Environmental context and the role of plants at the early medieval artificial island in the lake Paklicko Wielkie, Nowy Dworek, western Poland

• Published in: Vegetation history and archaeobotany Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 99 - 110
• Main Authors: Badura, Monika, Noryśkiewicz, Agnieszka M., Chudziak, Wojciech, Kaźmierczak, Ryszard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Science + Business Media 01.01.2018; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthropology; Archaeology; Artefacts; Artificial islands; Biogeosciences; Climate Change; Construction sites; Dung; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Fodder; Historic artifacts; Lakes; ORIGINAL ARTICLE; Paleontology; Plant communities; Pollen; Wooden bridges; Poland; Plant macroremains; Dung pellets (coprolites); Use of plants; Pollen; Island; Early Middle Ages
• ISSN: 0939-6314; 1617-6278
• DOI: 10.1007/s00334-017-0617-z

This paper reports the archaeobotanical investigation of the early medieval lake site near Nowy Dworek, in the west of Poland, focussing on the role of plants on and around the site. The construction of a small, artificial island in a lake similar to Irish crannogs, traces of awooden bridge and archaeological artefacts all indicate that the site was a special place for the local Slav community in the 9th–10th centuries AD. Plant macroremains and pollen also demonstrate the uniqueness of the place. A large number of the cultivated and wild plant taxa are connected with the local environment and reveal an interest in plants as an element of beliefs. Pollen from dung pellets provides information about plants used as fodder and complements the picture of plant communities on the land around the island.