Mid-Holocene Palaeoenvironment, Plant Resources and Human Interaction in Northeast Iberia: An Archaeobotanical Approach

Raquel Piqué,Oriol López-Bultó,Jordi Revelles,David Rodríguez-Antón,Marian Berihuete-Azorín,Anna Berrocal,Marta Alcolea,Maria Herrero-Otal,Laura Obea,Ferran Antolín

doi:10.3390/app11115056

Abstract

The role of the adoption of farming economies in the transformation of mid-Holocene landscapes in Northeast Iberia is under discussion given that the Neolithization coincides with the cold climatic phase dated ca. 7500–7000 cal BP. The main aim of this paper is to assess whether human activities or climate were the main driver of vegetation changes during the Middle Holocene through the study of the archaeobotanical data from three case studies: Cova del Sardo, La Draga, and Coves del Fem. The application of diverse archaeobotanical techniques to the different plant remains provides a complete picture of the vegetation composition and plant uses. During the early Neolithic, settlement surroundings were intensively exploited for firewood, wood raw material, timber, and plant fibers. The resources were obtained mainly from deciduous and pine forests, depending on the site localization, but also from riparian zones. The diversity of plants exploited was high, not only trees but shrubs and herbs. Evidence of deforestation has been identified in the settlement surroundings in La Draga and Cova del Sardo. The combination of plant exploitation with other agropastoral activities favored the expansion of colonizing species and enhanced biodiversity at a local scale.

Highlights

The establishment of a warmer humid climate during the Early Holocene in Europe [1]allowed the expansion of deciduous broadleaf forests in spaces previously occupied by pine forests and steppes [2,3]
During the first half of the Holocene, profound changes at a socioeconomic level have been documented in Europe, involving innovations in food production, management of resources, social organization, land use, and settlement patterns [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
A total of 136 seed/fruit remains were recovered at Cova del Sardo, from all four

Summary

Introduction

The establishment of a warmer humid climate during the Early Holocene in Europe [1]allowed the expansion of deciduous broadleaf forests in spaces previously occupied by pine forests and steppes [2,3]. During the first half of the Holocene, profound changes at a socioeconomic level have been documented in Europe, involving innovations in food production (plant and animal 4.0/). The new forms of subsistence involved the development of new technologies for obtaining and processing food, such as the adoption of agriculture [12,13] and animal domestication, as early as the Middle Holocene [14]. These new forms of subsistence involved developing new types of tools and new ways of using vegetable raw materials

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Conclusion