University of AmsterdamUniversity of AmsterdamUvA

  • Terms of use
  • Contact

UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository)

  • Home
  • Advanced Search
  • Browse
  • My selection

Search UvA-DARE

Author
V. van den Bos
O. Brinkkemper
I.D. Bull
S. Engels
T. Hakbijl
M. Schepers
M. Dinter
G. van Reenen
B. van Geel
Year
2014
Title
Roman impact on the landscape near castellum Fectio, The Netherlands
Journal
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
Volume | Issue number
23 | 3
Pages (from-to)
277-298
Document type
Article
Faculty
Faculty of Science (FNWI)
Institute
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)
Abstract
Castellum Fectio was one of the largest fortifications along the Limes, the northern border of the Roman Empire. The castellum, situated 5 km southeast of Utrecht, the Netherlands, was occupied from around the start of our Era to ca. a.d. 260. It was situated along a river bend of the Rhine that was cut off from the main stream during the occupation of the Roman fort. A 6 m long sediment sequence was recovered from the infill of the residual channel and pieces of Roman wall plaster, glume bases of Triticum spelta and radiocarbon dates indicate that the sediments were deposited during the period of Roman occupation. The combined palaeoecological analyses—palynological, macrobotanical, entomological and geochemical—allow a detailed reconstruction of changing environmental conditions as a consequence of the Roman occupation. The pollen record reveals a dramatic decrease in arboreal pollen, suggesting that the Romans were involved in large-scale deforestation, transforming semi-open parkland to a landscape of meadows and agricultural fields. Non-pollen palynomorphs, botanical macrofossils and insect remains support this conclusion. The recorded mycoflora shows a shift from assemblages characterised by the tree pathogen Kretzschmaria deusta to assemblages dominated by spores of fungi associated with herbaceous plants, concurrent with the decrease in arboreal pollen. The presence of masticated bran fragments of cereals, clover remains, eggs of intestinal parasites and entomological and geochemical data in the upper part of the sequence indicates that these sediments largely consist of faeces that were dumped into the former channel. Surprisingly, seeds of salt tolerant species are encountered in the sediments of this inland site, which was situated outside the influence of the sea. Horses may have brought these seeds to Fectio in their intestinal tracts after grazing in coastal meadows.
URL
go to publisher's site
Language
English
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/11245/1.415873

Disclaimer/Complaints regulations

If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library, or send a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible.

PrintPrint this pageShareShare via emailShare on facebookShare on linkedinShare on twitter
  • University library
  • About UvA-DARE
  • Disclaimer
Copyright UvA 2014