ve starší části pravěku, ale nejpozději během starší doby bronzové se uvolňuje. Po celé pravěké období se zdá být vztah prostředí - společnost uniformní, to znamená, že je vždy dávána..

The place of Slovakian paternal diversity in the clinal European landscape

Several demographic events have been postulated to explain the contemporaneous structure of European genetic diversity. First, an initial settlement of the continent by anatomically modern humans; second, the re-settlement of northern latitudes after the Last Glacial Maximum; third, the demic diffusion of Neolithic farmers from the Near East; and, fourth, several historical events such as the Slavic migration. Aim: The aim of this study was to provide a more integrated picture of male-specific genetic relationships of Slovakia within the broader pan-European genetic landscape. Subjects and methods: This study analysed a new Y-chromosome data-set (156 individuals) for both SNP and STR polymorphisms in population samples from five different Slovakian localities. Results: It was found that the male diversity of Slovakia is embedded in the clinal pattern of the major R1a and R1b clades extending over the continent and a similar pattern of population structure is found with Y-specific SNP or STR variation. Conclusion: The highly significant correlation between the results based on fast evolving STRs on one hand and slow evolving SNPs on the other hand suggests a recent timeframe for the settlement of the area

Millennial-scale fire dynamics in temperate forest of central Europe

International audienc

Holocene-scale fire dynamics from spruce-beech temperate forests of central Europe

International audienc