Mid‐ to late Holocene environmental changes and human‐environment interactions in the surroundings of La Silla del Papa, SW Spain

Geoarchaeology, vol. 36, pp. 573–600

Abstract

Abstract In southern Iberia, the surroundings of the Strait of Gibraltar are known as a crossroad for population movements, cultural exchanges, and trade from Late Prehistory to modern times. However, questions remain about the impact of this historical development on the environment. The settlement of La Silla del Papa, an important hillfort in southern Andalusia (Cádiz), was occupied during the entire Iron Age, replaced by the coastal town Baelo Claudia during Roman times, and re‐occupied during Early Medieval times. As such, La Silla del Papa and its territory represent an ideal location for long‐term studies on human‐environment interactions. Within the framework of the interdisciplinary project “Archeostraits,” geoarchaeological investigations in the surroundings of La Silla del Papa aimed at constraining ecological conditions and human‐environment interactions during the mid‐ and late Holocene and during major human occupation phases. Our results document an early mid‐Holocene marine embayment in the lower floodplain of the Río del Cachón, rapidly turning into a coastal lagoon and later into freshwater‐dominated wetlands. After approximately 2100 BP (c. 150 BC), fluvial and alluvial deposition i600ing a high anthropogenic impact on the local landscape during Roman or post‐Roman times. Palynological results reveal fluctuating agricultural and pastoral activities and distinct periods of landscape opening during the Neolithic and Iron Age.

Authors 15

1. Simon Matthias May corresponding

   University of Cologne

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

2. Maike Norpoth

   University of Cologne

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

3. Anna Pint

   University of Cologne

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

4. Lyudmila S. Shumilovskikh

   National Research Tomsk State University · University of Göttingen

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht‐von‐Haller‐Institute for Plant Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Göttingen Germany

   Tomsk State University Tomsk Russia

5. Kira Raith

   Oxford Brookes University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Social Sciences, Human Origins and Palaeoenvironments Research Group Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK

   Department of Social Sciences, Human Origins and Palaeoenvironments Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK

6. Dominik Brill

   University of Cologne

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany

   Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

7. Gilles Rixhon

   Ecole Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES) · Laboratoire Image, Ville, Environnement · Université de Strasbourg

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratoire Image Ville Environnement (LIVE), Faculté de géographie et d'aménagement, Ecole Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement (ENGEES) Université de Strasbourg Strasbourg France

8. Pierre Moret

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Travaux et Recherches Archéologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Sociétés · Université de Toulouse

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratoire TRACES – UMR 5608 du CNRS Université de Toulouse Toulouse France

9. Helena Jiménez‐Vialás

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Travaux et Recherches Archéologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Sociétés · Université de Toulouse · Universidad de Murcia

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratoire TRACES – UMR 5608 du CNRS Université de Toulouse Toulouse France

   University of Murcia Campus La Merced Spain

   University of Murcia, Campus La Merced, Spain

10. Ignasi Grau Mira

    University of Alicante

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Alicante Sant Vicent del Raspeig Spain

    University of Alicante, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Spain

11. Iván García‐Jiménez
    Affiliation as printed

    Conjunto Arqueológico de Baelo Claudia, Área de Investigación y Conservación Tarifa Cádiz Spain

12. Dirce Marzoli

    Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Madrid

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Madrid German Archaeological Institute Madrid Spain

    Department of Madrid, German Archaeological Institute, Madrid, Spain

13. César León‐Martín

    Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Madrid

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Madrid German Archaeological Institute Madrid Spain

    Department of Madrid, German Archaeological Institute, Madrid, Spain

14. Klaus R. Reicherter Aachen Neotectonics and Natural Hazards

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Neotectonics and Natural Hazards RWTH Aachen University Aachen Germany

    Neotectonics and Natural Hazards, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

15. Helmut Brückner

    University of Cologne

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany

    Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany