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Early Holocene environmental change, the presence and disappearance of early Mesolithic habitation near Zutphen (The Netherlands)

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Abstract

The Early Holocene landscape near Zutphen (The Netherlands) is reconstructed by means of microfossil, macroremain and bone analyses. In this area early Mesolithic sites were found on a river dune along a former river channel. AMS14C dating provided a detailed chronology for the sites and river channel deposits. Between ca. 9800–9600 B.P. open herbaceous vegetation was present on the river dunes. The residual channels were fringed by reed swamps and willow shrubs, with birch and poplar woodlands inland. During this period there are indications of natural or man-made burning of the reed swamp vegetation along the residual channel. Also trampling zones along the lake edge were more abundant. However, no archaeological sites were discovered in the vicinity. From ca. 9600 B.P. on, the area became more densely forested; willow, birch and poplar replaced the reed swamps along the residual channels, while pine colonised the river dunes. Archaeological finds show that early Mesolithic people inhabited the area between ca. 9400 and 9200 B.P. and between ca. 8900–8700 B.P. During the earlier period, records of Urtica, Plantago and coprophilous fungi may point to trampling and/or eutrophication as a result of the presence of large herbivores and people along the channel shores. After ca. 8700 B.P. people probably left the area when open water was no longer available in the vicinity.

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Acknowledgements

The investigations were (in part) supported by the Research Council for Earth and Life Science (ALW) with financial aid from The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO, project number 8811.32.002). Jan van Arkel and Annemarie Philip are thanked for technical support. Jos Deeben, Otto Brinkkemper and Henk Berendsen are thanked for valuable discussions. Furthermore, we would like to thank two anonymous referees for useful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript

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  1. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Research Group Paleoecology and Landscape Ecology, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Kruislaan 318, NL-1098 SM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Johanna A. A. Bos & Bas van Geel

  2. National Service for Archaeological Heritage in The Netherlands (ROB), P.O. Box 1600, NL-3800 BP, Amersfoort, The Netherlands

    Bert J. Groenewoudt & Roel C. G. M Lauwerier

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  1. Johanna A. A. Bos
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Bos, J.A.A., van Geel, B., Groenewoudt, B.J. et al. Early Holocene environmental change, the presence and disappearance of early Mesolithic habitation near Zutphen (The Netherlands). Veget Hist Archaeobot 15, 27–43 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-004-0056-5

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