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Raised bed agriculture in northwest Europe triggered by climatic change around 850 BC: a hypothesis

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  • W. Groenman-van Waateringe
  • B. van Geel

Abstract

A sudden decline of solar activity around 850 calendar years BC caused a shift to a cool and wet climate in northwest Europe. Food production suddenly became problematic because of shorter, wetter growing seasons and increased night frost. This climate change triggered innovation and the development of a new agricultural system in continental northwestern Europe: arable farming on raised beds (Celtic field banks) laid out in a more or less checked pattern. This kind of agriculture mitigated the effects of the climate shift by providing better drainage and lessening damage by night frost and thus lengthening the growing season. Once the advantages of this kind of cultivation, soil enrichment and optimum root growth besides the hydrological effects, became obvious it will have been practised on a large scale and introduced when people thought it useful, independent of the local hydrological situation.

Suggested Citation

  • W. Groenman-van Waateringe & B. van Geel, 2017. "Raised bed agriculture in northwest Europe triggered by climatic change around 850 BC: a hypothesis," Environmental Archaeology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 166-170, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:yenvxx:v:22:y:2017:i:2:p:166-170
    DOI: 10.1080/14614103.2016.1141085
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