Modelling Prehistoric Topography and Vegetation in the Lower Thames Valley, UK: Palaeoenvironmental Context for Wetland Archaeology and Evidence for Neolithic Landnám from North Woolwich

TY - JOUR

T1 - Modelling Prehistoric Topography and Vegetation in the Lower Thames Valley, UK

T2 - Palaeoenvironmental Context for Wetland Archaeology and Evidence for Neolithic Landnám from North Woolwich

AU - Stastney, Phil

AU - Scaife, Rob

AU - Carretero, Lara Gonzalez

AU - Whittaker, John E.

AU - Cameron, Nigel

AU - Allison, Enid

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by Higgins Construction Ltd: [Grant Number n/a]. The work presented in this article was funded by Higgins Construction PLC. The project was managed for MOLA by Marit Leenstra and commissioned by Claire Smith of Higgins. The authors wish to thank Mark Burch, MOLA, and all at PJ Drilling Ltd for their assistance on site. Thanks are also due to Sylvia Warman and Adam Single, both of Historic England, and Graham Spurr, MOLA, for their helpful advice. The two anonymous reviewers are thanked for their helpful and constructive comments that helped improve an earlier version of this manuscript. Funding Information: The work presented in this article was funded by Higgins Construction PLC. The project was managed for MOLA by Marit Leenstra and commissioned by Claire Smith of Higgins. The authors wish to thank Mark Burch, MOLA, and all at PJ Drilling Ltd for their assistance on site. Thanks are also due to Sylvia Warman and Adam Single, both of Historic England, and Graham Spurr, MOLA, for their helpful advice. The two anonymous reviewers are thanked for their helpful and constructive comments that helped improve an earlier version of this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © Association for Environmental Archaeology 2021.

PY - 2023/3/1

Y1 - 2023/3/1

N2 - Multi-proxy investigations at 2 Pier Road, North Woolwich, London, UK, have revealed deposits spanning the Middle-Late Holocene from the late Mesolithic (c. 4360 cal BC) onwards. Pollen data show an Elm Decline at c. 4210–3950 cal BC followed by landnám clearances at c. 4210–3910 cal BC and c. 3710–3030 cal BC and the first appearance of cereal at c. 3540–3030 cal BC. These events are potentially contemporary with the construction of nearby Neolithic trackways, providing indirect evidence for agriculture and settlement. REVEALS modelling shows the first significant reduction in woodland cover is coincident with the Neolithic Elm decline, but the main step-change to open conditions occurred in the Early Bronze Age, following a decline in lime at c. 2110–1630 cal BC. Palaeo-topographic modelling of the region shows that although the trend towards increasing openness coincides with gradual wetland expansion, the shift to open vegetation cover cannot be explained by this and is probably the result of human activity. This study highlights the value of combining deposit and vegetation cover modelling to contextualise wetland archaeology and shows that together these provide useful proxies for landscape-scale human activity that can identify ephemeral signals of prehistoric activity.

AB - Multi-proxy investigations at 2 Pier Road, North Woolwich, London, UK, have revealed deposits spanning the Middle-Late Holocene from the late Mesolithic (c. 4360 cal BC) onwards. Pollen data show an Elm Decline at c. 4210–3950 cal BC followed by landnám clearances at c. 4210–3910 cal BC and c. 3710–3030 cal BC and the first appearance of cereal at c. 3540–3030 cal BC. These events are potentially contemporary with the construction of nearby Neolithic trackways, providing indirect evidence for agriculture and settlement. REVEALS modelling shows the first significant reduction in woodland cover is coincident with the Neolithic Elm decline, but the main step-change to open conditions occurred in the Early Bronze Age, following a decline in lime at c. 2110–1630 cal BC. Palaeo-topographic modelling of the region shows that although the trend towards increasing openness coincides with gradual wetland expansion, the shift to open vegetation cover cannot be explained by this and is probably the result of human activity. This study highlights the value of combining deposit and vegetation cover modelling to contextualise wetland archaeology and shows that together these provide useful proxies for landscape-scale human activity that can identify ephemeral signals of prehistoric activity.

KW - deposit modelling

KW - Elm decline

KW - landnám

KW - London

KW - trackways

KW - vegetation cover

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101144694&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/14614103.2021.1880683

DO - 10.1080/14614103.2021.1880683

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85101144694

SN - 1461-4103

VL - 28

SP - 133

EP - 149

JO - Environmental Archaeology

JF - Environmental Archaeology

IS - 3

ER -