Vegetation History and Archaeobotany publishes research papers, review articles and short contributions of high quality from Europe, the Americas and around the world. It covers the entire field of vegetation history, exploring the development of flora and vegetation during the Holocene (and also the Pleistocene) era, and includes related subjects such as palaeoecology. The journal places interest on human impact upon the natural environment in prehistoric and medieval times. This is reflected in pollen diagrams as well as in plant macroremains from archaeological contexts. Recent topics have included vegetation, fire and climate dynamics as indicated by pollen and charcoal analysis; preliminary results from a dendroecological study of a sub-fossil pine woodland in NW Germany; the significance of low pollen accumulation rates in estimation tree population, and more. The Editor-in-Chief isFelix Bittmann, Niedersachsisches Insitut fur historische Kustenforschung, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany

Late Holocene Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller) woodlands in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean): Investigation of their distribution and the role of human management based on anthracological, dendro-anthracological and archaeopalynological data

In many societies, livelihood strategies are based on a combination of economic strategies, including natural resources such as trees for wood, leaves, and fruits. Archeological wood charcoals are residues of human activity related to fire. They provide evidence of fuelwood and, in some contexts, timber, handcraft activities, and fruit production. They represent a detailed record of the way ancient woodlands were exploited. However, charcoal analyses are often confined to the study of taxa and their relative frequency, and socio-economic interpretations are thus limited. In the last two decades, dendro-anthracological studies have been developed. Tree-ring widths, radius of curvature, and carbon isotope contents are increasingly used as indicators of wood gathering practices, woodland management and climate. Nevertheless, in the absence of standards, measurement procedures and data processing are very diverse. The challenge for archeological charcoal analyses is thus to improve analytical tools, especially on dendro-anthracological and isotopic aspects, in order to improve the interpretation of archeological assemblages and advance the discipline. As an example, we present a new approach for taxa growing in Western Europe combining (i) different dendro-anthracological parameters, (ii) an anthraco-typological approach based on modern-day wood stands, (iii) identification of anatomical signatures revealing particular forestry practices, and (iv) stable carbon isotopes. This opens the discussion on methodological perspectives and the associated scientific questions focusing on woodland exploitation and climate, and on the interest of a systemic approach for the analysis of charcoal in archeological contexts.

Taming Trees, Shaping Forests, and Managing Woodlands as Resources for Understanding Past Societies. Contributions and Current Limits of Dendro-Anthracology and Anthraco-Isotopy

Dendrochronology

Modelling dendro-anthracological parameters with dendrochronological reference datasets: Interrogating the applicability of anthraco-typology to assess Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller) wood management from archaeological charcoal fragments

Dufraisse Alexa

Papers

Modelling dendro-anthracological parameters with dendrochronological reference datasets: Interrogating the applicability of anthraco-typology to assess Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller) wood management from archaeological charcoal fragments