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Agriculture and Environment as Basis for Early Monumentality

The reconstruction of agricultural activities and landscape differentiation is essential for a better understanding of the Neolithic Funnel Beaker societies (TRB) and the related monumentality, i.e. the erection of megalithic tombs and large enclosures. It is assumed that economical changes, such as the adoption of crop cultivation and animal husbandry, played an important role in the development of the observed monumentality. The aim of this project is to reconstruct the natural resources as well as changes in land-use and agricultural strategies for the Neolithic period in northern Germany and adjacent areas using archaeo- and palaeobotanical methods.

Pictures from the fieldwork

Coring on land in the Riesenwohld

Manual driving of the piston corer

Preparation for photography of halved sediment cores in the field

Documentation and photpgraphy of sediment cores in the field

Preparation for photography of halved sediment cores in the field

Extruding the sediment core (peat) from the coring tube

Sedimentcore with deciduous leaf

Coring equipment, including the raft used as coring platform, ready for transport

Lake coring - the raft is assembled and ready for being positioned on the lake

Seebohrung vom Floss

Lake coring from the raft

Assembling the piston corer

Driving the pistion corer using a motor hammer

Lake coring - assembling the coring rods on the raft

Lake coring from the ice

Coring in a peat bog - 1m of peat, still in the coring tube, has been successfully retrieved

Pollenanalytical laboratory at the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel

Storing the sediment cores in the cold room

Annually laminated lake sediment

Annually laminated lake sediment

Counting pollen samples

Subsampling of a sediment core for palynological investigation

Processing of samples for pollen analyses

Counting pollen samples using a light microscope

Pollen sample under the light microscope

Various pollen grains under the light microscope

Various pollen grains under the light microscope

Tehpra particles under the light microscope

Charred cereal grains

Charcoal

Charcoal samples

Oak

Pollen diagram

Pollen diagram

Pollen diagram

Overview of different theoretical spatial scales for palaeobotanical investigations

Demonstration of sample preparation using the floating technique in Albersdorf

Demonstration of sample preparation using the floating technique in Albersdorf

Demonstration of sample preparation using the floating technique in Albersdorf

Demonstration of sample preparation using the floating technique in Albersdorf

Demonstration of sample preparation using the floating technique in Albersdorf

Demonstration of sample preparation using the floating technique in Albersdorf

Residue after sieving (note leaves and roots are not fossil)

Identification of fossil fruits and seeds

Archiving fossil material

Sieving of samples using different mesh sizes

Digital photo documentation of fossil material

Digital photo documentation of fossil material

Sample preparation using the floating technique in Schmerlecke

Sample preparation using the floating technique in Schmerlecke

Sample preparation using the floating technique in Schmerlecke

Charred barley grain with imprint of linseed from Oldesloe-Wolkenwehe

Chared barley grain from Oldesloe-Wolkenwehe

Charred emmer grain fromOldesloe-Wolkenwehe