Lake Dwellings Research Articles

The significance of climate fluctuations for lake level changes and shifts in subsistence economy during the late Neolithic (4300–2400 b.c.) in central Europe

In the last decades, data on the economy and environment of the Neolithic period of lake dwellings (4300–2400 b.c.) in central Europe has increased considerably and also palaeoecological data on lake level fluctuations has been thoroughly elaborated. Lake shores were mainly settled during warm and rather dry climate periods which caused a fall in the lake levels. Nevertheless, there were strong and partly very short-term shifts in the economy during the lake-dwelling period. These can be recognised only because the settlement layers can be very precisely dated by dendrochronology. In this article we discuss in an interdisciplinary way the possible interrelations between climatic and economic changes. To explain the latter, we assume crop failures as the main reason, which caused intensified hunting and gathering. There are three different possibilities which might explain this: cold and wet summers, severe droughts during spring and summer, or local over-exploitation of soils in densely settled areas.

The economy and environment of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC in the northern Alpine foreland based on studies of animal bones

The economic and environmental data presented here are based on identifications of more than 275000 animal bones from 126 Neolithic lake shore settlements dated to between 4300 cal. BC and 2500 cal. BC. Due to the excellent state of preservation of all organic material and the consequent precise dating, mostly by dendrochronology, only results from lake shore sites in the Swiss alpine foreland and the area of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) have been considered. Marked fluctuations in the importance of game animals can be recognised throughout the Neolithic lake dwelling period. These fluctuations coincide with climatically induced economic crises which, because of starvation, forced people to intensify hunting and gathering. Looking at the relative importance of the different domestic animals we notice chronologically and geographically influenced differences more than the effects of climatic factors. These differences are mainly due to the environmental evolution resulting from human impact. However, cultural factors may also have had an impact. A comparison of archaeozoological data from the Neolithic lake dwelling sites dated to between 4300 and 2500 cal. BC in the northern Alpine foreland shows a very complicated mosaic of factors influencing the economy of these sites. These include climatic conditions, the state of the environment, human impact and the topography, and all must be taken into account if an economic interpretation of a site, region or period is to be arrived at.

Plant economy of the northern Alpine lake dwellings — 3500–2400 cal. BC

Considerable changes are observed in the abundance of cultivated plants in the northern Alpine foreland between 3500 and 2400 cal. BC. The importance of tetraploid naked wheat (Triticum durum Desf./turgidum L.) and opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) declines whereas that of glume wheat (mainly emmer, Triticum dicoccum Schübl.) and flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) increases progressively. The hypothesis presented here is that these developments are mainly due to changing cultural spheres of influence. Many of these changes are, however, not fully traceable due to the very heterogeneous and, in part, very poor state of research in this area.

Preliminary Laser Cleaning Studies of a Consolidated Prehistoric Basketry Coming from the Pile Building of Fiavè-Carera in the North-East of Italy

In the archaeological field, some specific advantages are recognized to laser cleaning, like, for example, the absence of mechanical contacts with the sample. The cleaning procedures generally involve a multilayer structure (dust, dirty, organic deposits, and, in some cases, consolidant substances). In this work, prehistoric wood samples (found and consolidated in 1970s) have been laser irradiated (KrF excimer laser) in order to restore their original surface aspect. A certain amount of burned matter was also present. Samples came from a fragment of a prehistoric basketry found in the lake dwelling site of Fiavè-Carera, Trento, Italy (1500–1400 BC). It was observed that the laser cleaning effects are strictly dependent on the irradiation parameters (power density and number of pulses). Efficient material removal was possible by using appropriate energy density. Moreover, for lower laser energy density, special structures appeared on the surface of the consolidating substance that we attributed to heating-induced stresses on the consolidant surface.

A sediment-based multiproxy palaeoecological approach to the environmental archaeology of lake dwellings (crannogs), central Ireland

A multiproxy study of Ballywillin Crannog, Lough Kinale, central Ireland is presented. The methodology used reveals the wealth of information that a multiproxy approach can contribute in lake settlement studies. Plant macrofossils, pollen and spores, diatoms, chironomids and Coleoptera from a lake core are used to reconstruct local and regional vegetation change and lake history to establish the age and function of the crannog. The palaeoecological evidence suggests that Ballywillin Crannog was constructed around AD 620, with its most intensive period of occupation after AD 11 50. Cereals and a range of gathered fruits and nuts were brought onto and cooked on the crannog, and cereal grains were possibly stored there.

The Holocene Environment and Transition to Agriculture in Boreal Russia (Serteya Valley Case Study)

This article outlines the results of one of the aspects of a multidisciplinary project currently conducted in the upper part of the basin of the Western Dvina River in North-Western Russia. The project was targeted at prehistoric lake dwelling sites in the valley of Serteya River, a small tributary of the Western Dvina, and aimed at the precise dating of the initial transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture in that area. The methods used included pollen, diatom and geochemical analyses under strict time control provided by radiocarbon dating. The initial settlement emerged at c. 6200 cal. BC, when the valley was filled by a fresh water lake with a relatively high lake-level. The initial indices of agriculture became perceptible in the deposits of Usvyatian Culture (4600-3400 cal. BC), featuring large-scale constructions of pile-dwellings. Indices of swidden type agriculture became apparent in the deposits of Zhizhitsian Culture, 2300-2200 cal. BC. This article will particularly interest: * Academics, professionals and students of archaeology concerned with problems of environmental archaeology * Those interested in later prehistory of the East European Plain Key points: * Holocene palaeoenvironment * Boreal forests * Initial agriculture

Melanopsis from the Pleistocene of the Hula Valley (Gastropoda: Cerithioidea)

Pleistocene Melanopsis from three cores in the Hula Valley (a northern section of the Jordan Valley) were reinvestigated, and six species were found: buccinoidea, costata, obediensis, multiformis, corrugata, and turriformis. These species are described, compared, and their chronological appearance in the cores presented in terms of depths beneath the surface. There appears to have been an overall continuity in the Melanopsis fauna of the Jordan Valley throughout the Pleistocene. Some of the previously reported variation in the isotopic records of Melanopsis shells from the Hula cores may perhaps represent the different physiology of different species. Fossil hybrids of the Jordan Valley, as found also in this study, offer the earliest direct evidence of hybridization among molluscs that is still going on today in the same region and aquatic system, among the same species. Correlations with lithology suggest that none of the Melanopsis species dwelt in swamps; obediensis, multiformis, and corrugata were lake dwellers; and turriformis dwelt also in transitional habitats, between lakes and swamps. Correlations with recent species suggest that the paleo-landscape of buccinoidea consisted of a spring or stream, and that of costata of a bank of a river or a lake. Where both costata and buccinoidea were found, the paleo-landscape may have consisted of a spring or stream flowing into a river or lake. About a quarter of the local extinctions coincided with brief spreading of swamps. Incomplete evidence may perhaps suggest a competitive succession among the three fossil lake-dwelling species.

Characteristics of caddis larvae assemblages from shallow lakes in the Bükk Mountains, North Hungary

Seventeen caddisfly species of four families (Limnephilidae, Sericostomatidae, Phryganeidae, and Leptoceridae) with a total of 1047 individuals were collected from four sampling sites in the littoral zone of Disznoskut Lakes in the Bukk Mountains. Three of these four families of Trichoptera were also recorded in the Central European lakes. From among the four substrates (sand, silt, large stones, and aquatic plants) of the littoral zone, silt and aquatic plants were dominant. Besides species of Limnephilidae found in higher than the average abundance in the silt, species of Phryganeidae and Leptoceridae also occurred. The trophic relationships of the species of these families can be considered as follows: shredders- predators- scrapers, shredders- detritivores- predators, and predators- shredders- scrapers. From the aquatic plants the species of Limnephilidae, Phryganeidae and Leptoceridae, belonging to the trophic relationships of detritivores- shredders, scrapers- predators, shredders- detritivores- predators, and predators- shredders- scrapers- detritivores were collected. The analysis (PCA) of the spatial and seasonal distribution of Trichopteran larvae at the four littoral zone sites shows that the assemblages collected near the inflow of the stream into the lake in late summer and near the inflow of the small channel into the lake in summer are very different from the others, for which Limnephilus elegans, Micropterna lateralis, and Stenophylax permistus are responsible at the previous site, while Halesus digitatus, Halesus tessellatus, and Mystacides nigra are responsible at the latter one. The other assemblages (mostly those in winter) are very similar to each other, which can be explained by the decreasing number of detectable species and their presence in low abundance. For the variance, Limnephilus rhombicus (57%) and Potamophylax nigricornis (16%) are essentially responsible. Considering the species composition of the larval assemblages, the site at the inflow of the stream into the lake was the most different (38%) from the others, and was 62% similar to them. This dissimilarity can possibly be explained by the presence of a mixed assemblage with typical stream and lake inhabitants of species of Limnephilidae present in high abundance at this silt dominated site and other caddis species that are typical stream inhabitants or common in streams and small rivers, and may have drifted into the lake.

Micromorphological studies of Greek prehistoric sites: New insights in the interpretation of the archaeological record

AbstractOngoing micromorphological studies in several prehistoric sites of Greece (Theopetra cave, Boila rockshelter, Alonnisos, Drakaina cave, Kouveleiki cave, Lakonis cave complex, and Dispilio lake dwelling) provide new information on the relationship between environmental changes and the cultural history of the sites. The frequent climatic oscillations during the last glacial directly influenced the occupational mode of Theopetra cave and Boila rockshelter in northern Greece. Soil micromorphology may be a promising tool in unraveling differences in the occupational history due to climatic changes among diverse areas of Greece. Some preliminary observations from the Lakonis cave complex, in southern coastal Greece, support the existence of such differences. Evidence brought forward with the micromorphological study of Dispilio lake dwelling and Theopetra cave suggests that during the Holocene, aridification phases evident in the Mediterranean region might have also played a role in the Greek prehistoric settlement pattern. So far, evidence for aridification phases is present for the end of the Mesolithic and probably for part of the Final Neolithic. In several cases, micromorphology has revealed details of the cultural nature of the sites. Questions related to occupational intensity (Theopetra, Lakonis, Kouveleiki, and Drakaina caves), post‐depositional changes and cultural modification of the sediments (Alonnisos, Theopetra, and Drakaina caves), constructions (Theopetra and Drakaina caves), and stratigraphic correlation (Boila) have been satisfactorily addressed along with the analysis of the microstructure of the sediments. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Apple Picking: The Bitter Sweet

Apple Forests still exist in the Tien Shan Region of North West China. Apples from these have been DNA tested and found to be the same as the apples to be found in our supermarkets, and it is thought they may go back to 10,000 B.C. In about 6,000 B.C., apples were found in the excavation of some Neolithic Lake dwellings in Central Europe. It has been known for some time that apple forests exist round the shores of the Caspian and Black Seas and throughout the ‘Fertile Crescent’. The ‘Bitter Sweet’ cider apple was known to exist during the sixteenth century and was then thought to come from the Basque region of Spain. These contain high levels of sugar and tannin and a low level of acid.

New Aspects of Archaeobotanical Research in Central European Neolithic Lake Dwelling Sites

In the Neolithic lake shore site of Arbon-Bleiche 3 on the southern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) 27 houses were excavated, all built in the short time span between 3384 and 3370 B.C. (dendrochronological dating). During the excavation, a surface sampling for archaeobiological investigations was carried out. For this preliminary report we present the results of plant macrofossil analyses based on 17 samples, including some taken from parts of two houses and the spaces in between. The most important methodological results are that there were no differences between random and systematic sampling of the cultural layer. To obtain a statistically high enough number of remains in the bigger sieve fraction (≥2 mm), sample sizes should be much bigger than previously thought (>3litres). A Rarefaction Analysis (RA) showed that a minimum of eight samples per unit should be analysed to provide a representative spectrum of the most important useful plants. The economy of Arbon-Bleiche 3 was based on the growing of cereals (mainly tetraploid naked wheat, emmerand barley), flax and opium poppy, and many wild plants were collected as well. Comparing the spectra of cultivated plants with those from other sites, the results from Arbon bear a closer resemblance to spectra of the late Neolithic Horgen culture, from which the first traces are found starting from around 3400 B.C. onwards in eastern Switzerland. Inside the two investigated houses the concentrations of plant remains were lower than in the areas between the houses. In addition, there are relatively clear differences in the useful plant spectra between the two investigated houses.

New Aspects of Archaeobotanical Research in Central European Neolithic Lake Dwelling Sites

New Aspects of Archaeobotanical Research in Central European Neolithic Lake Dwelling Sites

Effects of Floy and Soft VIalpha Tags on Growth and Survival of Juvenile Arctic Char

Abstract The Floy FTF-69 fingerling tag and the new soft VIalpha (VI) tag can both be used on small fish (>100 mm and >150 mm, respectively) according to their manufacturers, but information on their use and effect on fish has not been available. In this study, these two tags were compared for one year on wild Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus, parr (lake dwelling), and smolts (100–229 mm) from two small lakes in northern Norway. Comparisons of growth rate, survival, and tag retention were analyzed. In general, VI-tagged smolts grew significantly better than Floy-tagged smolts in the sea. However, the difference was largest for the smallest fish (100–189 mm); for the larger fish (190–229 mm), there was less or no difference. Survival rates in the sea were also significantly higher (11–15%) for the smallest (<170 mm) VI-tagged smolts than for Floy-tagged smolts of the same size; larger VI-tagged smolts (≥170 mm) only survived at a slightly higher (1.5–4.0%) and nonsignificant rate than corresponding Floy-tagg...

A Historiography of the Irish Crannog: The Discovery of Lagore as Prologue to Wood-Martin'sLake Dwellings of Irelandof 1886

The nineteenth century development of Irish crannog studies, attitudes to archaeological research and traits in public and private artefact collecting are examined through the parts played by several leading antiquaries and institutions in the 1839 discovery and later exploitation of Lagore, near Dunshaughlin, County Meath. Connections between Irish and Swiss antiquaries are noted, and contemporary attitudes to their respective ‘lake dwelling’ discoveries contrasted.

Coexistence of Tetraploid and Hexaploid Naked Wheat in a Neolithic Lake Dwelling of Central Europe: Evidence from Morphology and Ancient DNA

Free-threshing wheat was a principal cereal in Neolithic cultures, as shown by the abundance of grains in the archaeological record. However, the morphology of the mainly charred preserved, prehistoric naked wheat grains is not characteristic of either tetraploid,Triticum durumDesf. andTriticum turgidumL., or of hexaploid, e.g.Triticum aestivumL. We analysed the morphology of charred naked wheat grains originating from a storage assemblage of an Early Cortaillod culture layer (3906–3906bc) at the Lake of Zürich, Switzerland and addressed their identification by molecular genetics. A fragment of the promoter region of the high-molecular-weight (HMW) subunit genes of glutenin was successfully amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Sequences obtained from cloned PCR products are highly similar to modern sequences. The detection of the D genome allele suggests the presence of hexaploidT. aestivum. However, rachis remains from the same site as well as other contemporary sites were identified morphologically as tetraploid naked wheat.

Variations in pollen proportions of Plantago lanceolata and P. major/media at a Neolithic lake dwelling, Lake Chalain, France

Detailed pollen analytical investigations at a Neolithic lake dwelling site on Lake Chalain, Jura, France, show very characteristic variation in the Plantago lanceolata and P. major/media pollen curves in the period during which settlements are recorded (3030–2630 cal. B.C.). At first, P. lanceolata is the more important taxon but P. major/media representation gradually rises, to become the more important taxon in the uppermost settlement phase. After considering the present day ecology and phytosociology of the Plantago species in question, i.e. P. lanceolata, P. major and P. media, and the available archaeozoological and archaeological information, it is suggested that the changes in the representation of these two pollen taxa are the result of a change in the farming economy, at ca. 2800 cal. B.C., which involved a substantial rise in the numbers of domesticated grazing animals and more intensive land use.

Palynological Micro-Analysis in Neolithic Lake Dwellings

The excellent preservation and the high concentrations of pollen and spores from lake dwellings have allowed the reduction of sampling intervals between counted levels to one analysis every 2 mm. An initial experiment was made on a human occupational level on the Clairvaux lake (Jura, France). It showed cycles in the herbaceous pollen curves which may reflect annual rhythms; such a hypothesis had to be confirmed beyond doubt. A second experiment, at the site of Chalain lake (Jura, France), showed that no cycle appears clearly though some parts of the diagram showed fluctuations which were difficult to explain. These rhythms, if they exist, are closely dependent on the sedimentation rate which varies from zero to several centimetres a year. Nevertheless, this approach allows an extremely precise reconstruction of vegetation change, which has never been achieved previously by pollen analysis of archaeological sites.

Movements of ultrasonically tagged brown trout (Sulmo trutta L.) in Lake Constance

In Lake Constance from September 1986 to May 1988 13 adult lake dwelling brown trout (Sulmo trutta L.) were tagged with ultrasonic transmitters and tracked almost continuously for up to 13 days. Two behaviour types were observed: (a) random movement in locally restricted areas and (b) excursions of up to 40 km distance. Swimming activity during the day was significantly higher than at night in most experiments. In summer swimming depth ranged between 8 and 16 m, and in winter between 0 and 3m. The preferred water temperature was about 14°C in the thermally stratified waterbody. During the experiments mean swimming speed ranged between 0.3 km h−1 (0.1 bodylengths s−1) and 0.9 km h−1 (0.6 bodylengths s−1).

People of the Wetlands. Bogs, Bodies and Lake Dwellers. By Bryony Coles and John Coles.

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsPeople of the Wetlands. Bogs, Bodies and Lake Dwellers. By Bryony Coles and John Coles.T. P. O'ConnorT. P. O'Connor Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Archaeology Volume 95, Number 1January 1991 The journal of the Archaeological Institute of America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/505164 Copyright © 1991 by the Archaeological Institute of America. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Effects of acid precipitation on reproduction in birds

Acidification in aquatic habitats reduces the reproductive success of both piscivorous and non piscivorous birds, mainly by reducing the food supply. Piscivorous birds find some compensation in an increased transparency of the water, non piscivorous birds in less competition for invertebrate prey by fish. Acidification in forests often has large impacts on insect populations but how this affects forest birds is unknown. Some woodpeckers and nuthatches temporarily benefit from an increase in standing dead timber. In advanced stages of forest dieback the breeding density of forest birds is very much reduced, but species of open woodland increase. Calcium deficiency reduces the reproductive output of some passerine species, but the extent of this phenomenon is unknown. Increased exposure to toxic metals has reduced the reproductive success of some lake dwelling species. It is difficult to assess the effect of acid precipitation on birds since acidification affects ecosystems in many ways, the evidence is largely correlative and reliable estimates of the population size are often lacking. Future studies should concentrate on carefully selected indicator species suitable for detailed data collection.