Mid-Holocene vegetation development and herding-related interferences in the Carpathian region.

The paper comprises data from 27 case studies to assess large-scale human-vegetation interferences in the Carpathian region during the Mid-Holocene. The main focus is put on herding-related vegetation changes and climate influences are addressed. The publications reviewed are based on sediment sequences which provide C 14 -dated pollen records, charcoal and geochemical data. Based on a semi-quantitative approach pollen of secondary indicator species and arboreal pollen values were combined in a fuzzy model to assess the intensity of herding-related vegetation changes. The model was applied for 20 selected case studies. The data from the remaining seven sites as well as geochemical and charcoal data were used to validate the results of the standardized evaluation. Speleothem δ 18 O and δ 13 C records from Hungary and Romania were used as independent proxies to align Holocene climate development. The results were regionalized and trends of herding-related vegetation change are presented for the Southern Carpathians and Apuseni Mountains, for the Eastern Carpathians and for Hungary. Mean distances between included archives and prehistoric settlement sites were calculated as indicator for the marginality of the environmental archives. In all regions, absolute values for herding indication are low. Phases of changing herding impact on the landscape can be observed for the Southern Carpathians and Apuseni Mountains as well as for Hungary. In the Southern Carpathians and Apuseni Mountains increased herding activities can be traced for the Early Chalcolithic and the Late Bronze Age. The first phase is contemporary with an intensification of the use of secondary products. In Hungary herding impact is in accordance with prehistoric settlement development. Widely increased herding indications date to the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age. In the Eastern Carpathians, interference of climate influences and human impacts occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]