The impact of the Romans on the environment of northern England: pollen data from three sites close to Hadrian's Wall

Abstract

Pollen diagrams from three sites along Hadrian's Wall in northern England are used to assess human impact on vegetation during the later Holocene, but with particular reference to the Roman period. In the light of available archaeological evidence, the radiocarbon-dated diagrams indicate that at Walton Moss and Glasson Moss, Cumbria, a period of woodland removal began during the Iron Age, continuing and accelerating during the Roman occupation. At Fozy Moss there was little human impact on vegetation in the area around the moss until the time of the Roman occupation when massive clearance resulted in an almost completely deforested landscape. These results are discussed against the background of previously published pollen diagrams from northern Britain.