Reconstructing the impact of human activities in a NW Iberian Roman mining landscape for the last 2500 years

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science Vol. 50; pp. 208 - 218
• Main Authors: López-Merino, Lourdes, Martínez Cortizas, Antonio, Reher, Guillermo S., López-Sáez, José A., Mighall, Tim M., Bindler, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Forest clearance; Forest resilience; Human impact; Mining/metallurgy; Pollen analysis; Human impact; Forest resilience; Forest clearance; Pollen analysis; Mining/metallurgy
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2014.07.016

Little is known about the impact of human activities during Roman times on NW Iberian mining landscapes beyond the geomorphological transformations brought about by the use of hydraulic power for gold extraction. We present the high-resolution pollen record of La Molina mire, located in an area intensely used for gold mining (Asturias, NW Spain), combined with other proxy data from the same peat core to identify different human activities, evaluate the strategies followed for the management of the resources and describe the landscape response to human disturbances. We reconstructed the timing and synchronicity of landscape changes of varying intensity and form occurred before, during and after Roman times. An open landscape was prevalent during the local Late Iron Age, a period of relatively environmental stability. During the Early Roman Empire more significant vegetation shifts took place, reflected by changes in both forest (Corylus and Quercus) and heathland cover, as mining/metallurgy peaked and grazing and cultivation increased. In the Late Roman Empire, the influence of mining/metallurgy on landscape change started to disappear. This decoupling was further consolidated in the Germanic period (i.e., Visigothic and Sueve domination of the region), with a sharp decrease in mining/metallurgy but continued grazing. Although human impact was intense in some periods, mostly during the Early Roman Empire, forest regeneration occurred afterwards: clearances were local and short-lived. However, the Roman mining landscape turned into an agrarian one at the onset of the Middle Ages, characterized by a profound deforestation at a regional level due to a myriad of human activities that resulted in an irreversible openness of the landscape. •We present the 2500 yr long pollen record of La Molina mire (Asturias, NW Spain).•La Molina mire is located in an intensely gold mined area during Roman times.•Roman landscape management was complex and mining was the main driver of change.•Local, short-lived forest clearances enabled forest regeneration until Middle Ages.•A no-return point was reached in the Middle Ages due to increased human pressure.