Soils, vegetation, and climate of the southern Transural region in the Middle Bronze Age (by the example of the Arkaim fortress)

Abstract

Paleosols of the unique fortress of Arkaim located in the steppe zone of the southern Transural region (Chelyabinsk oblast) were investigated. The dating of the buried soils was performed using the radiocarbon method. The time of building this archeological monument is the Middle Bronze Age (the Sintashta culture; the calibrated dating with 1σ confidence is 3700–4000 years ago). Seven pits of paleosols and ten pits of background ordinary chernozems were studied. The soils are loamy and sandy-loamy. The morphological and chemical properties of the buried and background ordinary chernozems are similar; they differ by the lower content of readily soluble salts in the paleosols as compared to the background ones. The sporepollen spectrum of the Arkaim paleosol is transitional from the steppe to the forest-steppe type. During the existence of this settlement, pine forests with fern ground cover grew, and hygrophytic species (alder and spruce) that nowadays are not recorded in the plant cover occurred. The main feature of the paleosols is the presence of pollen of xerophytic and halophytic herbaceous plants there. The few pollen grains of broad-leaved species testify to a higher heat supply as compared to the current one. Judging by the results of the spore-pollen and microbiomorphic analyses, the climate during the time of building the walls of the settlement was somewhat moister and warmer (or less continental) than the present-day climate. The duration of this period appeared to be short; therefore, soil properties corresponding to the changed environment could not be formed. They reflect the situation of the preceding period with the climatic characteristics close to the present-day ones.