Palaeoenvironmental conditions and human-environment relationships in the Stone Age and the Bronze Age in Southern Belarus

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to reconstruct landscape evolution, palaeoenvironmental conditions, and human-environment interactions during the Stone Age and the Bronze Age in the area of the Kakoryca-4 archaeological site. The dissertation is primarily focused on the study of geological deposits in the vicinity of the Kakoryca-4 site. The Kakoryca-4 site is located on the territory of the Belarusian Polesie in the basin of the Yaselda River and Lake Sporovskoye, on a small rounded elevation formed by fluvial deposits. During the research, a wide range of analytical methods was employed, including radiocarbon dating, pollen and plant macrofossil analyses, geochemical and sedimentological analyses, as well as the use of cartographic and archaeological materials. As a result of the study, a model of the palaeogeographical evolution of the Kakoryca-4 site surroundings was constructed. For selected time periods, reconstructions of geological processes, regional and local vegetation, transgressions and regressions of Lake Sporovskoye, as well as phases of floods and erosional activity of the Yaselda River were elaborated. Possible responses of prehistoric societies to natural changes have been proposed. In addition to the investigation of the Kakoryca-4 site, the author conducted several supplementary studies aimed at resolving specific methodological problems. These included the study of bottom sediments from the Zarzetka oxbow lake and the palaeolake marked with the symbol “OST2B”, both situated in Poland. The Zarzetka oxbow is located in the Bug River valley floor. The palaeolake OST2B is located in Northern Poland in the immediate vicinity of the Ostrowite archaeological complex.