Palaeovegetation and plant-resource management in the district of La Loma (Jaeìn, Spain) during recent Prehistory

  1. Rodríguez Ariza, María Oliva
Journal:
Saguntum: Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia-Extra

ISSN: 2253-7295 2254-0512

Year of publication: 2012

Issue Title: Wood and charcoal evidence for human and natural history

Issue: 13

Pages: 97-104

Type: Article

More publications in: Saguntum: Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia-Extra

Abstract

The charcoal from two archaeological sites located in the district of La Loma (Jaeìn, Spain) and dated between the second half of the 4th and the first quarter of the 2nd millennium cal BC was studied. The results document the presence of thermophilous Holm oak woodland with elements indicating a humid environment during the 4th and 3rd millennia. Since the beginning of the 2nd millennium, the tree cover was lost, partially due to aridification of the climate as well as due to human activity in the environment, using fire to open fields for cultivation and pastures for livestock grazing. In the Bronze Age levels, species used for the construction of huts were identified.