Anthropogenic impact on vegetation and environment during the Bronze Age in the area of Lake Durankulak, NE Bulgaria: Pollen, microscopic charcoal, non-pollen palynomorphs and plant macrofossils

A new pollen core, called "Durank-ulak-3", comes from the lake of that name, situated at the Black Sea coast of northeastern Bulgaria. The location of the core close to archaeological sites permits the correlation of palynological data, including non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) (spores of fungi, remains of algae etc., as defined by van Geel, B., 2001. Non-pollen palynomorphs. In: Smol, J.P., Birks, H.J.B., Last, W. M. (Eds.), Tracking environmental changes using lake sediments. Vol. 3: Terrestrial, algal and siliceous indicators. Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht, pp. 99-119.), microscopic charcoal, and plant macrofossils with the archaeological data. A detailed reconstruction of the past vegetation reveals the extent of anthropogenic influence in the area. Radiocarbon dates from the basal part of the core show that the palaeoecological record begins at about 4500 BP. This start corresponds to the end of Chalcolithic and transition to the Bronze Age in the area and is connected with a rise of the take level around Great Island and the lake shore to the west.status: publishe