Man and nature 13,000 years ago
Prof. Piotr Kittel together with an international team of co-authors present the results of many years of archaeological work in the region of Serteya mire and the results of the so far developed paleoenvironmental reconstructions. On the basis of the research material analyses, the authors also attempt to pinpoint the main stages of human-environment relations over the last 13,000 years. The 13.5m-deep core of biogenic deposits collected from the Serteja mire constitutes an excellent bioarchive, allowing to know the changes of the environment state in the past and to understand human activity, land management conditions and anthropogenic impact in particular periods.
Until 4000-3500 years ago, a fairly deep lake existed at the site of the studied mire. We want to know exactly when and how it all happened. Results of specialised paleobotanical and paleozoological as well as geochemical analyses will help us. Additionally, determination of the age of deposits, mainly using the radiocarbon dating will be performed. We will carry out studies of subfossil remains of invertebrates, including Cladocera, Chironomidae or Mollusca, as well as palynological studies of pollen and macroscopic plant remains and diatom analysis, and for the peat part of the core, analysis of testate amoebae. The obtained results will allow us to reveal and better understand the conditions of life in the studied reservoir and environmental changes occurring in its surroundings – explains the scientist from Lodz.
– explains the scientist from Lodz.
Prof Kittel adds that Eastern Europe is an area for which paleoecological reconstructions still require further studies.
The obtained detailed results on the evolution of the former environment occurring as a result of climate change and under the influence of human activity will allow us to make an important contribution to the discussion on global climate change –explains the geologist from the University of Lodz.
– explains the geologist from the University of Lodz.
The research is carried out as part of the OPUS grant awarded in 2021 by the National Science Centre (grant no. 2021/41/B/HS3/00042).
People of the lake from 5000 years ago
We wrote about the research of Prof. Piotr Kittel's team a few years ago. Back then they managed to reconstruct the way of life of the settlement from 4-5 thousand years ago in the territories of modern Serteyka River Valley.
(Photo: private source)
Source: Prof. Piotr Kittel, Cambridge University Press
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, Paweł Śpiechowicz