Characterising prehistoric lowland environments using local pollen assemblages

This paper discusses the archaeological value of small pollen sir:es which reflect patchy local vegetation conditions typical of prehistoric floodplai ns. It is argued that both floristics and vegetation structure can only rel iably be gained from macrofossil analysis and/or local pollen assemblages w here the problem of the mixing of pollen from different communities is mini mised and site to site differences are maximised. This exploits the pollen recruitment characteristics of small sites and differences between the poll en transport curves between canopy and understorey/groundcover species, man y of which are known to be reliable indicators of vegetation structure and management. The data used to illustrate this approach are taken from six ar chaeological and environmental sites in the Soar and Nene valleys. The data available at present suggests small-scale temporary clearances of the Neol ithic floodplains with regeneration. It is not until the Bronze Age that la rger scale deforestation occurs and it appears to be associated with ritual use of the floodplain. By the middle-late Iron Age the floodplains are alm ost total ly deforested and used for grazing. A common feature of the sites is an expansion of Pteridium (bracken) as clearance occurs and its use as bedding in the Iron Age is indicated by macrofossil finds at one site. Give n the small scale of the Neolithic clearances (however caused), including p ermanent changes to the herb curves it is suggested that this may reflect a forest farming (grazing) system. The coincidence of the landscape-scale de forestation of the floodplain and the construction of funery monuments rais es the question as to whether the deforestation was primarily a ritualizati on of the landscape, agriculturally driven,or both.