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LAND USE IN THE EASTERN ALPS DURING THE BRONZE AGE—AN ARCHAEOBOTANICAL CASE STUDY OF A HILLTOP SETTLEMENT IN THE MONTAFON (WESTERN AUSTRIA)*
Author(s) -
SCHMIDL A.,
KOFLER W.,
OEGGLWAHLMÜLLER N.,
OEGGL K.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2005.00213.x
Subject(s) - bronze age , prehistory , archaeology , settlement (finance) , excavation , macrofossil , subsistence agriculture , geography , bronze , iron age , human settlement , ancient history , holocene , history , agriculture , world wide web , computer science , payment
Investigations of the oldest prehistoric settlement in the western Austrian county of the Vorarlberg reveal a deeper insight into the colonization of the Alps. The human presence is recorded from the Late Neolithic ( c . 3000 cal. bc ) onwards, reflecting farming and possible mining activities. Three distinct settlement phases are recognized palynologically: (1) in the Early and Middle Bronze Ages ( c . 1700 cal. bc ), (2) during the Iron Age ( c . 500 cal. bc ) and (3) at the beginning of the medieval era ( c . cal. ad 800). In addition plant macrofossil analyses of soil samples from the archaeological excavation of the Bronze Age settlement of Friaga indicate a complex subsistence strategy of the Middle Bronze Age settlers, whereby cereals and pulses reveal a balanced diet.