Quantitative distribution of phytoliths as reliable diagnostical criteria of ancient arable lands. (1st April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Golyeva, Alexandra; Svirida, Natalia
• Is Part Of: Quaternary international. Volume 434(2017)Part B
• Page Start: 51
• Page End: 57
• Publication Date: 2017-04-01
• Subjects: Ancient arable lands -- Dendritic phytoliths -- Indicators of ploughing; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Stratigraphie -- Quaternaire -- Périodiques; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.062
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-6182

Abstract

Abstract: People ploughed the soils in the central part of Russia for at least two thousand years, based on historical documents and archaeological artifacts. However, we cannot find any traces of ancient arable land, because after a 200–250 year uncultivated period, all morphological and chemical properties have disappeared. Two soils near Moscow (Russia) were studied: buried and modern. The first soil was under an 800-year-old burial mound and the second one was nearby. It seemed that modern soil was also tilled in the past, but nothing in morphology and chemical properties indicated that. We used phytolith analysis to investigate if a typical arable distribution of phytoliths has been preserved in the soil after an 800 year uncultivated period. The ancient plough layer has been completely transformed within the past 700–800 years. Its smooth lower boundary has totally disappeared and its chemical characteristics have changed, including the reaction of soil solution, organic matter distribution, content and distribution of various forms of iron. It is possible to distinguish some stable indicators of ploughing, which have weakly changed even after a period of 700–800 years, and allow us to interpret the ancient land use. Such indicators include the distribution of bulk phosphorus. While the native soils show an accumulative trend with maximal concentration of total phosphorus within the sod horizon, the arable soils are characterized by a uniform level of total phosphorus throughout the plough layer and, in some cases, also enrichment in this element along the former plough line (lower boundary of plough horizon). The other relatively stable indicator is the clay distribution pattern. The eluvial–illuvial distribution pattern is preserved in both buried and modern soils. During the arable period of land use, a special pattern of phytolith distribution was formed within the upper part of the soil, with the maximum concentration of phytoliths along the plough line. This pattern has been preserved for hundreds of years with only a slightly smoothened shape. Therefore, the quantitative distribution of phytoliths within a soil profile is a stable indicator that can serve as a reliable diagnostic feature of ancient arable stages, even when all other diagnostic indicators are absent. The presence of phytoliths from cultivated cereal crops (dendritic form) within the upper layer is an additional confirmation of the former arable use of the soil.