Seeing the wood for the trees : recent advances in the reconstruction of woodland in archaeological landscapes using pollen data

Bunting, Jane; Farrell, Michelle

Abstract

Pollen sequences record the vegetation cover of past landscapes, but translating a pollen diagram into a landscape reconstruction is not straightforward. This paper reviews recent advances in the reconstruction of woodland cover from palynological data and shows how they have been used to address three archaeologically relevant problems: • The detection of woodland presence and extent in a largely open landscape • The reconstruction of the habitat context of a specific archaeological site • The detection of woodland management Pollen surface samples which can be directly related to contemporary vegetation cover are shown to be useful both in their own right and as the basis for calibration of models of pollen dispersal and deposition. These models can be used as a foundation for quantitative reconstruction of past landscapes, for example using the Multiple Scenario Approach, or as a tool for construction and testing of hypotheses and to inform selection of coring sites. We argue that surface sample studies and simulation approaches are improving the scientific basis of reconstruction of past landscapes, and that these approaches offer new opportunities for communication and collaboration between archaeologists and environmental specialists.

Citation

Bunting, J., & Farrell, M. (2017). Seeing the wood for the trees : recent advances in the reconstruction of woodland in archaeological landscapes using pollen data. Environmental Archaeology, 23(3), 228-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2017.1377405

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 4, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 27, 2017
• Publication Date: Sep 27, 2017
• Deposit Date: Sep 14, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 28, 2019
• Journal: Environmental archaeology
• Print ISSN: 1461-4103
• Electronic ISSN: 1749-6314
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 228-239
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2017.1377405
• Keywords: Cultural landscapes; Environmental archaeology; Multiple scenario approach; Palynology; Simulation; Woodland
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/454718
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14614103.2017.1377405
• Additional Information: This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Environmental archaeology, 2018. The version of record is available at the DOI link in this record.