The Origin and Development of the Central European Man-made Landscape, Habitat and Species Diversity as Affected by Climate and its Changes – a Review

Peter Poschlod

doi:10.24916/iansa.2015.2.5

Abstract

The Origin and Development of the Central European Man-made Landscape, Habitat and Species Diversity as Affected by Climate and its Changes – a Review

Highlights

Sedentism and the development of the first man-made landscape started about 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent
Central Europe was mainly covered by forests, as described by Tacitus in his “Germania” in the 1st century: “The land may vary a certain amount in its appearance, but in general it either bristles with forests or festers with marshes
Whence can we look for harvest, since the months which should have been maturing the corn have been chilled by Boreas?” (Hodgkin 1886)

Summary

Introduction

Sedentism and the development of the first man-made landscape started about 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. After the dramatic falls in game populations (dorcas and Cuvier’s gazelles) about 11,000 years ago did the domestication of animals start (Hillman 1996; BarYosef 1998; Hillman et al 2001; Zeder 2005; 2008) The causes for these processes were probably of multiple origins (Zeder 2006). IANSA 2015 ● VI/2 ● 197–221 Peter Poschlod: The Origin and Development of the Central European Man-made Landscape, Habitat and Species Diversity as Affected by Climate and its Changes – a Review. Climate affected land use and land use intensity (Bork et al 1998; Bork 2006) and the man-made landscape, the origin and development of habitats as well as their species diversity (Poschlod 2015) The latter were only reviewed on a local or regional level for certain periods The most recent knowledge on the causes of each particular climate change was included

Climate and the origin of sedentism in central Europe

The Migration period – a climate pessimum as catalyst

Findings

Conclusion