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Mid-late Holocene vegetation history of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) as inferred from a pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna

Mid-late Holocene vegetation history of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) as inferred from a pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna
Mid-late Holocene vegetation history of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) as inferred from a pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna

This study provides a high-resolution reconstruction of the vegetation of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) covering 5000 years from the Early Bronze Age onwards. The well dated pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna has been interpreted in the light of archaeological and historical sources, climatic data from the same core and other regional proxies. Our results demonstrate a significant degree of human impact on the environments of the Argive Plain throughout the study period. During the Early Bronze Age evidence of a thermophilous vegetation is seen in the pollen record, representing the mixed deciduous oak woodland of the Peloponnesian uplands. The plain was mainly used for the cultivation of cereals, whereas local fen conditions prevailed at the coring site. Towards the end of this period an increasing water table is recorded and the fen turns into a lake, despite more arid conditions. In the Late Bronze Age, the presence of important palatial centres modified the landscape resulting in decrease of mixed deciduous oak woodland and increase in open land, partly used for grazing. Possibly, the human management produced a permanent hydrological change at Lake Lerna. From the Archaic period onwards the increasing human pressure in association with local drier conditions caused landscape instability, as attested by a dramatic alluvial event recorded in the Pinus curve at the end of the Hellenistic Age. Wet conditions coincided with Roman times and favoured a forest regeneration pattern in the area, at the same time as we see the most intensive olive cultivation in the pollen record. The establishment of an economic landscape primarily based on pastures is recorded in the Byzantine period and continues until modern times. Overgrazing and fires in combination with arid conditions likely caused degradation of the vegetation into garrigue, as seen in the area of the Argive Plain today.

1932-6203
Vignola, Cristiano
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Hättestrand, Martina
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Bonnier, Anton
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Finné, Martin
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Izdebski, Adam
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Katrantsiotis, Christos
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Kouli, Katerina
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Liakopoulos, Georgios
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Norström, Elin
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Papadaki, Maria
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Strandberg, Nichola Ann
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Weiberg, Erika
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Masi, Alessia
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Vignola, Cristiano
43cfaacd-c9db-493a-981e-d4bcc22290f7
Hättestrand, Martina
154b0323-310d-48c3-8113-920aec16e725
Bonnier, Anton
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Finné, Martin
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Izdebski, Adam
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Katrantsiotis, Christos
8f2a609b-c7e0-46f3-9c02-356a5bfd216d
Kouli, Katerina
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Liakopoulos, Georgios
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Norström, Elin
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Papadaki, Maria
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Strandberg, Nichola Ann
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Weiberg, Erika
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Masi, Alessia
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Vignola, Cristiano, Hättestrand, Martina, Bonnier, Anton, Finné, Martin, Izdebski, Adam, Katrantsiotis, Christos, Kouli, Katerina, Liakopoulos, Georgios, Norström, Elin, Papadaki, Maria, Strandberg, Nichola Ann, Weiberg, Erika and Masi, Alessia (2022) Mid-late Holocene vegetation history of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) as inferred from a pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna. PLoS ONE, 17 (7 July), [e0271548]. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0271548).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study provides a high-resolution reconstruction of the vegetation of the Argive Plain (Peloponnese, Greece) covering 5000 years from the Early Bronze Age onwards. The well dated pollen record from ancient Lake Lerna has been interpreted in the light of archaeological and historical sources, climatic data from the same core and other regional proxies. Our results demonstrate a significant degree of human impact on the environments of the Argive Plain throughout the study period. During the Early Bronze Age evidence of a thermophilous vegetation is seen in the pollen record, representing the mixed deciduous oak woodland of the Peloponnesian uplands. The plain was mainly used for the cultivation of cereals, whereas local fen conditions prevailed at the coring site. Towards the end of this period an increasing water table is recorded and the fen turns into a lake, despite more arid conditions. In the Late Bronze Age, the presence of important palatial centres modified the landscape resulting in decrease of mixed deciduous oak woodland and increase in open land, partly used for grazing. Possibly, the human management produced a permanent hydrological change at Lake Lerna. From the Archaic period onwards the increasing human pressure in association with local drier conditions caused landscape instability, as attested by a dramatic alluvial event recorded in the Pinus curve at the end of the Hellenistic Age. Wet conditions coincided with Roman times and favoured a forest regeneration pattern in the area, at the same time as we see the most intensive olive cultivation in the pollen record. The establishment of an economic landscape primarily based on pastures is recorded in the Byzantine period and continues until modern times. Overgrazing and fires in combination with arid conditions likely caused degradation of the vegetation into garrigue, as seen in the area of the Argive Plain today.

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Accepted/In Press date: 2 July 2022
Published date: 15 July 2022

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 469982
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/469982
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: 12ae02af-762d-42ac-977d-d7a44e308427
ORCID for Nichola Ann Strandberg: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1268-2080

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Date deposited: 29 Sep 2022 16:47
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 21:23

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Contributors

Author: Cristiano Vignola
Author: Martina Hättestrand
Author: Anton Bonnier
Author: Martin Finné
Author: Adam Izdebski
Author: Christos Katrantsiotis
Author: Katerina Kouli
Author: Georgios Liakopoulos
Author: Elin Norström
Author: Maria Papadaki
Author: Erika Weiberg
Author: Alessia Masi

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