David W. Anthony and Dorcas R. Brown |
Botanical Remains at the Krasnosamarskoe (KS) settlement:
An analysis of the paleobotanical landscape was undertaken by Laura Popova as part of her dissertation research at the University of Chicago. Pollen was recovered from the well (Pit 10) (see Pit 10, the Excavated Well), from other pits, and from the structure floor (see Krasnosamarskoe Settlement Excavations). Analysis of a sediment core from the nearby Sharlyk bog is ongoing. Arboreal pollen was lower (1.6- 3.0%) and pollen from marsh reeds was higher inside the well than in any other context, suggesting that the marsh was quite nearby. Terrestrial and aquatic grasses (Poaceae) and sedges and cattail (Cyperaceae, Typha) were the dominant taxa in the pollen from the well (Popova 2003). Phragmites dominated the phytoliths. Typha produces few phytoliths and Phragmites pollen is indistinguishable from other Poaceae, so we needed both pollen and phytoliths to recognize the presence of both Typha and Phragmites in the marsh vegetation. |
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In the numerous pits in the structure floor arboreal pollen was much more common, 8-17% of the total pollen count. This amount of arboreal pollen suggests that there were gallery forests nearby but most likely not in the immediate vicinity of the structure. Pollen from Pinus sylvestris, Quercus robur, Corylus, Betula, Populus, and even Acer (a low pollen producer) were found in the small interior pits in the structure. These clusters of tree pollen in the structure might suggest that trees were carried into the structure or near it, perhaps in the form of firewood. A strong marsh signature was indicated by Cyperaceae and Polygonum, but cattail (Typha) was represented less in the floor contexts than in the well. The steppe plant signature was dominated by Poaceae pollen in most contexts except for Pit 8, where Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae pollen was almost twice that of Poaceae. The pollen of Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae, shown in the photo images above, was significant because the seeds of these plants might have been eaten. Many charred seeds of these taxa were recovered from Pit 10, the LBA well. Also, pollen from Asteraceae, which includes plants like goldenrod and wormwood, was rare in the well samples, but was very common in the sediment samples from the structure floor. The phytolith samples from the structure contained a lot of fragmented amorphous plant silica, suggesting wood ash. Small patches of ash were found on the floor of the excavated well-house, perhaps discarded as refuse from the dwelling(s) now under the lake. The phytoliths in the ash deposits suggest that wood, not dung, was the primary fuel at the KS settlement (Weisskopf 2003). The pollen and phytolith data confirm that some forest groves existed near enough to serve as a source of firewood at KS through the winter during the LBA, but steppe and marsh vegetation dominated the local environment. The diversity of tree species represented inside the structure, including maple, which produces little pollen, might suggest that firewood (with some leaves and branches still attached) was stored inside the structure. This is another piece of evidence suggesting that the excavated structure was a special-purpose building, not a residence. |