ABSTRACT Narva, located in eastern Estonia by the Narva River between the Baltic Sea and Lake Peipus, was a locus of commerce and active power struggles during the medieval and early modern periods. Although prehistoric faunal deposits show a large diversity in consumption, our knowledge of fish at Narva during the medieval and early modern period is, however, limited. Examining an assemblage of small fish bones together with castle records and customs ledgers from the town of Narva from the late sixteenth century provides a picture of the available fish resources for Narva consumers. The materials show that multiple fish species and products were available to the residents of Narva. While most of the species could be fished nearby, long-distance trade occurred with these species. Seasonal patterns of availability and the use of certain species and products could be identified in this study, as well as social differences regarding fish consumption. This small-scale study shows the research potential in combining primary zooarchaeological data with targeted information from archive records, for the purpose of furthering the environmental and social history of fish; this research method could be more widely adapted to other groups of animals.

ABSTRACT The potential of a concept of disturbance, drawn from ecology but read through the lens of critical plant studies and posthumanism, for understanding past processes of urbanisation is explored. Using examples from medieval England it is proposed that a focus on disturbance, the way that a change in environmental conditions can stimulate changes in wider socio-ecological systems, provides a means to understand urbanisation as a relational, more-than-human process. The benefits of this approach are considered to be the way in which the ecological consequences of urbanisation can be drawn into view, whilst the shaping role of ecologies in determining modes of urbanity which can emerge can also be recognised. As such, the approach furthers recent perspectives which have sought to re-cast urbanisation as an ongoing process of ‘becoming urban’, through which difference within and between urban contexts is a key theme.

ABSTRACT The Iruroin and Langatxo caves are located in the Bay of Biscay, a region with a high concentration of prehistoric sites dating from the Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic. In this study, we present the results from the review of marine remains and bone industry artifacts from both caves, which were excavated in the 1990s but remain unpublished. Given the proximity of these sites to the sea, significant exploitation of marine resources was assumed during the Magdalenian occupations. However, the study of the marine remains from Langatxo shows that coastal resources were not exploited during the Magdalenian, but rather in later periods. Analysis of the bone industry from both sites, along with AMS dating and ZooMS identifications, contributes to a better understanding of the economic behaviour of coastal human groups during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene in the region.

ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel paleo-environmental reconstruction of the Razelm-Golovița lagoon system, focusing on the harbours and navigation conditions of the Greek Archaic settlements of Orgame and Caraburun-Acic Suat. By analyzing three new sedimentary cores, we examine the Late Holocene evolution of the lagoon system, shedding light on previously unexplored aspects of navigation and accessibility. Our findings show that the settlements were positioned along a naturally protected shallow lagoon, which effectively functioned as a natural anchorage, influenced by the flow of the Dunavăț branch, the main distributary of the Danube in Antiquity. While Orgame maintained access to the sea via inlets in the Periteașca littoral spit, Caraburun-Acic Suat remained isolated from the sea due to the Zmeica and Lupilor coastal ridges. Additionally, our reconstruction of the paleo-water column suggests that Bisericuța island may have served as a trans-shipment hub or outer harbour, facilitating the transfer of goods from river mouths or the open sea to smaller draft vessels suitable for navigating the lagoon's shallow waters.

ABSTRACT This contribution outlines how palaeobotanical data can act as a highly useful tool for discerning the character and spatial configuration of domestic activity in earlier prehistoric domestic structures. This is highlighted through a case study detailing the methods and interpretive techniques used during the excavation and analysis of Cass ny Hawin II, a nationally important Middle Mesolithic house, revealed during developer-funded archaeological investigations at Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man, which, following its discovery, represented the earliest domestic structure on the island. This innovative approach, particularly within a developer-funded context, entailed the in toto recovery of charred plant remains and charcoal across the house’s entire footprint and the three-dimensional mapping of large volumes of charred Corylus avellana (hazel)-nut shells, other charred plant remains and charcoal, and spatial analysis of this data. The contribution highlights the effectiveness of this approach, which, when allied with artefactual and stratigraphic data, provided unparalleled insights into the biography and spatial configuration of a hunter-gatherer house dating to the latter part of the ninth millennium cal BC, which had burnt down following a very fleeting phase of occupation.

ABSTRACT This paper addresses ongoing uncertainties regarding change in fish exploitation in the Low Countries, particularly chronological, geographic, and social trends. Here, I present the results from a systematic synthesis of three archaeological proxies, ichthyological remains, isotopes, and parasites dated from the Medieval to the post-Medieval period (AD 400–2000) to investigate change in fish exploitation and consumption in the Low Countries. Ichthyological results support a shift from freshwater to marine-dominated ichthyoarchaeological assemblages starting around AD 1150 at both urban and elite sites – although elite assemblages suggest continued access to local freshwater resources. Isotope data is consistent with increased marine fish consumption. However, there is no evidence of an absolute decline in freshwater fish exploitation and diadromous fish exploitation remains consistent. Parasite data are insufficient to identify a culturally relevant diachronic trend, although results are consistent with freshwater fish having had low dietary significance during the Late and Post-Medieval periods. Results justify the application of Fish Event Horizon (FEH) terminology in the Low Countries. This work carries important ramifications for characterising the timing and intensity of North Sea fish populations’ decline while underscoring the variability in responses by different taxonomic groups/ species to change.

ABSTRACT Long-term vegetation records can inform woodland creation and mire management. We present two dated pollen records from Alston Moor, UK, to investigate long-term vegetation change and its relationship with human activity. Core AM2 provides a predominantly extra-local pollen signal, core AM3 contains a regional signal. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, the area was largely wooded. Short-term, small-scale reductions in tree cover may be anthropogenic or climate-induced. Clearance starts in the Late Iron Age and intensifies in the Roman period, with pollen and dung fungal spores indicating significant impact from animal husbandry, and evidence for cereal cultivation. Woodland regeneration took place from the late fifth until the fifteenth century, with evidence for continued human impact on the vegetation from pastoral agriculture. The area was cleared in the Modern period. The treeline remained above 405 m AOD for most of the area's history. Although heather was long established on the highest part of the moor, the increased importance of grasses goes back only a few centuries, creating a novel landscape appearance. Most of the vegetation history of the region was characterised by more extensive tree cover, especially on the lower slopes. Tree planting initiatives could contribute to the restoration of ecological complexity.

ABSTRACT This study reports archaeobotanical and crop stable-isotope results from Building M and its environs at Xeropolis (Lefkandi, Euboea), a key Aegean site spanning the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age transition. The results demonstrated diachronic patterns in crop use, agricultural management, and culinary practice. The assemblage included numerous food and wild plants, indicating a variable, culture-specific cuisine. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses revealed crop-specific, phase-dependent differences in water availability and manuring. During the first occupation phase, distinct cultivation regimes—likely reflecting separate field systems—were evident for most crops. In the second phase, all crops were grown under reduced manuring, possibly reflecting shifts in subsistence and plant management, underpinning periods that led to increasing socio-political stress. The data combined with comparative regional evidence, indicate that Xeropolis maintained both southern and northern Aegean contacts, reflected in its hybrid culinary traditions, while its diet was based on local and regional traditions. Overall, the study illuminates adaptability, agricultural planning, and food culture during a pivotal period, highlighting the interplay of environment, economy, and identity.

ABSTRACT A small-scale excavation of the Roman period site St. Petkina Niva in North Macedonia revealed several storage vessels. One of the vessels was placed in situ, with the inner surface coated with a black matter. The soil samples from the excavated contexts exhibited an abundance of organic material, including charred archaeobotanical macroremains, charcoal, animal bones and molluscs. In addition to other plants and seeds, grapevine charcoal fragments and pips have been identified. Geometric morphometric analysis of the grape pips showed that most of them came from domesticated vines. Chemical residue analysis identified the black matter from the storage vessel as pine tar, in antiquity used as a natural antiseptic and a content preservative, often in association with wine containers. Our combined results thus indicate vine cultivation and local wine production. Two of the grapevine seeds yielded identical 14C data, narrowing the chronology to the second half of the 3rd – end of the 4th century AD. Additionally, the analysis of anthracological and malacological remains showed a diverse composition of vegetation around the site during the Roman period, dominated by plane tree and other tree species of orchards, combined with a steppe environment, influenced by human activities.

ABSTRACT The Pefkakia archaeological site, located in Thessaly, is known have been inhabited since the Late Neolithic up to Hellenistic times, with a temporary harbor during the Late Bronze Age. The first palaeogeographical research in the area pointed to landscape transformation during the Holocene due to marine transgression. In this study, we applied multidisciplinary geoarchaeological research (coring and palaeoecological analyses) supported by AMS dating to reconstruct landscape changes during particular periods of prehistory. According to the results, the maximum marine transgression occurred around the beginning of the Late Holocene and cut off a part of the prehistoric site (Magoula) from the mainland. The water body changed from a marine to marshy environment owing to possible tectonic uplift or erosion. The time of this change was dated to the 2nd half of the 2nd mill.BC, at the time of the Late Bronze Age occupation of the site. The final change to the terrestrial environment, possibly by anthropogenic deposition, is dated to the 4th/3rd c.BC when the ancient city of Demetrias was functioning. Our study indicates significant changes in the environment surrounding the site of Pefkakia, thus enabling interpretation of functional aspects of human adaptation.