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This multi-proxy approach combines results of sedimentological, pollen and diatom studies on sediments of Lake Wonieść, Greater Poland. This enables reconstruction of the natural and anthropogenic drivers of past environmental change. Several steps of lake development are recorded, from a eutrophic to an oligotrophic stage, and with increasing human influence back to a hypereutrophic one. Human influence in the form of eutrophication due to arable farming has been the main driver in the changing ecology of the lake in the second half of the Holocene. The record provides a diachronic perspective of regional “boom and bust” phases of greater or lesser human pressure on the landscape. Early evidence of cereal-type pollen indicates human occupation of areas of chernozem soil during the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) Neolithic period from 5250 cal bc onwards. A clear opening of the landscape occurred during the Trichterbecher (Funnel Beaker) period at ca. 3800 cal bc. From this time onwards, the human influence on the lake can be traced by the geochemical and diatom records. Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and medieval boom and bust phases of settlement intensity are discussed. A comparison with two other high-resolution lake records from Poland (Lakes Gościąż and Szurpiły) show a good agreement of many of the “boom and bust” phases with Lake Gościąż (“boom” at 3500 and 2150 cal bc, “bust” at 3250, 1560 and 1 bc) and a few even with both, Lake Szurpiły and Lake Gościąż (“boom” at bc and “bust” at 500 cal bc and cal ad 400). This is indicative of supra-regional changes in intensity of land use.

This paper summarises the results of multidisciplinary research, including pollen, plant macroremains, diatoms, Cladocera, molluscs and geochemistry from a 14C dated core and geomorphological records, which reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions faced by Late Palaeolithic hunter-gathers in western Poland. Particular attention was paid to evidence for both human activity and the degree to which Late Palaeolithic groups may have affected the local environment, as recorded by the biogenic sediments in lakes located close to their campsites. Vegetation first appears locally in the Oldest Dryas, and consisted of subarctic tundra vegetation. During the Bølling period the landscape was generally open, with dwarf shrubs and scattered patches of Juniperus and Hippophaë shrubs. Betula (tree birch) expanded locally in the area only in the later Allerød; during the second part of the Allerød period, Pinus and Populus joined birch as a sparse woodland developed. During the Younger Dryas, the landscape changed significantly in comparison to the preceding warm period, as result of cooling and drying of the climate. The presence of microscopic charcoal and charred herbaceous plant particles made it possible to detect human activity. These analyses allowed us to reconstruct fire events near the site during its occupation by Hamburg and Federmesser cultural groups. An increase in the proportion of biogenic elements such as Na, K and Mg in the sediments indicate soil erosion, reflecting the activity of Hamburg groups. A relative increase in the frequency of Cladocera which favour eutrophic and turbid water was recorded in the period linked to Federmesser group activities. The intense use of this area was also indicated during the Younger Dryas.

This paper presents the results of geohazards mapping and evaluation their role in the modifying of the urban landscape in Poznań, Poland. Information on geohazards specific to an urban lowland area (river floods, flash floods, mass movement, wind erosion) because of increasing climate change was compiled into a geomorphological map. The most spatially widespread geohazards in Poznań include: (a) on moraine hills/uplands: mass movement, wind erosion, and flash floods (4.9% of the city area); (b) on outwash plains: mass movement and flash floods (8.6% of the city area); (c) on fluvial landforms: mass movement and river floods (9.8% of the city area); (d) within plains of various origin: flash floods (7.6% of the city area). Mass movement affecting short but numerous (and locally steep) slopes, and flash floods are the most widespread geohazards (16 and 14%, of Poznań’s area, respectively). Extensive urbanisation especially the expansion of impervious surfaces increases the high risk of flash floods.

Research has shown that fluvial systems exhibit a rapid response to extreme events, such as floods or climate-tectonic interplay, the evidence of which is recorded in fluvial sediments. This article provides new data and insights into the reconstruction of the Anthemountas River depositional environment. The study was conducted with granulometric analysis and with the lithostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic description of approximately 20000 yr B.P., the area's most extended sedimentary sequence to date. The evolution of the Anthemountas River Valley during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene is closely linked to tectonic activity and changes in the sea-level and climate. The interpretation of grain size cumulative curves, frequency curves, and the Passega C-M diagram is used in conjunction with the textural parameters of the sediments to obtain information about the means of transport and the intensity of environmental conditions. In addition, the loss on ignition method was used to estimate two parameters; organic matter and carbonates. Chronostratigraphic details were also obtained from the A.M.S. dating of charcoal samples. The analysis has identified the Late Pleistocene aggradation materials and the transition to the Holocene. Sedimentation can be described as a fluvial valley-fill sequence with periodical in-channel, off-channel, and floodplain series. After 3500 cal. B.P., the area is affected by the possible formation of a bay-head delta, with fluvial-dominated sands and the development of stable floodplains. Finally, the fluvial records of the Anthemountas River reveal phases of hydrological activity and stability.

The poster will present the role of contemporary morphogenetic processes in shaping the morphological landscape of the city of Poznań (530 464 inhabitants). The study is based on geocomputation performed on a digital elevation model, analysis of geomorphological evolution of the city area and analysis of land cover and land use. Particular attention was paid to above-average and extreme processes. The discussed morphogenetic processes included the analysis of floods on the Warta River flowing through the city, flash floods generated in the city streets, mass movements occurring mainly on the slopes of the Warta River valley and on the slopes of moraine hills, and wind erosion occurring in vast areas devoid of vegetation. Most of these processes are related to the progressive climatic changes and sealing of the ground by concreting and asphalting large patches of the city. The analysed processes are visualised on a geomorphological map and a land cover and land use map. Contemporary morphogenetic processes observed in Poznań include: (a) on morainic hills/uplands: mass movements, wind erosion and flash floods; (b) on outwash plains: mass movements and flash floods; (c) on fluvial landforms: mass movements and river floods; (d) within plains of different origin: flash floods. Increasing urbanisation of the city, mainly through the increase in impervious surfaces, increases the risk of flash floods, which have replaced river floods in the list of risks to urban infrastructure.

A paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the landscape of Nea Raedestos Toumba in the Anthemous River valley in central Macedonia, Greece is undertaken using multidisciplinary geoarchaeological methods. The archaeological site is a settlement mound (tell or toumba) that dates to the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. The tell’s location on the alluvial plain prompted a multidisciplinary investigation to reconstruct the influence of landscape changes on prehistoric settlements in the valley with an emphasis on alluvial sequences. An electrical resistivity tomography survey and three cores were drilled to study the sedimentary environments in and around the archaeological site. Sedimentologic and palynological analysis combined with accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating show that the oldest habitation layers at the site, from the Middle and Late Neolithic, were located next to a small, periodically drying water body surrounded by ruderal vegetation. Diatom analysis suggests that this water body was supplied by saline/brackish groundwater. The water body was open until the Early Bronze Age, when it was filled and buried by floodplain sediments. This flooding phase at Nea Raedestos likely occurred at the same time as an increase in fluvial aggradation in the neighboring Thessaloniki Plain, which is dated to the beginning of the third millennium BC.

The article presents the first research on the elemental diversity of the prehistoric pottery obtained from the European Postglacial Plain, performed on a large scale (over 500 fragments of pottery were examined). A new analysis approach to the results of the elemental composition of the pottery was presented by using the unsupervised classification of chemical elements. This method is based on the advanced selection of features. The subset of elements that best describes the variability of the chemical composition of ceramics is searched, which allows to create the groups of ceramic artifacts corresponding to their origin or production technology. The correspondence between the existing locations and the clusters obtained using the Gaussian Mixture Model was controlled by using the entropy-based V-measure. Data analysis revealed that elemental composition of the pottery is more complex processes that simple provenance, possibly related to the emerging local pottery traditions.

The aim of this chapter is to assess the geological and morphological characteristics of areas created by chronologically and spatially overlapping geomorphic and morphogenetic processes, mainly during the last glaciation, and—against such background— to present the major landform transformation of the city of Poznan from the Middle Ages to the present day. The characteristic feature of Poznan is its location on the river, that is the Warta River. The chapter presents Poznan’s geological, sedimentological, and geomorphological setting, with the final shape of landforms in Poznan being a product of the last Scandinavian glaciation, including features, such as a moraine plateau, outwash plains, and crevasse forms. The most important and largest form of the meridional course, however, is the Warta River and how it divides Poznan between western and eastern parts, with morphological changes occurring in different places of the city throughout the centuries. The largest areas among the anthropogenic forms occupy the leveled plains of residential areas. These features are expounded upon by proposing locations for various geosites.

Poznań, a city in central-western Poland, is located in the lowland region but has no less attractive geomorphological and human history. It was here that Poland was born at the end of the tenth century. The city’s location is connected with the meridian course of the Warta River valley. In contrast, in the northern part of the city, there is a vast area of the frontal moraines of the Poznań Phase of the Weichselian Glaciation. Against the backdrop of the geomorphological development of the city, the article presents the existing geosites, classified as urban geosites. The present geosites include three lapidaries with Scandinavian postglacial erratics, one of them also with stoneware, a fragment of a frontal push moraine and impact craters. Besides, three locations of proposed geosites with rich geomorphological and/or human history were identified. These are as follows: the peat bog located in the northern part of the city, defence ramparts as exhumed anthropogenic forms, and the Warta River valley. The existing and proposed geosites in Poznań were evaluated in three ways. In general, it should be assumed that the proposed new geosites are higher ranked than the current ones.

Anthemous Valley, located in Northern Greece, has witnessed two different models of habitation during the Neolithic, while the Bronze Age comprises only of tell sites. Until recent no tell settlement model was recorded that could be associated with the Neolithic. Following article discusses the results of geoarchaeological works in Nea Raedestos which revealed the presence of another – third type of Neolithic settlement – a tell type. The ERT, vibracoring and laboratory analyses provided material for archaeological comparisons between the discussed site and other Neolithic record in the Anthemous Valley. In the light of results, the Nea Raedestos Neolithic site differs in terms of spatial organization from the already known extensive settlements in Vassilika-Kyparissi, Thermi and Galatista, and thus constitutes first evidence of Neolithic tell in the Anthemous Valley.

Barrows play an important role in paleoenvironmental studies. This research, conducted on macromorphology (descriptive), micromorphology (thin-section), physical and chemical properties of a burial mound necropolis located in the western part of Ukraine (near Bukivna village), aimed to reconstruct the climatic conditions and landscape of the area during the Late Neolithic and Middle Bronze Ages, when they were erected. The analysis of pedogenic and post-depositional processes has made it possible to determine the evolution of soils beginning around 4000 BP. Three phases of change in vegetation, climate, and soil conditions have been distinguished. Between 6000 and 4200 BP, the brown forest soil formed at the beginning of Subboreal period. Later, the formation of chernozems (Chernozems) took place between 4200 and 3300 BP, chernozems (Chernozems) formed, at an increasing rate as meadow and meadow-forest which led to the continental climate spread through the area, while in the Forecarpahians forest areas their transformation into gray forest soils (Luvic Phaeozems) is visible, and podzolized brown soils (Dystric or Haplic Cambisols) developed about 150 BP in a cooler and much more humid climate conditions than were present in the beginning of the Subboreal period. From the present study it was concluded that post-depositional processes, such as podzolization, lessivage, and illimerization, change the original properties of soils, while others, like the activity of fauna, result in krotovinas filled with original humus, and makes it easier to recognize fossil soils.

The influence of relief, as well as other environmental features such as soils or the hydrological regime, on prehistoric settlement patterns is commonly accepted. Settlement patterns and preferences changed over time in different areas, so it is difficult to formulate general rules of human behaviour throughout history. In lowland areas of the temperate zone, which lack radical relief changes and have widespread access to water resources, specific settlement preferences and significant changes in these preferences are difficult to interpret. New methods developed to address the problem of the settlement transformations as a result of prehistoric settlement and economic processes using multivariate statistics have been adapted for the middle part of the Great Poland Lowland. In this region, data from the Polish Archaeological Record Project database have been used. Models of the dependence between geomorphological features and settlement intensity form the basis for estimating changes in prehistoric settlements. The degree of preference (or avoidance) is a nonparametric function of the number of archaeological sites observed in the area relative to the number of sites expected from a completely random pattern. The most crucial factors for settlement are distance to plateau edges, distance to water bodies, and the wetness index. The results show that the entire investigated area is more or less suitable for settlement, but the most occupied terrains are the areas near plateau edges.

Das Grab aus Kruszyn, 2009 in Kujawien entdeckt, rechnet zu einer kleinen Regionalgruppe der Schnurkeramik. Es zeichnet sich durch einen verhältnismäßig guten Erhaltungszustand und untypisch zahlreiche, aus Knochen und Geweih gefertigte Werkzeugbeigaben aus. Die aufgedeckten sterblichen Überreste wurden anthropologisch und isotopisch analysiert (La tombe de Kruszyn, découverte en 2009 dans la région de Cujavie, fait partie d’un petit groupe régional de la culture à céramique cordée. Elle est relativement bien conservée et se distingue par un riche assemblage d’outils, fabriqués en os et en cornes. Des analyses anthropologiques et des investigations isotope (Excavated in 2009, the barrow from Kruszyn (the Kujawy region) is related to a small regional group of the Corded Ware culture. Noteworthy is a fairly good state of its preservation and a remarkably numerous assemblage of tools made of bone and antler. Unearthed human remains were anthropologically studied and examined isotopically (Grób z Kruszyna, odkryty w 2009 r. na Kujawach, należy do niewielkiej regionalnej grupy kultury ceramiki sznurowej. Wyróżnia się on stosunkowo dobrym stanem zachowania oraz nietypowo licznym zbiorem narzędzi wykonanych z kości i poroża. Szczątki ludzkie poddano analizom antropologicznym i izotopowym (

The archaeological site Bodzia is located in the South Baltic Lake District, which was formed by the processes associated with the Vistulian glaciation. The eastern slope is associated with the extensive Vistula Valley. The stratigraphy of the site comprises a record of the various processes responsible for the formation of the deposits, including those connected with changes in the natural stratigraphy resulting from human activities. Post-depositional processes can affect the natural stratigraphy of the archaeological site, as well as the evidence left behind by the funeral rite, which archaeologists attempt to reconstruct based on the graves. Analysis of burial pits, bone material, and burial equipment showed extreme deterioration of bones. Among post-depositional processes that decomposed the skeletal material, the leaching of calcium carbonates played the greatest role. Bioturbation was also found not to have had a significant effect on the spatial translocation of the grave assemblages. Keywords: bioturbation; Bodzia; burial pits; post-depositional processes; Vistula Valley