Late Glacial, Early Holocene and Late Holocene Life at the Interface of A

Cent. Eur. J. Geosci. • 4(4) • 2012 • 614-622 DOI: 10.2478/s13533-012-0107-x

Central European Journal of Geosciences

Late Glacial, Early Holocene and Late Holocene life at the interface of a distinct landscape – relationship of humans and environments in the Sub-Carpathian region (N Hungary)

Research Article

Gábor Bácsmegi1, Pál Sümegi2, Tünde Törocsik˝ 2

1 Munkácsy Mihály Museum, Békéscsaba, Hungary 2 Department of Geology and Palaeontology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

Received 19 July 2012; accepted 30 October 2012

Abstract: Relationships between the communities and environment surrounding these communities can be disclosed by the application of different archeological, geological and environmental historical methods. This includes the de- ployment of numerous tools in scientific investigation including the application of chronological, sedimentological, geochemical and paleoecological analytical methods on sequences accumulated in historical catchment basins of peat-bog. The Nádas-tó at Nagybárkány is a small peatbog in the northern part of Hungary, on the Sub-Carpathian region. The formation of the lake can be traced back to the Late Glacial period. The sediments deposited in the lakebed provide a record of climatic and hydrologic changes. A higher water level could be demonstrated from the Late Glacial to the Mid-Holocene, when the reed-beds covered a small area only. This was followed by a hiatus spanning ca. 4400 years, caused by the deepening and cleaning of the lakebed during the Late Iron / Imperial Age, between 2100 – 1900 cal BP years. After this change the water level decreased and the water quality was more eutrophic. A reed-bed evolved around the lake. Paludification started with a bulrush floating mat phase at the close of the Middle Age, ca. 1500 cal AD years. The endowments and settlement pattern persisted from the Neolithic onwards until the terminal Modern Age, when measures aimed to ordain the area substantially altered the natural landscape. Although some anthropogenic disturbances can be reconstructed in the development of the peatland, some climatic effects and authogenic processes might be separated by paleoecological analyses. Keywords: environmental history • Sub-Carpathian region • peat-bog development • macrofossils • pollen • from Palaeolithic to Copper Age • peat cleaning phase • Migration Period • Middle Age • human impact © Versita sp. z o.o.

1. Introduction of remarkable diversity. The presence of viable woodland region within Hungary during the Full Glacial suggests a Holocene vegetation development of prime importance The position of Hungary within the Northern Middle for the postglacial expansion of forest into Europe. On Mountain (Sub-Carpathian) region as a frontier between the other hand, intensive archeological study has demon- the Carpathians and Great Hungarian Plain interior has strated the importance of this region as a high cultural di- forested a physical, biological and cultural environment

614 G. Bácsmegi, P. Sümegi, T. Törocsik˝

versity and dispersal zone through immigration of the Ne- olithic groups, and different Copper cultures then invasion of Barbarians and Migration groups during the first mil- lennium AD. The final outcome will primarily help us un- derstand the natural conditions that prevailed at the site before the arrival of human groups and will also shed light onto potential transformations in the natural endowments due to preturbances attributed to human activities of climate change. The present paper discusses the findings regarding the development of small eutrophic peatbogs from northern Hungary in the Sub-Carpathian region. Auto- genic succession processes, climatic conditions and anthropogenic influences largely contributed to creating the modern view of the referred peatland. Another aim was to put the reconstructed anthropogenic impacts and their Figure 1. Nagybárkány–Nádas-tó site location and the core loca- changes into the context of the settlement strategies and tion on the vegetation map from 1959 and in 2003 (Jakab- landscape usages in the central parts of the Carpathian Sümegi, 2005) Basin. Besides the results in presenting some similarities and differences between local strategies in adopting and using marginal landscapes, this project will contribute to The Carpathian Basin within Hungary is found in the future research in Hungary on similar topics. heart of Europe (Fig. 1). As a result of its location, in contrast to the rest of the European continent, a unique climatic interface developed here seen in the overlap of 2. Study site four major climatic (Oceanic or Atlantic, Continental, Sub- Mediterranean and Carpathian) influences (Fig. 2)[2–4]. Therefore Hungary enjoys a moderately continental climate modified by Oceanic influences coming from the west, The Nádas (Reed) lake (360 m a.s.l.) at Nagybárkány and Sub-Mediterranean influences coming from the south. lies on the northern side of Mt. Hármas-Határhegy, ris- The regional characteristics of the country’s climate are ing to a height of 516 m in the Eastern or Pásztó Cserhát largely determined by its basin-type geographical posi- Mountains (Fig. 1). The lakebed has an elongated, north- tion. The lowland regions of the Great Hungarian Plains west oriented form, with a strongly narrowing extension (Alföld) receive an average annual rainfall of 500-550 mm. in the south. Its length is roughly 100 m, its greatest Conversely, the marginal mid-mountain areas within the width is 40 m and it covers an area of roughly 2000 m2. analysed region receive an average rainfall of 600-800 mm The narrowing section is about 5–10 m wide. Accumu- per annum. The majority of Sphagnum-bogs are restricted lation in the catchment basin of the Nádas-tó started in to the western parts of the country under Oceanic climatic the Late Glacial when a mass movement (rotation land- influences, and those of the areas of the Northern Mid- slide) process formed on the slope of the Miocene sandy Mountains and Northern Great Hungarian Plains, under and silty sediment covered land surface. A slump hollow montane-type climatic influences from the Carpathians [5]. formed in the source area between the landslide toe and the scarp which was filled by water forming a small round- form lake. This mass movement process is characteristic in the analysed region [1]. The annual rainfall is between 600-700 mm. The origin of the peat-bog’s water is om- 3. Methods brotrophic and topogenic. There is no visible watercourse in the drainage area. The lakebed is fringed by a sessile The studied profile of the Nádas (Reed) lake yielded a oak forest. Three plant communities can be distinguished sedimentary sequence of 3,4 m corresponding to the past in the recent bog (Fig. 1). The central part of the bog is 15 kys (Table 1). The sampling of the 340 cm deep, undis- covered with Sphagnum willow swamp (Salici cinereae- turbed sedimentary sequences from the Nádas-tó basin Sphagnetum recurvi). The willow swamp is fringed by was carried out using a 5 cm diameter Russian type corer. reed beds (Scirpo-Phragmitetum), except on the western Lithostratigraphical description of the profiles followed side. Tall sedge communities (Caricetum ripariae) line the the system of Troels-Smith [6]. After transportation to reed-beds. the laboratory, the cores were cut lengthwise for various

615 Late Glacial, Early Holocene and Late Holocene life at the interface of a distinct landscape

Figure 2. The results of palaeoecological analyses

analyses; the sections for paleobotanical and geochemi- traction samples are shown in this work. Distilled water cal analyses were stored at 4◦C in accordance with the was purified using a Millipore 5 Plus Water Purification international standards. System for water extraction samples. 100 ml distilled and purified water was added to a 1.0 g sample and shaken Radiocarbon dating of the sequence was obtained by both for 1 hour [8], then the water extract elements of Na, K, bulk and AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) analyses. Ca, Mg, and Fe were analyzed using a Perkin-Elmer AAS Four bulk samples of sediment were analysed for radio- spectrometer. The results from the geochemical analyses carbon ages at the Nuclear Research Centre of the Hun- are plotted against depth. Statistical procedures were garian Academy of Sciences, Debrecen, Hungary and two used to zone the data. samples of terrestrial plant macrofossils were analysed for AMS date at the radiocarbon dating facility in Poznan, Core sequences were sampled for pollen at 8-cm inter- Poland and at the Beta lab in Florida, USA. In order to al- vals [9]. 2 cm3 samples of wet sediment were prepared for low comparison with other archaeological data, the dates pollen analysis using standard methods and micro-sieving were calibrated using the CalPal-2007 online calibration at 10 µm. Lycopodium spore tablets of known volume were programme, using the most up-to-date CalPal-2007 CAl- added to each sample [10] to work out pollen concentra- PAL Hulu calibration dataset. The original dates (14C) tions. A minimum of 300 terrestrial pollen grains were are indicated as uncal BP, while the calibrated dates are counted. The point-count method of Clark [11] was ap- indicated as cal BP years (Table 2) plied to determine microcharcoal concentrations. For the description of macrofossils, we used a modified version of The core was divided into 4 cm samples for sedimentolog- the QLCMA technique (semiquantitative quadrat and leaf- ical and geochemical analyses. The organic content of the count macrofossil analysis technique) of Barber et al. [12] core samples were estimated by loss-on-ignition at 550◦C and Jakab et al. [13]. for 5 hours and the carbonate content by the further loss- on-ignition at 900◦C for 5 hours [7]. The inorganic con- Results were integrated into a complex archeological as- tent was further analysed using the sequential extraction say via the incorporation of information gained from a method [8]. The most important palaeohydrological and detailed archeological topographic survey (field trip of palaeoecological data comes from water extraction sam- Nagybárkány area), and data of the rescue excavations ples. Therefore the geochemical results from water ex- on Nógrád country [14–16]. The 19th century archeolog-

616 G. Bácsmegi, P. Sümegi, T. Törocsik˝

Table 1. Radiocarbon dates for the Nagybárkány–Nádas-tó.

Sample number Depth (cm) Sediment type δ13C(PDB) ± 0.2 [%] 14C age (uncalBP) calAD/BC (2 σ) deb-11110 NB-45 peat –28.02 100% ± 0.40 pM 14C 1950–1960 calAD deb-11098 NB-100 peat –27.73 740 ± 60 1230–1300 calAD deb-11009 NB-180 peat –28.49 1600 ± 60 400–540 calAD Deb-11100 NB-250 charcoal - 27,52 6090± 60 4956-5146 calBC Beta-194559 NB-280 charcoal -24,90 8050± 40 6875-7061 calBC Beta-224851 NB-325 charcoal -25,50 12543 ± 189 13309-12457 calBC Calibrated with radiocarbon calibration program rev 4.4.2

Table 2. The lithological description of the Nagybárkány–Nádas-tó sequence.

Depth(cm) Troel-Smith (1959) system Description 0-40 Tb4 (Sphag.) Sphagnum peat 40-110 Dg2Th1Tb1(Sphag.) Sphagnum peat mixed with limus detritus, made up mostly of Phragmites (40- 80 cm) and Typha rhizomes (80-100 cm) 110-130 - water 130-134 Dg2Tb1Th1 burnt, charcoal rich peat layer with Phragmites rhizomes 134-255 Ld3Sh1 Tb+(Sphag.)Th+Tl+ Dark brown eutrophic lacustrine deposits (clayey silt) with varying organic content, large amount of wood fragments at 225 cm 255-277 As3Ld1 Th+Gs+(min.) Pale yellow, brownish-grey slightly laminated silty clay with yellow spots 277-295 Ld3Sh1Tb+(Sphag.)Th+Gs+(min.) Brownish-grey, and pale yellow clayey silt with yellow spots 295-300 As3Ld1Gs+(min.) Transitional layer 300-340 As3Ag1Gs+(min.) Greenish-grey, clayey silt with frost marks (oligotrophic lacustrine deposists) ical topographic survey yielded more than 1000 archeo- lake is characterized by the deposition of non-calcareous logical deposits around the analysed peat bog from the and low-organic content sediment during the Late Glacial Late Paleolithic to Middle Age. Archeological evidence period. This sediment was predominantly inorganic (90- suggests that the Nagybárkány region was occupied by 95%) and contained a high concentration of water soluble a productive culture from the Middle Neolithic onward, Fe and K and a low concentration of water soluble Ca, starting with the development of the Linear Pottery Cul- Na content. The pollen data suggest that the dominant ture between approximately 5600-5300 BC years. Before component in the assemblage is from Poaceae, Chenopo- the Neolithic culture some Palaeolithic sites [17] were ex- diaceae, and Artemisia although Picea, Pinus, and Betula cavated in the northern part of Nógrád country and a few are also present in high values. There is some evidence of prints of the Mesolithic communities can be found within burning from moderate concentrations of charcoal through- a 50 km radius of Nádas lake. out the zone. The region has always been important in terms of its met- The macrofossil concentration was rather low in the lower allurgical industry (especially copper and iron production) silty sediment poor in organic matter, suggesting a high with archeological and historical records suggesting that a water level, an oligo-mesotrophic water quality and a low number of prehistoric and historic cultures produced high vegetation cover. A narrow belt or patches of reed-beds quality copper, bronze, iron, ceramic and glass objects probably lined the lakebed. Rough peat moss, Sphagnum from this region. squarrosum, a characteristic feature of the bog’s recent vegetation, was already present at this time, even if in minimal amounts [9]. The presence of peat moss belonging 4. Results and discussion to the Acutifolia section is noteworthy, coming from the damp acidic soil of the surrounding coniferous forests. 4.1. Late Paleolithic/Epipaleolithic horizon The paleoecological data suggest that an oligotrophic, (16,000 – 14,000 cal BP years) clean, 2-3 meter deep lake formed in the catchment basin at the end of the Late Glacial period. Around this lake on On the surface of mass movement material, grayish green the slopes an open parkland forest composed of Picea, Pi- lake sediment formed in the last phase of Ice Age. The nus and Betula with open spaces dominated by Poaceae,

617 Late Glacial, Early Holocene and Late Holocene life at the interface of a distinct landscape

Artemisia, and Chenopodiaceae. Probably, nutrient poor, reflect a lower water level and a mesotrophic water qual- it is likely that podzols soil formed under this special open ity. The reed bed at the edge of the lakebed probably forest. formed a continuous belt by this period [9]. The water The archeological data indicate [18] that Late Paleolithic level dropped somewhat at ca. 8800 cal yr BP and the (Epipaleolithic) communities lived in this special open peat-bog developed, probably as a consequence of the mixed leaved boreal woodland area. The pollen spectrum onset of a warmer and drier climate. S. squarrosum and displays good affinity with the recent open continental S. palustre, which are an indication of paludification, are boreal forest of the Altai and Sajan Mts [19]. present. Charcoal concentration values suggest that burning was This pollen zone is characterized by maxima of Quercus, occurring during the Late Glacial. This burning was prob- Ulmus, Tilia, and Corylus taxa. Computer simulated cli- ably naturally induced and in present boreal forests has matic modeling [25? ] suggests that during this period been shown to be an important part of the forest ecol- the climate progressively became warmer [21? ]. The ogy [20, 21]. There are good analogies from America, Aus- drastic climate transition from the Late Glacial into the tralia and Western Europe for the practice of forest burn- Postglacial resulted in a dramatic change from a pre- ing among hunter–gather communities with the purpose dominantly continental coniferous forest into a mixed de- of creating hunting trails and clearing for herds of hunted ciduous woodland. Coniferous pollen decreased to less species and the establishment of campsites [22, 23]; but than 15% of the total pollen and deciduous pollen in- the fine and very small charcoal fragments found here sug- creased to account for approximately 70% of the total gest that natural wild fires and not direct anthropogenic pollen [9]. In this transition period there was a mixed fires developed in this continental boreal forest type in conifer-hardwood forest, then in the Early Postglacial the Late Glacial phase. phase an oak hardwood forest developed with Quercus (oak), Ulmus (elm), and Corylus (hazel) as the predomi- nant trees and bush. The charcoal record for this period 4.2. Early Mesolithic horizon (14,000 – suggests that burning decreased in this mixed and then 9,000 cal BP years) the temperate broadleaved woodland and probably em- phasises both the different flammability levels of the two Up to the Mid-Holocene the inorganic content (80-90%) woodland types and also climatic change [27? ]. decreased and there was a gradual increase in carbon- In the Late Glacial/Postglacial transition and early ate (about 5%) and organic (10-15%) content. The water Holocene phase the mesotrophic and relatively shallow soluble Fe, K content decreased, while the level of water lake with a reed bed small peat-bog formed in the catch- soluble Ca, Mg input prior to this increase indicates that ment basin. Around this small mesotrophic lake and the the transformation of the vegetation continued and decidu- peat-bog a special closed mixed leaved forest a real tem- ous forest elements spread around the lake basin. Parallel perate undisturbing deep forest formed on the slopes. the geochemical change the clay and fine silt content increased, while course silt content decline. The acid nature The archeological data indicate [29] that a few Early of the bedrock and low levels of calcium input prior to the Mesolithic communities lived in this special temper- increase suggest that, again, process other than physical ate closed and virgin hardwood area during the Late weathering are responsible for this increase. Measure- Glacial/Postglacial transition and Early Postglacial ments of the chemical elements in leaf litter suggest that phases from 14,000 until 9,000 cal BP years. deciduous has higher levels of calcium than coniferous litter [24]. Thus, this increase in water soluble calcium, mag- 4.3. Late Mesolithic horizon (9,000 – 7,600 cal nesium and carbonate, which is associated with the transi- BP years) tion from mixed leaved taiga forest to deciduous hardwood forest, represents throughflow from deciduous litter depo- Based on the sedimentological, geochemical and macrob- sition and leaching of Ca from the brown eart soils [24]. At otanical data a small peat-bog within Sphagnum taxa cov- the Late Glacial – Postglacial transition all the elements ered the catchment surface during this phase. From 9000 representing allogenic erosion became greatly reduced as to 8000 cal BP years the virgin hardwood forest around the percentage of inorganic material decreased, and there the site of Nagybárkány became dominated by Corylus was an increase in organic and carbonate content. with Quercus, Ulmus, and Tilia. The expansion of hazel to The number of Phragmites communis rhizomes and S. values more than 20-40% is a common feature of European squarrosum leaves increased. Typha angustifolia and Ty- Holocene pollen diagrams and is usually taken to repre- pha latifolia made their appearance, together with the sent a shrub layer in a forest. The recent pollen data [30] seeds of plants typical for reed beds. The macrofossils show that the Corylus produces little pollen when growing

618 G. Bácsmegi, P. Sümegi, T. Törocsik˝

within the understorey in the shadow and the population tion of the Late Glacial oligotrophic lake into an open must therefore have been a dominant canopy component. mesotrophic lake phase. The increasing level of soil ero- There may have once existed a forest community domi- sion into the catchment basin must have developed under nated by Corylus which has no modern analogue. There- increasing human impacts (e.g. woodland grazing). As fore, in this case, it cannot be ruled out that Corylus may shown by archaeological data [14, 15] the Neolithic and have grown as a canopy tree. Copper Age communities settled around the analysed re- This forest type could be considered to be free of hu- gion between 7,500 and 5,600 cal yr BP (5500–4000 cal man productive impacts but the significant dominance of yr BC). These prehistoric human communities transformed hazel (Corylus) signifies that it is possible that human their forested environment to open surface for agriculture communities might have had a significant effect on the and pasture. This type of human disturbance might trigger forest environment during the Late Mesolithic, before the intensified soil erosion into the catchment basin. development of Neolithic agriculture. The dominance of Based on the pollen analyses after approximately 7600 yr heliophyte and edge vegetation, hazel (Corylus), and the B.P., when the Linear Pottery culture formed and settled parallel and cyclic decrease in oak (Quercus) pollen ra- in the analysed region, the diversity of the woodland be- tio is not only present in the study area but at many came greatly reduced. Among the non-arboreal taxa, new other locations in the North Hungarian Mountain Range. types represented in the pollen record include cereals and Similar changes are detected in the case of other sites a number of open ground herbaceous types usually asso- situated in the north Great Hungarian Plain and in the ciated with anthropogenic activity such as Rumex, and Sub-Carpathian region [31, 32]. We know by Western Plantago lanceolata [23]. Charcoal concentrations also European examples [33] that hunter-gatherer societies in reach their highest levels at around 7200 yr B.P. suggest- the Mesolithic employed forest burning for many purposes ing that burning was occurring. All evidence suggests (for hunting, to expand the edge zone, to create camp sites anthropogenic activity in the form of clearance by burning and to detour the animal herds to be hunted) [11?? ]. for agriculture was destroying the diversity of the forest The attempt to create edge vegetation and a mosaic forest around the analysed site at Nagybárkány. All the pale- environment stands out as another attempt to change the oecological data suggest that Neolithization occurred in environment. It started at the end of the Mesolithic in the this phase when the first productive economy communi- study area and can be considered to be deliberate. This ties of Neolithic cultures developed and settled around process significantly helped extend the heliophyte hazel, the analysed site. which prefers to live at the margins of forests [22, 23]. The highest peak observed in the concentration of inor- Although there are no archaeobotanical data available ganic matter and weeds in the lake material, highlighting from Hungarian Mesolithic sites regarding the gather- the climax of human influences in the area, is confined to ing of hazel, it seems that there is a connection between the second part of the Neolithic and the opening of the the gathering strategies observed at western European Copper Age (Zseliz and Lengyel cultures). The initial im- Mesolithic sites and the increase in forest burning/hazel prints of these communities on the environment were only pollen quantity [22]. overprinted during the Iron Age. Several Copper Age sites (Tiszapolgár, Ludanice, Bodrogkeresztúr cultures: [15, 34]) 4.4. Neolithic and Copper Ages horizon were identified in the vicinity of our study area. Pas- (7,600 – 5,600 cal BP years) toralist groups generally settled onto the marginal, natural highs of the catchment basin. Representatives of the According to geochemical analysis, the Mid Holocene Bodrogkeresztúr Culture carried on the traditions of the lacustrine phase differed significantly from the previous Tiszapolgár group during the Middle Copper Age. Nu- pond stage in sedimentary, chemical composition and tem- merous settlements of this cultural group were identified perature conditions. While the earlier, Late Glacial and around the analysed catchment site. These prehistoric hu- Early Postglacial lake environment can be characterized man communities transformed their forested environment by sedimentation in a cold and oligotrophic water lacking to open surface for arable land and pasturelands. This Ca content and low vegetation cover, the early Holocene type of human disturbance might trigger intensified soil can be described as being relatively rich in Ca, with high erosion into the catchment basin. carbonate and organic content and with vegetation typical of warm water. The amount of Ca increased from about 4.5. Peat cleaning phase during the Late Iron 100 to 200 ppm. – Imperial Age (2,100 – 1,600 cal BP years) Changes in the chemical composition refers to intensified erosion around the catchment basin and the transforma- .

619 Late Glacial, Early Holocene and Late Holocene life at the interface of a distinct landscape

There is a sudden upward decrease in the inorganic con- ters suggest that an anthropogenic eutrophic lake formed tent of the deposits from the depth of 240 cm upwards, in the catchment basin. with an increase of the organic matter from the previous 10-15% to 70 – 80%. Increasing elements include water 4.7. Ottoman Occupation and New Ages soluble Ca and Mg suggesting authigenic changes within the catchment [8]. It is likely that Ca and Mg acceptor (from 600 cal BP years until modern times) water plants, such as Typha, Phragmites colonized the The development of the present-day peat-bog and the analyzed catchment basin and the increase of the content commencement of peat accumulation can be dated to the water soluble Ca and Mg originated from these plants’ end of Middle Age. Around the beginning of the Ottoman remains. Occupation Age, 1526 AD, the number of Typha rhizomes The radiocarbon measurements of the sediment samples increases significantly, indicating a rise in the water level between Late Iron and Imperial Ages indicate a hiatus of and the formation of a floating mat. The hydroseries of roughly 4400 years at the beginning of the zone. This the bog was from this point on characterized by autogenic sediment hiatus is also confirmed by the abrupt change processes, with a tendency towards a gradual oligotroph- in the pollen composition and the macrofossil analyses, ication. Representatives of Sphagna seemed to have ap- reflecting a marked change in the environment [9]. peared in similar quantities during the middle part of the The extrapolation of the measurements suggest that this 17th century as today, followed by a complete drop until sediment hiatus developed around 2100 - 1900 cal BP 0 BP. In the pollen and spores record Sphagnum reaches during the Late Iron / Imperial Age when the area was a maximum peak of 70%, at the same time. This expansion probably settled by Celtic groups who probably deep- of Sphagnum coincides with the coldest period of the Lit- ened the peat bog which had evolved by then. After this tle Ice Age, which was also the coldest time of the past cleaning procedure a mass of water plants covered the 2000 years. The Little Ice Age dates from the middle part artificially transformed pond surface. The macrofossils in- of the 16th till the middle part of the 19th centuries [37]. dicate a lower water level and meso-eutrophic conditions The most significant cooling is put to the terminal part of at the beginning of the zone, and eutrophic conditions from the 16th century, when a major drop in the average tem- ca. 1600 cal BP yr. peratures is traceable across entire Europe [38, 39]. As shown by archeological data, the traditional Medieval 4.6. Dark (Migration) Age – Middle Age Age settlement system collapsed followed by the emer- (cc. 1,600 – 600 cal BP years) gence of unpopulated areas in the analyzed region during the Ottoman occupation and scattered farmstead-like set- . tlements from the 16th century onwards. The geochemical There is a gradual decrease in the organic content and composition and the increasing amount of charcoal indi- water soluble Ca and Mg content accompanied by an in- cate that the human disturbance decreased around the th crease in the inorganic content; with water soluble Na analyzed catchment basin in the 18 century. According content between 190-130 cm of the core profile. Previ- to the pollen analytical data, human impact on the vegeta- ous studies [8?? ] have indicated that an increase of the tion became more intensive. There was a rapid decrease in abundance of these elements is indicative of both physical the amount of Sphagnum palustre preferring mesotrophic and chemical weathering associated with soil erosion and conditions [40]. The recorded Ca content of the embedding human impact. The increase of the water soluble Na may sediments seems to display a strong correlation with the indicate a drop in lake level as well during this phase. amount of peat moss, which is a clear sign of the excellent This second, anthropogenic lake phase lasted from Ca ion bonding capacity of peat moss. Reed is also ca- ca. 100 cal BC until 1400 cal AD. The water level pable of accumulating Ca in its rhizomes similarly to peat decreased and the lake was encircled by a marshland mosses. belt. This period was characterized by fluctuations in the trophic conditions, which can most likely be linked to climatic causes. The number of Phragmites rhizomes 5. Conclusions increased significantly, suggesting that the extent of the open water diminished and that reed-beds also covered The development of the peat-bog at Nagybárkány can be the sampling location. Typha (rhizome) also appeared at divided into three main phases in the light of macrofos- the sampling location, although to a lesser degree only. sil analysis. The first phase spanned the Late Glacial The peak of Rorippa amphibia similarly indicates the de- to the Mid-Holocene layers. The trophic conditions in crease of the water level. All the paleoecological parame- this phase were oligo-mesotrophic and mesotrophic. The

620 G. Bácsmegi, P. Sümegi, T. Törocsik˝

water level was high with minor fluctuations. A hiatus [7] Dean W.E., Determination of carbonate and organic of roughly 4400 years can be noted in the sediment af- matter in calcareous sediments and sedimentary rocks ter this phase, owing to peat-cutting during the Late Iron by loss on ignition: comparison with other methods. and the Imperial Age. The water level decreased slightly, J. Sediment. Petrol., 1972, 44, 242-248 the trophic conditions became eutrophic and the lake was [8] Dániel P., Geochemical analysis. In: Sümegi P., Gu- fringed by macrophyte vegetation. This period was char- lyás S., (Eds), The geohistory of Bátorliget Marsh- acterized by the fluctuation of the lake’s trophic condi- land. Archaeolingua Press, Budapest 2004, 52-57 tions. This phase can be dated to the Late-Holocene, last- [9] Jakab G., Majkut P., Juhász I., Gulyás S., Sümegi P., ing until the end of Middle Age. The last phase, spanning Törőcsik T., Palaeoclimatic signals and anthopogenic the period up to the present, saw the paludification of the distubance from the peatbog at Nagybárkány (North lake and the cessation of the open water surface. The hy- Hungary). Hydrobiology, 2009, 631, 87-106 droseries was characterized by autogenic processes, with [10] metricconverterProductID225 cmClark R. L., Point taxa Thelypteris palusris and Meesia longiseta playing a count estimation of charcoal in pollen preparations key role. Peat mosses appeared in the same quantities and thin sections in sediments. Pollen et Spores, as today during the coldest period of the Little Ice Age; 1982, 24, 523-535 dated to the middle part of the 17th century. The subse- [11] Stockmarr J., Tablets with Spores used in Absolute quent periods saw a temporary decrease in their amounts. Pollen Analysis. Pollen et Spores, 1971, 13, 615-621 Forest management, accompanied by increased soil ero- [12] Barber K. E., Chambers F. M., Maddy D., Brew J., A sion in the study area resulted in an enrichment of plant sensitive high resolution record of the Holocene cli- type nutrients on the marsh during the past 200 years. matic change from a raised bog in northern England. The steady expansion of Sphagnum squarrosum refers to The Holocene 1994, 4, 198-205 the emergence of an acidophil but eutrophic peatland in [13] Jakab G., Sümegi P., A lágyszárú növények tőzegben the area. Based on our findings changes in the paleo- található maradványainak határozója mikroszkópikus hydrology and aquatic vegetation of the bog was mainly bélyegek alapján [Identifying of herbaceous plant re- driven by climatic changes and autogenic processes. Re- mains from peat on the basis of microscopic features]. curring human influences have also significantly modified Kitaibelia 2004, 9, 93–129 the natural path of succession in the studied area. [14] Bácsmegi G., Fábián Sz., The Neolithic of Nagy- This study was carried out through the scholarship bárkány and its environs. In: Gál E., Juhász I., TÁMOP-4.2.2/B-10/1-2010-0012. Sümegi P. (Eds), Environmental archaeology in North-Eastern Hungary. Varia Archaeologica Hun- garica XIX. Budapest 2005, 237-242 [15] Bácsmegi,G., The Copper Age in the Nagybárkány References area. In: Gál E., Juhász I., Sümegi, P. (Eds.), En- vironmental archaeology in North-Eastern Hungary. [1] Szabó J., Csuszamlásos folyamatok szerepe a mag- Varia Archaeologica Hungarica 19, Budapest, 2005, yarországi tájak geomorfológiai fejlődésében. Kos- 243-245 suth Egyetemi Kiadó, Debrecen, 1996 (in Hungarian) [16] Guba Sz., Tankó K., Régről kell kezdenünk. [2] Bacsó N., The climate of Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Studia Archaeologica in honoreum Pauli Patay. Budapest, 1959 Régészeti tanulmányok Nógrád megyéből Patay Pál [3] Borhidi A., Klimadiagramme und Klimazonale Karte tiszteletére. Szésényi Múzeum Kiadványa, Szésényi, Ungarns. Annales Universitatis Scientiarium Bu- 2010 (in Hungarian) dapestiensis de Lorando Eötvös Nominatae, Sectio [17] Dobosi T. V., Cadastre of Palaeolithic Finds in Hun- Biologica, 1961, 4, 21-50 gary – State of Art. Communicationes Archaelogicae [4] Szelepcsényi Z., Breuer H., Ács F., Kozma I., Hungariae 2005, 49-81 Biofizikai klímaklasszifikációk (1. rész: a módszerek [18] Vértes L., Az őskőkor és az átmeneti kőkor emlékei bemutatása). Légkör, 2009, 54, 21–26 (in Hungarian) Magyarországon. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1965 [5] Szurdoki E., Nagy J., Sphagnum dominated mires (in Hungarian) and Sphagnum occurences of North-Hungary. Folia [19] Pelánková B., Chytri M., Surface pollen-vegetation Historico-Naturalia Musei Matraensis, 2002, 26, 67- relationships in the forest-steppe, taiga and tun- 84 dra landscapes of the Russian Altai Mountains. Rev. [6] Troels-Smith J., Karakterisering af lose jordater. Dan- Palaeobot. Palyno., 2009, 157, 253-265 marks Geologiske Undersogelse, 1955, 4, 10 (in dan- [20] Payette S., Fire as a controlling process in the North ish)

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