I.G. Simmons

Mid-Holocene adaptations and later Mesolithic forest disturbance in Northern England

The Holocene period saw the gradual replacement of tundra vegetation by, first, pine—hazel woodland and then by thermophilous deciduous forest. Within these environments the Mesolithic cultures of the British Isles developed their foraging economy. In the Later Mesolithic (c 8500-5300 bp) we find that palaeoecological investigations provide evidence of disturbance of the forest vegetation, usually associated with the presence of fire. Although there is no direct evidence of human involvement in the cycle of disturbance and regeneration, it seems more probable to invoke the activity of human subsistence-related activities than natural autogenic processes. We suggest that in both uplands and lowlands, population pressure in the Later Mesolithic forced the adoption of more intensive use of game and vegetable resources, particularly deer and hazel nuts. Eventually, the adoption of cultivated cereals and probably of domestic animals can be seen as a shift in economy well within the scale of previous changes in subsistence strategy; there was no need for a change in social—ecological structures. Thus, the historic British tradition of reform rather than revolution seems to have had quite an early start.

Mid-Holocene charcoal stratigraphy, fire history and palaeoecology at North Gill, North York Moors, UK

Abstract Small peat mires are a favourable medium for the preservation of charcoal records that can be correlated more precisely with past fire history as part of multi-proxy palaeoecological studies. The North York Moors upland has many suitable peat deposits with a well-researched palaeoenvironmental history that offer the potential for high-precision palaeofire studies. We have examined the charcoal and pollen stratigraphy at the North Gill site at a range of spatial and temporal resolutions for the mid Holocene period between about 7k and 4.5k radiocarbon years ago. In an individual core, three size-class charcoal records, large, small and microscopic, reflect the scale and location of local fire events, although the micro-charcoal curve contains a background regional signal of about 10% of the charcoal/pollen ratio. Most micro-charcoal is generated locally and deposited close to its source. At the site scale, spatial comparison of four cores shows a variable relationship between tree pollen and micro-charcoal concentrations, which is an index of the size and intensity of local fire phases. Individual fires cannot be distinguished. Fine-resolution sampling at the millimetre scale resolves major burning phases into discrete sub-phases that may reflect the effects of individual fires at this fine temporal scale. This multi-scale research indicates that detailed charcoal stratigraphies at varying resolutions are capable of interpretation in terms of local, regional and intermediate fire history.

Towards an ecology of mesolithic man in the uplands of great britain

Abstract Some of the recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence about Mesolithic man in the uplands is reviewed. The role of large mammals in the economy is reviewed and suggestions made about the need for seasonal movement by hunting societies in the context of the probable biological productivity of red deer. The manipulation of habitat to enhance deer production and herding is also proposed, but the overall ecological effect of pre-agricultural groups is thought to be low.

Vegetation change during the Mesolithic in the British Isles: some amplifications

1. Attention is drawn to a number of themes in the work of A.G. Smith that relate to the interaction of Mesolithic communities in Britain with their natural environments. 2. Evidence is briefly discussed from the period preceding the establishment of deciduous forests, the actions of humans within it, and the transition period from a dominantly hunter-gatherer culture to an agricultural one. 3. The second of these themes is then amplified with work from North Yorkshire, looking in particular at the results of fineresolution pollen analysis (FRPA) of peats from the later Mesolithic. 4. These findings are then put into the wider context of the likely dynamics of the deciduous woodlands of that time, and one possible avenue for further research is indicated.

Prehistoric activity and environment on the North York Moors

Abstract A synoptic view and interpretation of archaeological material from the mesolithic to the end of the Iron Age is provided, and this is viewed in the context of available palaeoenvironmental information. The evidence of various settlement forms suggests that mesolithic folk occupied the region for a long period, but their environmental impact appears to have been low although not negligible. In neolithic times a probably higher population density was capable of more thorough changes of vegetation but the total permanent alteration of ecosystems is thought to be small. Evidence for settlement is entirely inferential. By contrast, the Bronze and Iron Ages were periods of considerable clearance of forest and subsequent ecological changes like the leaching of soils increased, and traces of settlement are plentiful. New data on Iron Age settlements shows a downward movement of settlement sites and some Celtic fields are noted, though they are sparse compared with other uplands in Great Britain. A number of unanswered questions are posed, mostly about the nature of the settlement pattern in mesolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times. No complete synthesis of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data is yet possible at this scale but certain parts of the moors have a high potential for reconstructing prehistoric geography.

Late Quaternary Vegetational History of the North York Moors. IX. Numerical Analysis and Pollen Concentration Analysis of Flandrian II Peat Profiles from North Gill, Glaisdale Moor

The late Flandrian II pollen data from three correlated pollen profiles at North Gill are subjected to principal components analysis, and the results confirm a previous subjective recognition of a sequence of phases alternately characterized by evidence of woodland stability and disturbance. A previous summary zonation scheme for the site based upon these phases is thus validated and betweenand withinphase variation revealed by the analysis is discussed. The pollen stratigraphy is further investigated by analysis of pollen concentrations at one of the sites, and these data are discussed relative to the pollen percentage based zonation scheme. Agreement between concentration and percentage data is very good. It is concluded that the overall pollen evidence shows the site to have been the focus of pre-elm decline woodland disturbance on three recorded occasions and that these three phases, as well as the elm decline phase at the Flandrian II-III transition, are capable of further spatial and temporal resolution using more detailed analyses of pollen percentages and concentrations, supported by numerical techniques. The disturbance evidence is discussed in terms of possible human activity and the character of North Gill as a multi-phase site of pre-elm decline land-use is considered in relation to other sites in the North York Moors and beyond.

A red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) skeleton from seamer carrs, Cleveland, England: Provenance of the skeleton and palaeoecology of the site

Abstract A Red deer, Cervus elaphus L., skeleton from Seamer Carrs was excavated and the collagen fraction of one of the bones dated to 4330 ± 100 bp (Birm. 977). The bones were embedded in a limnic sediment that was dated to 7360 ± 120bp(Birm.882). This date was confirmed by the pollen assemblage, which indicated a Flandrian I/II chronozone age. The date of the Cervus bone is explained by its movement vertically downwards in the limnic sediment. Attention is drawn to the number of large mammalian skeletons that have been recovered from Seamer Carrs during drainage operations and subsequently, and to the mesolithic and neolithic artifacts recovered from the slopes around the Carrs.