The colonisation of the New World by the Europeans is a key event in the history of mankind. This colonisation brought about the exchange of goods, ideas, diseases and populations between the New...Show moreThe colonisation of the New World by the Europeans is a key event in the history of mankind. This colonisation brought about the exchange of goods, ideas, diseases and populations between the New World and the Old World. The timing and the progress of this colonisation process is uncertain and has been a heavily debated issue for years. A new research project called NEXUS 1492 aims to shed new light on this colonisation process through a multidisciplinary approach. In June and July 2012 an archaeological excavation took place on a Pre-European site on Anse-Trabaud, Martinique, as part of the research NEXUS 1492 performs in that region. During this excavation many archaeological materials were found, with the recovery of organic plant material being very surprising. This is because organic plant material generally decomposes in tropical areas because of the warm and humid environment. The plant macrofossils from Anse-Trabaud were researched for this thesis. This is important because plant macrofossils are generally not transported very far, enabling accurate local reconstructions of the former environment of the site. Due to the rarity of this type of material there is no extensive modern reference collection which means a number of fossils are described but are as yet unidentified. This thesis will present descriptions with pictures of 19 plant taxa. This data is used to reconstruct the past vegetation and environment at the site as well as determine the age of the sediments that contained the plant macrofossil assemblage.Show less
Abstract Plant macrofossils were investigated from Pleistocene channel infill deposits from Happisburgh Site 1 in Norfolk, England. Happisburgh Site 1 is a Palaeolithic site where flint artefacts...Show moreAbstract Plant macrofossils were investigated from Pleistocene channel infill deposits from Happisburgh Site 1 in Norfolk, England. Happisburgh Site 1 is a Palaeolithic site where flint artefacts made by an unknown species of hominin are present. A general introduction is given to Happisburgh Site 1, with an overview presented on its flora, fauna and archaeology. The aim of the plant macrofossil investigation was to reconstruct the local vegetation at the time of deposition. The taxa found point to deposition during a temperate stage of an interglacial. The palaeoenvironment can be characterised as a freshwater fluvio-lacustrine channel. Beside this channel lay open muddy areas and reed-marshes. Woodland composed of coniferous and deciduous trees was present in the vicinity. The water in the fluvial channel was probably shallow, calcareous, mesotrophic and slow running. The channel possibly became deeper over time, indicated by the higher representation of marsh and waterside plant species in deeper samples, and higher representation of aquatic plant species in shallower samples. The fluvial channel at Happisburgh Site 1 was probably a cut-off channel, only accessed by the main channel during high-energy events. Some reworking of the sediments is indicated by the presence of a pre-Pleistocene megaspore. This study gives evidence about the habitat that hominins occupied at Happisburgh Site 1.Show less
