Late and Final Neolithic Land Use Reconstructions Based on Floodplain Deposits from the ‘Nachtweide’ Site in Hesse, Central Germany – a Challenge for Palynology

This study reconstructs land use history with a focus on the Late and Final Neolithic using palynological data from floodplain deposits in the state of Hesse, central Germany. Our results demonstrate that humans were using the surrounding landscape continuously from the onset of the Michelsberg culture to the transition to the Bronze Age. However, a noticeable decline in human impact was shown during the transitional stage between the Michelsberg and Wartberg cultures. During this time, changes in the floodplain environment were noted that correlate with other floodplain pollen records from the region and supra-regional climate signals, thus providing other possible drivers for this socio-cultural change in addition to the factors coming from the archaeological side. Due to its location in the peripheral uplands of the Wetterau, the economy at the ‘Nachtweide’ site was based primarily on forest pasturing. However, cereal cultivation was also important. In contrast, no evidence was found for the use of open land for grazing during the Late Neolithic and only sporadic evidence for such use during the Final Neolithic. Our study also shows that, changes in land use were accompanied by hydrological changes within the floodplain and/or changes in the river dynamics.