Can the period of Dolmens construction be seen in the pollen record? Pollen analytical investigations of Holocene settlement and vegetation history in the Westensee area, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

• Published in: Landscape Archaeology between Art and Science p. 197
• Main Authors: Mykola Sadovnik, H.-R. Bork, M.-J. Nadeau, O. Nelle
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam University Press 07.05.2012
• Subjects: Applied arts; Applied sciences; Archaeological methods; Archaeological site recording; Archaeological surveys; Archaeology; Architecture; Arts; Biocenosis; Biological sciences; Biology; Botany; Bronze age; Burial monuments; Burial structures; Carbon; Carbon isotopes; Carbonaceous materials; Chamber tombs; Chemical elements; Chemistry; Dolmen; Ecology; Field archaeology; Forest regeneration; Forestry; Funerary architecture; Materials; Materials science; Nonmetals; Palynology; Peat; Physical sciences; Plant communities; Plant ecology; Pollen; Population ecology; Radiocarbon; Silvicultural practices; Silviculture; Social sciences; Synecology; Three age system; Tombs; Vegetation; Woodlands
• ISBN: 9789089644183; 9089644180

In the prehistory of northern Europe megalithic graves belong to the most remarkable and mysterious structures. The time of their construction, as well as their function and role in the development of human culture are intensely discussed topics not only in archaeology, but also in the natural sciences, dealing with the impacts of human activities on the landscape. The boulders pertaining to the megalithic structures in the study area potentially yield information on their geological age and origin, but they do not provide evidence of when or by whom the structures were erected nor their possible function. In archaeology, the