Arie J. Kalis

Environmental change and fluvial activity during the Younger Dryas in central Germany

Abstract Late Pleistocene climatically induced environmental changes are reconstructed by applying a multidisciplinary approach on floodplain sediments of small- to medium-sized catchments in central Germany. Radiocarbon dating, pollen analysis and the presence of an accurately dated tephra layer allow the establishment of a reliable chronology. The beginning of the Younger Dryas is marked by a change in fluvial activity that lasts for several hundred years. During this period gravels and sands were deposited by a braided river system. Fluvial systems at this time were predominantly controlled by the climatic conditions of the surrounding uplands, where the climatic deterioration led to a lowering of the forest limit and enhanced periglacial slope processes. An open pine forest prevailed in the basin areas and no evidence of slope wash and solifluction was found. The second part of the Younger Dryas is characterised by a meandering fluvial system and the deposition of overbank fines. The rapid transition from Younger Dryas to Preboreal coincides with an increase in organic deposition.

Late-Holocene land-use history and environmental changes at the high altitudes of St Antönien (Switzerland, Northern Alps): Combined evidence from pollen, soil and tree-ring analyses

In climatically sensitive regions such as the Northern Alps, changes in climate and land use have a strong impact on landscapes, vegetation, animals and humans. Multidisciplinary investigations in the high St Antönien Valley (Switzerland) at 1400—3000 m a.s.l. have generated a reconstruction of land-use history. Humans began affecting the landscape of this high mountain region during the Bronze Age. Multiproxy palaeoenvironmental studies show that the present cultural landscape of the valley has been the result of long-term human environmental interactions. Pollen, soil and tree analyses were combined with archaeological and historical archives to provide strong evidence of the complexity of the high-mountain land-use system over the last 3500 years. Phases of agro-pastoral activity from Bronze Age (around 1300 BC), Iron Age (800—15 BC), Roman Period (15 BC—AD 450) and Middle Ages (AD 450—1500) are linked to climate and economic, social and cultural developments. Our results reveal that expansions of pasture land, in combination with climatic fluctuations, led to pronounced ecological changes in St Antönien Valley. Humans adjusted land-use practices according to changing environmental conditions. In this context, the use of fire was an important factor in land management. Forest clearances reached maximum intensity during the late Middle Ages (AD 1300—1500) and triggered natural catastrophes that were amplified during the most severe environmental phase (AD 1600—1850) of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA).

Zu Möglichkeiten pollenanalytischer Untersuchungen an Latrinen-Befunden (Der Beitrag ist aus urheberrechtlichen Gründen nicht online)

As a perfect addition to the main topic of the conference, the author created a special meal which was served the participants of the conference. The menu, cooked after recipes and ideas from the Roman period, the early and high Middle Ages, the 19 th century and the time around 1900 AD consisted of the following courses: lentil salad with mussels after Aspicius, an ascetic herb-salad a la Radegunde, noodles with Parmesancheese after Boccaccio, chicken with artichokes and capers a la Cologne and as dessert a Blanc-manger provencal after Cezanne. The participants consumed everything with a healthy appetite, health-damaging after-effects have not been reported.Rezension zu: Renate Worner: Das alamannische Ortsgraberfeld von OberndorfBeffendorf, Kreis Rottweil. Materialhefte zur Archaologie in BadenWurttemberg, Band 44. Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1999. 244 Seiten, 11 Abbildungen, 6 Tabellen, 75 Tafeln. ISBN 3806214255In der Diskussion um die Einfuhrung der neuen gestuften Studiengange in der Archaologie wurden in diesem Forum bereits zahlreiche Aspekte beleuchtet und kontrovers bewertet. Bislang fehlte dabei die studentische Perspektive, durch die einige weitere Probleme und Anregungen aufgezeigt werden konnen.Rezension zu: Claus-Joachim Kind: Das Mesolithikum in der Talaue des Neckars. Die Fundstellen von Rottenburg Siebenlinden 1 und 3. Mit Beitragen von Ann M. Miller und Joachim Hahn. Mit einem Vorwort von Jorg Biel. Landesdenkmalamt BadenWurttemberg. Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Fruhgeschichte in BadenWurttemberg Band 88. In Kommission bei Konrad Theiss Verlag. Stuttgart 2003. Gebunden, 308 Seiten, 189 Abbildungen (davon 1 farbige Karte) und 94 Tabellen. ISBN 3806217884