Schichtbildungsprozesse in prähistorischen Seeufersiedlungen Europas aus mikromorphologischer Sicht

Abstract

Summary Lakeside settlements can be regarded as a special type of archaeological site, where, thanks to their location near the shoreline or in the lake, various kinds of organic remains have been preserved under waterlogged conditions. In this work, site formation processes from six Neolithic pile dwelling sites shall be presented from a micromorphological point of view. A series of natural and anthropogenic site formation processes were identified and have been compared with natural processes in peatlands. The main processes can be summarized as follows: in the littoral zone a carbonate lake marl stratum accumulated prior to construction of the settlement. During lake regressions, the shore platform became dry and the settlements were established. Throughout the period of occupation, anthropogenic processes led to the accumulation of manly organic and loamy layers. House building activities, food processing and livestock husbandry led to the accumulation of a complex puzzle of deposits. Further, signs of trampling on minerogenic and organic sediments are discussed. The depositional regime can be characterized as paludal, dominated by constant humidity, high accumulation rates, and rapid covering of the remains. Erosion and reworking processes as a result of lake flooding, and/or runoff from the hinterland have affected some parts of the anthropogenic accumulations. Finally, the degradation of organic matter occurred mainly during dry phases when the groundwater level dropped. Seasonality was of great importance in this kind of milieu throughout the various processes described above.