Mesolithic Landscape and Vegetation Development in the Present Day IJssel Valley, The Netherlands

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Mesolithic Landscape and Vegetation Development in the Present Day IJssel Valley, The Netherlands

H.J. Pierik¹⁾, M.E. Brouwer²⁾ &, H.J.T. Weerts³⁾

1) Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands, h.pierik@geo.uu.nl

Introduction

During the Mesolithic (10-6 ¹⁴C ka BP) hunter-gatherers lived in the region of Deventer-Zutphen. Major palaeoenvironmental development occurred, involving groundwater level drop and vegetation succession. The question is whether these changes affected behavior and living conditions of the Mesolithic people. This poster offers a palaeo-hydrological and palaeo-vegetational reconstruction. Several scenarios are outlined for the palaeo-hydrological development of the region.

In most of the reconstructed scenarios, succession caused the vegetation to become very dense during the Mesolithic, causing the groundwater level to drop. These factors have implications for the conﬁ guration of food resources and

References

AGI (2005) Actueel Hoogtebestand van Nederland. Rijkswaterstaat-Adviesdienst Geoinformatie & ICT, Delft, www.ahn.nl Alterra (2003) Digitale bodemkaart van Nederland 1 : 50 000, Alterra Wageningen, http://www.bodemdata.nl/

Bos, J.A.A. B. van Geel, B.J. Groenewoudt, R.C.G.M Lauwerier (2005) Mesolithic environmental change, the presence and disappearance of early Mesolithic habitation near Zutphen (The Netherlands), Veget Hist Archaeobot 15, p27–43

Cohen, K.M., E. Stouthamer, W.Z. Hoek, H.J.A. Berendsen & H.F.J. Kempen (2009) Zand in Banen, zanddieptekaarten van het rivierengebied en het IJsseldal in de provincie Gelderland en Overijsel (with summary in English), 130p, www.gelderland.nl/

wateratlas

Jansen, C.R. (1974) Verkenningen in de palynologie, Utrecht oosthoek Scheltema & Holkema

Koomen, A.J.M. & G.J. Maas (2004) Geomorfologische kaart Nederland (GKN), Alterra, Achtergronddocument bij het landsdekkende digitale bestand Alterra-rapport 1039, 38p, Wageningen. http://www.alterra.wur.nl/NL/Producten/GIS-bestanden/Geomorfologie/

Stiboka (1979 ) Toelichtingen bij Bodemkaart van Nederland 1:50.000, Blad 33 O/W Apeldoorn, 173p

Van Beek, R. (2009) Reliëf in Tijd en Ruimte, Interdisciplinair onderzoek naar bewoning en landschap van Oost-Nederland tussen vroege prehistorie en middeleeuwen, proefschrift, 641p.

Zagwijn, W.H (1986) Geologie van Nederland – Nederland in het Holoceen, 2e druk, 46p

2) Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. brouwe10@msu.edu, 3) Cultural Heritage Agency, Amersfoort, The Netherlands, h.weerts@cultureelerfgoed.nl

accessibility of the area. It is possible that the amount of easily accessible resources decreased and the landscape became more challenging to cross for Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

The preferred scenario, together with the other scenarios, will serve as input for a behavioural model that can improve understandings of the relationship between

humans and the palaeolandscape.

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Source: AGI AHN (2005) Harm Jan Pierik October 2010

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Zutphen Zutphen Deventer Deventer

Twello Twello

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn

Vorden Vorden Eerbeek

Eerbeek

Brummen Brummen

Bathmen Bathmen

Berkel Berkel Dortherbeek Dortherbeek

Ooyershoek Ooyershoek Colmschate Colmschate

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Source: AGI AHN (2005) Harm Jan Pierik October 2010

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Zutphen Zutphen Deventer

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Apeldoorn Apeldoorn

Vorden Vorden Eerbeek

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Brummen Brummen

Bathmen Bathmen

Berkel Berkel Dortherbeek

Dortherbeek

Ooyershoek Ooyershoek Colmschate

Colmschate

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Geomorfologie

Legenda

Bron: Geomorfologische kaart van Nederland, Maas & Makaske (2007) Achtergrond: Hillshade AHN Harm Jan Pierik Mei 2010

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Harm Jan Pierik October 2010

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Early-Holocene geomorphology

Legend

Small-rivers Brook valley Pingo remnants High aeolian topography Low aeolian topography Alluvial fan

Dry valley on ice-pushed ridge Ice-pushed ridge

Source: GKN, Zand in Banen Atlas Background: Hillshade AHN Harm Jan Pierik October 2010

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Dortherbeek

Berkel

Zutphen Zutphen Deventer

Deventer

Current geomorphology Palaeogeography Digital Elevation Data Groundwater depth map

(soilmap)

Reconstructing geomorphology Reconstructing hydrology

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Preboreal

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Atlantic Younger Dryas (latest part)

Dry sub-scenarioWet sub-scenario

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Boreal

1: Herbs 2: Willow, Birch, Poplar

3: Birch, Pine

2: Willow, Birch, Poplar 4: Hazel, Pine

5: Alder

6: Lime, Oak, Elm, Hazel

Reconstructing vegetation assemblages

(10-9 ka BP) (9-8 ka BP) (8-6 ka BP)

Conclusions and outlook

- In order to reconstruct the vegetation assemblages in time slices of 1000 year, succession (deduced from literature and pollen studies) were successfully combined with reconstructed groundwater maps.

- The wet/dry distribution as limiting factor for vegetation assemblage involves many uncertainties and assumptions. The dry sub-scenario of the wet Atlantic scenario is the preferred scenario, although other scenarios cannot really be ruled out with the currently available data.

- During the Mesolithic the vegetation probably became denser and therefore darker on the ground. The dry areas were easy to cross, but fi nding food resources (game, fi sh, edible plants) became more diffi cult due to the dense canopy. This may have led to a decrease in population density in this area during the Boreal and especially during the Atlantic.

- The wet vegetation areas occurred as elongated barriers in the landscape. These regions were probably difﬁ cult to cross, especially in a N-S direction. Probably, when the landscape became wetter and the vegetation denser during the Atlantic, the region became even more unattractive to live in and more challenging to cross.

- Current research is focusing on the development of hunter-gatherer land use strategy models to investigate the implications of the hydrology and vegetation distribution on human behavioral decision-making and archaeological preservation

(dissertation research of Marieka Brouwer).

Input datasets

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Boreal

3: Birch, Pine

5: Alder

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Preboreal

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Boreal

3: Birch, Pine

5: Alder

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Preboreal

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Boreal

3: Birch, Pine

5: Alder

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From the geomorphological map, a paleoreconstruction and a laser altimetry data set a palaeo geomorphological reconstruction was made that served as input for the hydrological reconstruction. It was assumed that the current geomorphology is comparable with the Mesolithic geomorphology, except for the middle part of the region that has been reworked by the river IJssel since the Middle ages (red circle in paleo geographcal map). In this palaeo geomorphological reconstruction a distinction was made between higher and lower areas that has implications for hydrology, vegetation and land use strategies.

The palaeo geomorphological map and hydrological classes from the soilmap were used to reconstruct ﬁ ve relative groundwater classes ranging from very dry (7) to very wet (2). For the central part of the area additional assumptions had to be made based on the geomorphological reconstruction. The ice pushed ridge in the southwestern part of the area and several cover sand ridges are dry, brook valleys were reconstructed wet. From this map several paleohydrological maps with two classes (only wet and dry) were constructed.

From compiled pollen diagrams for the Netherlands a diagram was made with wet and dry vegetation assemblages (below). The vegetation assemblages per time slices were subsequently projected on the palaeo-hydrological maps. This yields maps per time slice with a dry and a wet vegetation assemblage. During the Mesolithic the vegetation probably became somewhat denser causing more evaporation and a drier landscape. For the vegetation development in time both a wet and a dry scenario are plotted on this poster indicating a bandwidth of uncertainty for the reconstruction.

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Berkel

Deventer

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Deventer