Mid‐ to late Holocene environmental changes and human‐environment interactions in the surroundings of La Silla del Papa, SW Spain

May, Simon M. ORCIDiD
Norpoth, Maike
Pint, Anna ORCIDiD
Shumilovskikh, Lyudmila
Raith, Kira
Brill, Dominik ORCIDiD
Rixhon, Gilles
Moret, Pierre
Jiménez‐Vialás, Helena
Grau‐Mira, Ignasi
García‐Jiménez, Iván
Marzoli, Dirce
León‐Martín, César
Reicherter, Klaus
Brückner, Helmut ORCIDiD

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4367
May, Simon M.; Norpoth, Maike; Pint, Anna; Shumilovskikh, Lyudmila; Raith, Kira; Brill, Dominik; Rixhon, Gilles; Moret, Pierre; Jiménez‐Vialás, Helena; Grau‐Mira, Ignasi; García‐Jiménez, Iván; Marzoli, Dirce; León‐Martín, César; Reicherter, Klaus; Brückner, Helmut, 2021: Mid‐ to late Holocene environmental changes and human‐environment interactions in the surroundings of La Silla del Papa, SW Spain. In: Geoarchaeology, 36, 4, 573-600, DOI: https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-4367. 
 
Norpoth, Maike; 1Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany
Pint, Anna; 1Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany
Shumilovskikh, Lyudmila; 2 Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht‐von‐Haller‐Institute for Plant Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Göttingen Germany
Raith, Kira; 4 Department of Social Sciences, Human Origins and Palaeoenvironments Research Group Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK
Brill, Dominik; 1Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany
Rixhon, Gilles; 5 Laboratoire Image Ville Environnement (LIVE), Faculté de géographie et d'aménagement, Ecole Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement (ENGEES) Université de Strasbourg Strasbourg France
Moret, Pierre; 6 Laboratoire TRACES – UMR 5608 du CNRS Université de Toulouse Toulouse France
Jiménez‐Vialás, Helena; 6 Laboratoire TRACES – UMR 5608 du CNRS Université de Toulouse Toulouse France
Grau‐Mira, Ignasi; 8 University of Alicante Sant Vicent del Raspeig Spain
García‐Jiménez, Iván; 9 Conjunto Arqueológico de Baelo Claudia, Área de Investigación y Conservación Tarifa Cádiz Spain
Marzoli, Dirce; 10 Department of Madrid German Archaeological Institute Madrid Spain
León‐Martín, César; 10 Department of Madrid German Archaeological Institute Madrid Spain
Reicherter, Klaus; 11 Neotectonics and Natural Hazards RWTH Aachen University Aachen Germany
Brückner, Helmut; 1Institute of Geography, University of Cologne Cologne Germany

Abstract

In southern Iberia, the surroundings of the Strait of Gibraltar are known as a crossroad for population movements, cultural exchanges, and trade from Late Prehistory to modern times. However, questions remain about the impact of this historical development on the environment. The settlement of La Silla del Papa, an important hillfort in southern Andalusia (Cádiz), was occupied during the entire Iron Age, replaced by the coastal town Baelo Claudia during Roman times, and re‐occupied during Early Medieval times. As such, La Silla del Papa and its territory represent an ideal location for long‐term studies on human‐environment interactions. Within the framework of the interdisciplinary project “Archeostraits,” geoarchaeological investigations in the surroundings of La Silla del Papa aimed at constraining ecological conditions and human‐environment interactions during the mid‐ and late Holocene and during major human occupation phases. Our results document an early mid‐Holocene marine embayment in the lower floodplain of the Río del Cachón, rapidly turning into a coastal lagoon and later into freshwater‐dominated wetlands. After approximately 2100 BP (c. 150 BC), fluvial and alluvial deposition i600ing a high anthropogenic impact on the local landscape during Roman or post‐Roman times. Palynological results reveal fluctuating agricultural and pastoral activities and distinct periods of landscape opening during the Neolithic and Iron Age.