Palaeobotanical Evidence Research Articles

Early Miocene elevation in northern Tibet estimated by palaeobotanical evidence.

The area and elevation of the Tibetan Plateau over time has directly affected Asia’s topography, the characteristics of the Asian monsoon, and modified global climate, but in ways that are poorly understood. Charting the uplift history is crucial for understanding the mechanisms that link elevation and climate irrespective of time and place. While some palaeoelevation data are available for southern and central Tibet, clues to the uplift history of northern Tibet remain sparse and largely circumstantial. Leaf fossils are extremely rare in Tibet but here we report a newly discovered early Miocene barberry (Berberis) from Wudaoliang in the Hoh-Xil Basin in northern Tibet, at a present altitude of 4611 ± 9 m. Considering the fossil and its nearest living species probably occupied a similar or identical environmental niche, the palaeoelevation of the fossil locality, corrected for Miocene global temperature difference, is estimated to have been between 1395 and 2931 m, which means this basin has been uplifted ~2–3 km in the last 17 million years. Our findings contradict hypotheses that suggest northern Tibet had reached or exceeded its present elevation prior to the Miocene.

Geoarchaeological and palaeobotanical evidence for prehistoric cereal storage in the southern Caucasus: the Neolithic settlement of Göytepe (mid 8th millennium BP)

This paper presents direct evidence for cereal storage by Neolithic farmers in west Asia. Storage features analyzed this study are circular clay bins that frequently occur at Neolithic settlements (8th millennium cal. BP) in the southern Caucasus. We examined contexts and uses of clay bin features at the Neolithic settlement of Göytepe (Azerbaijan). We analyzed biogenic microfossil evidence (primarily from phytoliths and dung spherulites) and the sediments of the clay bins through micromorphology, in combination with their associated charred macrobotanical remains. While phytoliths and charred botanical remains indicate direct remnants of stored plants, mainly chaffs, micromorphology and the analyses of faecal spherulites allow us to examine depositional and diagenetic processes of the archaeological sediments inside and outside these features. As a result, one of the clay bins was found to retain deposits at its base exhibiting high concentrations of grass phytoliths with relatively high proportions of inflorescences and low percentages of anatomically connected phytoliths in comparison with its upper fill deposits and areas outside of the bin. These finds, combined with the association of the two complete grinding stones inside the bottom of the bin, suggest that the remains of cereal processing activities, specifically dehusking, may have been placed in the bin. This interpretation is corroborated by the recovery of charred rachises and chaffs of wheat and barley as well as micromorphological observations that the bottommost fill of the bin consists almost entirely of grass phytoliths with few very small charcoal fragments and fine amorphous organic matter.

Vinča tell in southeast Europe: Multi-proxy palaeobotanical evidence from Late Neolithic levels and the implications for the environment and economy

Abstract Results of the initial analysis of wood charcoal and on-site pollen from the large, long-used Neolithic Vinca tell are combined with the data from wild-gathered seed/fruit assemblage towards the reconstruction of the vegetation composition around the Neolithic settlement in its final phases of occupation (around 4500 cal BC). The ecology of the identified vegetation forms, in conjunction with the published geological and botanical information, is used to infer the distribution of plant resources in the vicinity of the site. Further, the potential roles of different vegetation types in the economy of the settlement are explored, and possible responses of palaeovegetation to the anthropogenic disturbance assessed. The evidence from Vinca suggests the presence of a range of vegetation formations and the limited human impact on their availability. The abundance and careful management of the natural resources may have been the key to the longevity of this site.

Multiple nuclear genes stabilize the phylogenetic backbone of the genus Quercus

Phylogenetic relationships among 108 oak species (genus Quercus L.) were inferred using DNA sequences of six nuclear genes selected from the existing genomic resources of the genus. Previous phylogenetic reconstructions based on traditional molecular markers are inconclusive at the deeper nodes. Overall, weak phylogenetic signals were obtained for each individual gene analysis, but stronger signals were obtained when gene sequences were concatenated. Our data support the recognition of six major intrageneric groups Cyclobalanopsis, Cerris, Ilex, Quercus, Lobatae and Protobalanus. Our analyses provide resolution at deeper nodes but with moderate support and a more robust infrageneric classification within the two major clades, the ‘Old World Oaks’ (Cyclobalanopsis, Cerris, Ilex) and ‘New World Oaks’ (Quercus, Lobatae, Protobalanus). However, depending on outgroup choice, our analysis yielded two alternative placements of the Cyclobalanopsis clade within the genus Quercus. When Castanea Mill. was chosen as outgroup, our data suggested that the genus Quercus comprised two clades corresponding to two subgenera as traditionally recognized by Camus: subgenus Euquercus Hickel and Camus and subgenus Cyclobalanopsis Øersted (Schneider). However, when Notholithocarpus Manos, Cannon and S. Oh was chosen as an outgroup subgenus Cyclobalanopsis clustered with Cerris and Ilex groups to form the Old World clade. To assess the placement of the root, we complemented our dataset with published data of ITS and CRC sequences. Based on the concatenated eight gene sequences, the most likely root position is at the split between the ‘Old World Oaks’ and the ‘New World Oaks’, which is one of the alternative positions suggested by our six gene analysis. Using a dating approach, we inferred an Eocene age for the primary divergences in Quercus and a root age of about 50–55 Ma, which agrees with palaeobotanical evidence. Finally, irrespective of the outgroup choice, our data boost the topology within the New World clade, where (Protobalanus + Quercus) is a sister clade of Lobatae. Inferred divergence ages within this clade and the Cerris–Ilex clade are generally younger than could be expected from the fossil record, indicating that morphological differentiation pre-dates genetic isolation in this clade.

The Neanderthal meal: a new perspective using faecal biomarkers.

Neanderthal dietary reconstructions have, to date, been based on indirect evidence and may underestimate the significance of plants as a food source. While zooarchaeological and stable isotope data have conveyed an image of Neanderthals as largely carnivorous, studies on dental calculus and scattered palaeobotanical evidence suggest some degree of contribution of plants to their diet. However, both views remain plausible and there is no categorical indication of an omnivorous diet. Here we present direct evidence of Neanderthal diet using faecal biomarkers, a valuable analytical tool for identifying dietary provenance. Our gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results from El Salt (Spain), a Middle Palaeolithic site dating to ca. 50,000 yr. BP, represents the oldest positive identification of human faecal matter. We show that Neanderthals, like anatomically modern humans, have a high rate of conversion of cholesterol to coprostanol related to the presence of required bacteria in their guts. Analysis of five sediment samples from different occupation floors suggests that Neanderthals predominantly consumed meat, as indicated by high coprostanol proportions, but also had significant plant intake, as shown by the presence of 5β-stigmastanol. This study highlights the applicability of the biomarker approach in Pleistocene contexts as a provider of direct palaeodietary information and supports the opportunity for further research into cholesterol metabolism throughout human evolution.

Zooarchaeology in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic of Southern Portugal

Our knowledge of South Portugal's Neolithic and Chalcolithic subsistence strategies is limited by scarce palaeobotanical evidence (restricted to the latter period) and irregular zooarchaeological data. This framework is also affected by post-depositional biases, unevenly represented sites throughout the territory (i.e. under/over representation of sites according to their functions) and published data with disparate objectives and analytic methodologies. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a priori theoretical assumption dominates over empirically supported arguments on crucial aspects of the Neo–Chalcolithic time period, such as (1) the relative importance of domestic versus wild species at the Neolithic onset (cal ≈5500 BC), (2) the supposed predominance of caprines herding and cervid hunting among the economic practices of the megalith builders (cal ≈4000–3000 BC) or (3) the real impact of the ‘Secondary Products Revolution’ and its chronology (cal ≈3000 BC onwards?). Using existing publications and unpublished reports, we critically organise the available zooarchaeological data according to geographical and ecological sub-regions, in order to discuss it under uniform analytic procedures, evaluate current models and point out directions for future research.

Tree Migration-Rates: Narrowing the Gap between Inferred Post-Glacial Rates and Projected Rates

Faster-than-expected post-glacial migration rates of trees have puzzled ecologists for a long time. In Europe, post-glacial migration is assumed to have started from the three southern European peninsulas (southern refugia), where large areas remained free of permafrost and ice at the peak of the last glaciation. However, increasing palaeobotanical evidence for the presence of isolated tree populations in more northerly microrefugia has started to change this perception. Here we use the Northern Eurasian Plant Macrofossil Database and palaeoecological literature to show that post-glacial migration rates for trees may have been substantially lower (60–260 m yr–1) than those estimated by assuming migration from southern refugia only (115–550 m yr–1), and that early-successional trees migrated faster than mid- and late-successional trees. Post-glacial migration rates are in good agreement with those recently projected for the future with a population dynamical forest succession and dispersal model, mainly for early-successional trees and under optimal conditions. Although migration estimates presented here may be conservative because of our assumption of uniform dispersal, tree migration-rates clearly need reconsideration. We suggest that small outlier populations may be a key factor in understanding past migration rates and in predicting potential future range-shifts. The importance of outlier populations in the past may have an analogy in the future, as many tree species have been planted beyond their natural ranges, with a more beneficial microclimate than their regional surroundings. Therefore, climate-change-induced range-shifts in the future might well be influenced by such microrefugia.

Holocene environmental change and human impact in NE Morocco: Palaeobotanical evidence from Ifri Oudadane

The littoral site of Ifri Oudadane is one of the most important recently excavated sites in the Mediterranean Maghreb. The shelter presents Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic layers and therefore offers the possibility to investigate the Neolithic transition in the region. Besides introducing the archaeological context, this paper focuses on palaeobotanical data in order to reconstruct Holocene environmental change and human use of plant resources for the period c. 11 to 5.7 ka cal. BP. Results show intense landscape transformations resulting from anthropic and climatic factors. First human occupations start at the beginning of the Holocene with favourable conditions in this otherwise harsh semi-arid stretch of land. A wooded environment with evergreen sclerophyllous oaks and riparian forests is documented and exploited by hunter-gatherers. From c. 7.6 ka cal. BP farming activities are well attested together with significant human impact, herding pressure and a progressive decline of arboreal components. After 6.6 ka cal. BP conditions become less favourable and markers for aridity increase. Riparian taxa disappear ( Alnus) or decrease ( Fraxinus, Populus, Salix); shrubs ( Tamarix) and grasses ( Artemisia) increase with a degradation of forest into shrubland (macchia). During 6.6 and 6.0 ka cal. BP there is a general occupation gap in arid and semi-arid Morocco and evidence for that change is also found in the alluvial deposits of the Moulouya, NE Morocco. Indicators for food production decrease at the same time and the site is abandoned during the first half of the 6th millennium cal. BP.

Late Barremian–early Aptian climate of the northern middle latitudes: Stable isotope evidence from bivalve and cephalopod molluscs of the Russian Platform

Palaeotemperatures during the late Barremian–early Aptian (Early Cretaceous) on the Russian Platform have been determined on the basis of oxygen isotope analysis of aragonitic bivalve molluscan and ammonoid shells and belemnite rostra with well-preserved microstructure from the Ulyanovsk area. Those obtained from the planispiral and heteromorph ammonoid shells from the lower Aptian Volgensis–Schilovkensis, Deshayesi–Tuberculatum, and Deshayesi–Renauxianum zones range from 26.7 to 33.2 °C, from 29.2 to 33.1 °C, and from 27.0 to 29.5 °C, respectively. A heteromorph Helicancylus? cf. philadelphius shell from the uppermost lower Aptian Bowerbanki Zone was secreted in highest temperature conditions (32.8–35.2 °C). In contrast, upper Barremian molluscs (bivalve Cyprina sp. and belemnite Oxyteuthis sp.) of the Ulyanovsk area show significantly lower palaeotemperatures: 16.9–18.5 °C and 7.9–17.8 °C, respectively, which is in accordance with known palaeogeographic and palaeobotanical evidences, showing that a distinct climatic optimum seems to have occurred during the late early Aptian, when warm Tethyan water penetrated into the basin. Marked changes in calculated growth temperatures for investigated molluscs from the Russian Platform were most likely connected with both the general warming trend during the late Barremian–early Aptian and local palaeonvironmental conditions. New data from the Bowerbanki Zone of the Russian Platform provide evidence on existence of the positive carbon isotope anomaly (2.4–6‰) at the end of the lower Aptian. There were apparently the three positive C-isotope anomalies during the late Barremian–early Aptian. The onset of mid early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) 1a seems to coincide with both the beginning of significant warm conditions (followed by short-term cooling) and the abrupt decline in heavy carbon isotope concentrations in marine carbonates, which partly were the likely consequences of the intensive release of CO2 (biased by volcanic activity) and/or dissociation of methane gas hydrate.

Palaeobotanical evidence of wildfire in the Upper Permian of India: Macroscopic charcoal remains from the Raniganj Formation, Damodar Basin

Macroscopic fossil charcoal has been discovered in the carbonaceous shales associated with Seam-VI of Raniganj Formation, Upper Permian, Damodar Basin, India. A pycnoxylic gymnosperm wood is described and confirms the occurrence of palaeo-wildfire in this area during the Late Permian. The integration of the data presented in the current study with previously published data for the Raniganj Formation, principally related to the occurrence of (pyrogenic) inertinites within coal layers, demonstrates that palaeo-wildfires were common events during the deposition of the preserved material. In addition, the presence of charcoal in Permian sediments associated with coal levels at different Gondwana localities demonstrates that wildfires have been relatively common events across the continent during this period.

Palaeobotanical evidence for agricultural activities in the Eifel region during the Holocene: plant macro-remain and pollen analyses from sediments of three maar lakes in the Quaternary Westeifel Volcanic Field (Germany, Rheinland-Pfalz)

As a part of the ELSA-project (Eifel Laminated Sediment Archive) new pollen and plant macro-remain analyses have been carried out on a series of Holocene lacustrine sediments from three open maar lakes of the Quaternary Westeifel Volcanic Field. In combination with already existing pollen analyses, the archaeological record and written sources, the present study casts new light on settlement activities and henceforth the development of agriculture from the prehistoric to historic times in this region. While there are clues that wood pasturing was practised in the Eifel region from the Michelsberg Culture onwards (c. 4300 cal. b.c.), the Vulkaneifel is a remote area with relatively poor soils and a humid climate and was not constantly settled until the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, when cereal pollen was found regularly in the deposits. Plant macro-remains (chaff), which give us direct evidence for arable agriculture in the surroundings of the maars, were also found in layers belonging to the Early Bronze Age (c. 1900 cal. b.c.). At the same time we can observe the massive spread of Fagus sylvatica (beech) in all pollen diagrams, which was most probably caused by a combination of climatic, anthropogenic and competitive factors. Later impacts of agriculture were an abundance of crop weeds and pollen in the following Middle Bronze Age. Nevertheless human impact remained discontinuous until the Urnfield Culture (1200–800 cal. b.c.). A layer of weeds dating at the end of the Urnfield Culture was found and also flax (Linum usitatissimum) cultivation first becomes apparent. However, the subsequent Iron Age and Roman Period reveal only crop weeds and cereal pollen in slightly higher concentrations, but the abundance of Poaceae pollen at this time is most probably consistent with grazing activities. There follows compelling evidence of the importance of flax cultivation and processing at the maars from the Merovingian Period (5th century a.d.) onwards. A detailed insight into the agriculture of the High Medieval comes from flash flood layers of the 14th century a.d., where remains of Secale cereale (rye) and crop weeds reflect winter-sown cultivation of rye. Cannabis sativa (hemp) was also cultivated and processed during the medieval. Finally we can trace the Prussian reforestation in the 19th century a.d., with an increase in Pinus sylvestris (pine) and Picea abies (fir), by both pollen and plant macro-remains.

Palaeobotanical evidence for the pattern of rainfall variability in western Victoria, south-eastern Australia

Palaeobotanical evidence for the pattern of rainfall variability in western Victoria, south-eastern Australia

Wetland chronosequence as a model of peatland development: Vegetation succession, peat and carbon accumulation

Model validation experiments are fundamental to ensure that the peat growth models correspond with the diversity in nature. We evaluated the Holocene Peatland Model (HPM) simulation against the field observations from a chronosequence of peatlands and peat core data. The ongoing primary peatland formation on the isostatically rising coast of Finland offered us an exceptional opportunity to study the peatland succession along a spatial continuum and to compare it with the past succession revealed by vertical peat sequences. The current vegetation assemblages, from the seashore to a 3000 year old bog, formed a continuum from minerotrophic to ombrotrophic plant communities. A similar sequence of plant communities was found in the palaeovegetation. The distribution of plant functional types was related to peat thickness and water-table depth (WTD) supporting the assumptions in HPM, though there were some differences between the field data and HPM. Palaeobotanical evidence from the oldest site showed a rapid fen–bog transition, indicated by a coincidental decrease in minerotrophic plant functional types and an increase in ombrotrophic plant functional types. The long-term mean rate of carbon (C) accumulation varied from 2 to 34 g C/m2 per yr, being highest in the intermediate age cohorts. Mean nitrogen (N) accumulation varied from 0.1 to 3.9 g N/m2 per yr being highest in the youngest sites. WTD was the deepest in the oldest sites and its variation there was temporally the least but spatially the highest. Evaluation of the HPM simulations against the field observations indicated that HPM reasonably well simulates peatland development, except for very young peatlands.

Holocene anthropogenic landscapes in the Balkans: the palaeobotanical evidence from southwestern Bulgaria

Palaeoecological reconstructions from the region of southwestern Bulgaria were used for inferring the human impact on the vegetation and landscape during the last 8 millennia. They are based on data from pollen analyses of lakes and peat-bogs, plant macrofossils, archaeobotanical finds and radiocarbon dating. During the early Holocene, after 7900 cal. b.p. (5950 cal. b.c.) the climate changed to cooler summers, milder winters and higher precipitation resulting in the formation of a coniferous belt dominated by Pinus sp. and Abies alba. These favorable environmental pre-conditions had a positive influence on the Neolithisation of the Balkans after the 8200 cal. b.p. (6250 cal. b.c.) cold event, which caused drought in the Eastern Mediterranean. Direct evidence from wood charcoal records from the Neolithic settlement layers in the study area shows a slight modification of the surrounding woodlands and an increase of the light-demanding components, probably expressed through larger forest border zones and thinning out of the wood stands. The increase in the number of settlements in the valleys of southwestern Bulgaria intensified the human activity visible in the palaeobotanical record from 6950 cal. b.p. (5000 cal. b.c.) onwards. Between ca. 5700–5100 cal. b.p. (3800–3200 cal. b.c.) signs of anthropogenic influence on the vegetation are virtually absent. The intensity of human impact increased notably after 3200 cal. b.p. (1400–1250 cal. b.c., approx. Late Bronze Age), documented by a rise of pollen anthropogenic indicators. The final transformations in the natural forest cover after 2750 cal. b.p. (800 cal. b.c. onset of the Iron Age) marked the reduction of the coniferous forests dominated by Abies alba and Pinus sp. and the expansion of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies. These vegetation changes are contemporaneous with increase of the palaeofire activities and the next peak of anthropogenic indicators. The changes in the landscape during the Roman period and the medieval period reflect regional environmental features and were forced by the diversification of anthropogenic activity.

Genetic consequences of glacial survival: the late Quaternary history of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) in North America

AbstractAim Beringia, the unglaciated region encompassing the former Bering land bridge, as well as the land between the Lena and Mackenzie rivers, is recognized as an important refugium for arctic plants during the last ice age. Compelling palaeobotanical evidence also supports the presence of small populations of boreal trees within Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum. The occurrence of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) in Beringia provides a unique opportunity to assess the implications of persistence in a refugium on present‐day genetic diversity for this boreal tree species.Location North America.Methods We sequenced three variable non‐coding regions of the chloroplast genome (cpDNA) from 40 widely distributed populations of balsam poplar across its North American range. We assessed patterns of genetic diversity, geographic structure and historical demography between glaciated and unglaciated regions of the balsam poplar’s range. We also utilized a coalescent model to test for divergence between regions.Results Levels of genetic diversity were consistently greater for populations at the southern margin (θW = 0.00122) than in the central (θW = 0.00086) or northern (θW = 0.00034) regions of the current distribution of balsam poplar, and diversity decreased with increasing latitude (R2 = 0.49, P < 0.01). We detected low, but significant, structure (FCT = 0.05, P = 0.05), among regions of P. balsamifera’s distribution. The cpDNA genealogy was shallow, however, showing an absence of highly differentiated chloroplast haplotypes. Coalescent analyses supported a model of divergence between the southern ice margin and the northern unglaciated region of balsam poplar’s distribution, but analyses of other regional comparisons did not converge.Main conclusions The palaeobotanical record supports the presence of a Beringian refugium for balsam poplar, but we were unable to definitively identify the presence of known refugial populations based on genetic data alone. Balsam poplar populations from Beringia are not a significant reservoir of cpDNA diversity today. Unique alleles that may have been present in the small, isolated populations that survived within Beringia were probably lost through genetic drift or swamped by post‐glacial, northward migration from populations south of the ice sheets.

Long-term persistence of Mediterranean pine forests in the Duero Basin (central Spain) during the Holocene: The case of Pinus pinaster Aiton

In the southern Duero Basin of central Spain, there are vast areas of aeolian sand sheets and dune fields. A comprehensive survey of the sand quarries in this area identified a number of palaeosols in sedimentary sequences. The identification and AMS radiocarbon dating of soil charcoal fragments collected in these palaeosols indicate the persistence of Pinus pinaster in this area throughout most of the Holocene. Although potential natural vegetation models have usually considered the Pinus pinaster forests in this inland area of artificial origin, soil charcoal analysis provides firm evidence of a natural origin. Our data fit perfectly with the pattern of Holocene vegetation development for inland areas of Iberia, which are characterised by stability of pine forests throughout the Holocene. Finally, the growing body of palaeobotanical evidence from Iberia (macrofossils and pollen) is contributing to improve our knowledge of P. pinaster ecology, showing that this species has been present in most Iberian regions during the Holocene, where it has inhabited areas characterised by a very diverse set of climatic and soil conditions.

Re-evaluation of Australodocus bohetii, a putative diplodocoid sauropod from the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania, with comment on Late Jurassic sauropod faunal diversity and palaeoecology

The Late Jurassic sauropod Australodocus bohetii was originally assigned to Diplodocidae, primarily on the basis of bifurcate neural spines. The holotype and paratype materials of A. bohetii are re-examined and found to have closer affinities with Brachiosaurus and relatives than with any diplodocoid. The presence of a second titanosauriform sauropod in the Tanzanian fauna is important for understanding the palaeoecology of the region. Comparisons between Tendaguru and three other contemporaneous sauropod faunas (Morrison Formation, USA; Lourinhã and Alcobaça formations, Portugal; Cañadón Calcáreo, Argentina) are also made. The revised Tendaguru fauna, with its high diversity of high-browsing Macronarians, now more closely matches the conifer-forest dominated landscape inferred from palaeobotanical evidence. The Morrison Formation, dominated by low-browse, is once again the only formation containing multiple diplodocids.

Climate impact of high northern vegetation: Late Miocene and present

The Late Miocene belongs to the late phase of the Cenozoic. Climate at that time was still warmer and more humid as compared to today, especially in the high latitudes. Corresponding to the climate situation, palaeobotanical evidences support that vegetation in the high northern latitudes changed significantly from the Late Miocene until today. To quantify the climate impact of this vegetation change, we analyse how vegetation in the high northern latitudes contribute to climate evolution. For that, we perform climate modelling sensitivity experiments for the present and for the Late Miocene (Tortonian, 11–7 Ma). For our present-day sensitivity experiment, we introduce the Tortonian vegetation in the high northern latitudes. For our Tortonian sensitivity experiment, we introduce the modern vegetation on the same grid cells. In the Tortonian and in the present, the modern vegetation leads to a strong cooling of the northern extratropics (up to −4°C). Nevertheless, the meridional heat transports remain nearly unchanged in both cases. In general, the vegetation impact on climate is similar in the Tortonian and in the present. However, some exceptions occur. Due to the Tethys Ocean in the Tortonian, temperatures decline only weakly in eastern Europe and western Asia. In the Tortonian climate, temperatures on the Sahara realm rise (up to +1.5°C), while the temperatures do not change remarkably in the present-day climate. This different behaviour is caused by a stronger and more sensitive hydrological cycle on the Sahara region during the Tortonian.

Lockerbie Academy

Trial trenching carried out by CFA Archaeology Ltd in 2006 to the north of Lockerbie Academy (NGR: NY 13398273) identified four areas of archaeological significance covering a timescale from early Neolithic to post-medieval periods. The earliest site identified was the remains of a Neolithic timber hall, which was situated on top of the flat plateau towards the northwest end of the site (Area A). Pottery recovered from the Neolithic structure was of the Carinated Bowl ceramic tradition. At the summit of the rounded knoll in the centre of the area (Area D) a Bronze Age phase consisting of a cremation and inhumation cemetery enclosed by a possible ring-cairn was identified. The Bronze Age cemetery included a Collared Urn and a copper alloy dagger of Butterwick type. At the base of the rounded knoll, the remains of an Early Historic timber hall were identified (Area C). This Anglian timber hall reoccupied the site of a post-built structure, which was interpreted as a timber hall, possibly belonging to an earlier British tradition. Radiocarbon dates taken from the primary fill of two of the post-holes of the earlier structure gave dates which are broadly contemporary with the dates obtained for the Anglian hall, suggesting that the post-built structure immediately preceded it. A corn-drying kiln was identified cut into the same knoll as the Bronze Age cemetery (Area D) and has been dated to the late medieval or early post-medieval period. A segmented ditched enclosure was located towards the north-east end of the site (Area B), but the poor survival of this feature combined with a lack of finds and palaeobotanical evidence means that it remains undated and poorly understood.

Lockerbie AcademyNeolithic and Early Historic timber halls, a Bronze Age cemetery, an undated enclosure and a post-medieval corn-drying kiln in south-west Scotland

Trial trenching carried out by CFA Archaeology Ltd in 2006 to the north of Lockerbie Academy identified four areas of archaeological significance covering a timescale from early Neolithic to post-medieval periods. The earliest site identified was the remains of a Neolithic timber hall, which was situated on top of the flat plateau towards the northwest end of the site (Area A). Pottery recovered from the Neolithic structure was of the Carinated Bowl ceramic tradition.At the summit of the rounded knoll in the centre of the area (Area D) a Bronze Age phase consisting of a cremation and inhumation cemetery enclosed by a possible ring-cairn was identified. The Bronze Age cemetery included a Collared Urn and a copper alloy dagger of Butterwick type.At the base of the rounded knoll, the remains of an Early Historic timber hall were identified (Area C). This Anglian timber hall reoccupied the site of a post-built structure, which was interpreted as a timber hall, possibly belonging to an earlier British tradition. Radiocarbon dates taken from the primary fill of two of the post-holes of the earlier structure gave dates which are broadly contemporary with the dates obtained for the Anglian hall, suggesting that the post-built structure immediately preceded it.A corn-drying kiln was identified cut into the same knoll as the Bronze Age cemetery (Area D) and has been dated to the late medieval or early post-medieval period.A segmented ditched enclosure was located towards the north-east end of the site (Area B), but the poor survival of this feature combined with a lack of finds and palaeobotanical evidence means that it remains undated and poorly understood.