Late-Holocene land use changes caused by exploitation in the mining region of Kitzbühel (Tyrol, Austria)

Abstract

This multi proxy-study attempts to illuminate land use changes resulting from ore exploitation. The rationale is to use different types of proxy data to evaluate interactions between human activities and the environment in order to gain deeper insight into the environmental impact of prehistoric mining activities. This is approached through palynological and supplementary geochemical analyses of a peat core from a mire, situated in the immediate vicinity of a former ore exploitation area in the Kitzbuhel (Tyrol, Austria) mining district, together with radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic analysis and loss on ignition. The results indicate the first clear human interference in the natural vegetation at approximately 2000 cal bc. During the Late Bronze Age (c. 1400–950 cal bc), palynologically proven changes of the vegetation were found, including two time periods with forest clearing where values of anthropogenic pollen indicators increased synchronously with rising heavy metal values. Through geochemical analysis a connection to mining activities could be made. Subsequently this period is synchronous with dated mining activities. During the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age (c. 950–50 cal bc), humans are still present in the region but to a lesser degree. An intense anthropogenic phase follows during the Late Iron Age and Roman Times (c. 50 cal bc–cal ad 200) and is indicated by pasture and tillage. In the following period anthropogenic impact decreases, then enhanced human activities are visible through rising pasture, settlement and cultural indicators from the second half of the Early Middle Ages (since c. cal ad 900). From this point on, eight more clearing episodes up to the 19th century could be detected palynologically. Geochemical analyses and historical sources document a second mining phase during Early Modern Times (15th–16th centuries). This study shows that the combination of palynological, geochemical and archaeological data enables a better understanding of the impact of mining on the environment in the Kitzbuhel mining district and is thus applicable to other comparable mining districts.