Abstract
The large fortified hilltop site of Vladař, northwest Bohemia, Czech Republic (50°05′N, 13°13′E), has recently been studied intensively by way of environmental archaeology, in which palaeoecological methods have played a crucial role. The latter include the analyses of pollen, green algae, Cladocera, other microfossils, plant macro-remains (including charcoal and wood) and chemical composition, carried out on the wet sediments from an artificial cistern/pond situated in the middle of the large citadel, supplemented by charcoal and wood analysis on material from dry situations. The continuous palaeoecological record consists of well-preserved biological remains and covers the period from ca. 400 b.c. to recent times. The chronology is primarily based on radiocarbon dating, supplemented by archaeological finds. The main focus is on the La Tène period of the Iron Age. During the early to middle La Tène the hillfort had a considerable number of permanent inhabitants and woodland was almost completely replaced by an agricultural landscape. The site became partly abandoned by the end of the 3rd century b.c. and completely abandoned around the birth of Christ, after which it reverted to natural woodland communities.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their deepest respect for Brigitta Ammann. Her professional and personal interest has become a great stimulus for the development of contemporary Czech palaeoecology.
During preparation of this article we received great help from Pim van der Knaap and J. Greig who both made our text more concise and readable. We also thank K.-E. Behre and an anonymous reviewer for their perceptive reviews. We wish to give special thanks to L. Šmejda, M. Hajnalová, M. Kaplan, and A. Bieniek for sharing their ample knowledge and interest in this research. Our students and colleagues R. Kozáková, L. Petr, R. Haluzík, P. Loucká, L. Šmahelová, A. Danielisová, J. Matyášek, M. Dufková, R. Malát, and many others who helped during the excavations are greatly acknowledged. The members of the Civic Association “Vladař” are greatly acknowledged for their enthusiastic support during excavation campaigns. The study was carried under the subsidies of the grant project of the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic no. IAA8002204 and projects of the Ministry of Education nos. AV0Z80020508 and 0021620828.
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Pokorný, P., Boenke, N., Chytráček, M. et al. Insight into the environment of a pre-Roman Iron Age hillfort at Vladař, Czech Republic, using a multi-proxy approach. Veget Hist Archaeobot 15, 419–433 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-006-0064-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-006-0064-8