Fluctuating nature of prehistoric settlement and land use preserved in sedimentary record of vanished gully
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | CATENA |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816224003254?via%3Dihub |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108128 |
| Keywords | Prehistory; Geophysics; Erosion; Soil regeneration; Landscape formation |
| Description | The long-inhabited Central European lowlands have exposed to significant erosion since prehistoric times, primarily due to deforestation and agricultural practices, leading to colluvium formation and erosional features. Infilled erosional gullies, particularly near abandoned settlements, may offer insights into landscape changes and settlement evolution. Our multidisciplinary research at the Přerov-Předmostí archaeological megasite in Czechia integrates geoarchaeological methods, geophysics and extensive development-driven excavations. This site, located on the migratory corridor between the Pannonian and Poland plains, serves as a focal point for studying the interplay between human settlement, land-use development and environmental changes in this region. By combining geophysics and excavation, we investigate settlement and land-use patterns, correlating these with the environmental and pedosedimentary record of an infilled gully. The incision of the gully represents initial phase of erosion at this site. Formed before 2300 BC, it is among the oldest in the region, likely triggered by Late Neolithic land use. Our findings also indicate a cyclical erosion pattern linked to four primary settlement peaks: the Early Bronze Age (2300–1600/1500 BC), the Young/Late Bronze Age (1500–900 BC), the Hallstatt period (900–400 BC) and the La Tene period (400 BC–50 BC/1 AD). These periods of heightened settlement activity alternated with times of reduced or no population pressure, leading to stabilisation and subsequent pedogenesis. |
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