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Summary During the existence of a Germanic settlement sand material was deposited on the site of ashore. Pollen rain from neighbouring forests and from the settlement area was preserved there permitting the reconstruction of the settlement’s evolution. Finds of fibulas date the beginning of the settlement back to the early third century A.D. and the final period to the first half of the fifth century A.D. The pollen spectra both of synanthrope and of other NAP prove the existence of three periods of settlement, which is not incompatible with only two periods found by archaeological methods, since the palynological middle period can be regarded as the early stage of the younger archaeological phase. The first main period of the Germanic settlement was at its height in the middle of the third century. It can be assumed that at that time the settlement occupied an unwooded area of approximately a 100 hectars, predominantly on former pine for·ests. Considering the size of clearing cereal pollen rain was minimal, suggesting dominant stock farming. That period of settlement was in its declining stage in the second half of the third century with alder and beech (on natural sites), birch and heather (on settlement sites) spreading and the water level rising. During a drier phase at the turn of the fourth century the second period of the settlement began. Though unwooded areas were smaller than in the preceding period the cultivation of grain predominated with rye growing obviously becoming more and more important. Wide spreading of pine during this period suggests the location of the settlement nearer to the lowland. The settlement was rapidly expanding at the end of the fourth century. The proportion of arable land remained high, which also indicates its absolute extension. In the first half of the fifth century the settlement ceased to exist. Low parts became swampy covered with alder, upper parts were covered with pine forests. Oak - hornbeam forests appeared after anthropogenic influence on natural vegetation with lime trees occurring in the drier parts and beech where the water level was higher. Apart from field crops the following anthropogenic vegetation could palynologically be proved: nitrogen-loving herbaceous plants, grassy cover growingon sandy soil, pasture, dry and marshy heathland. |
