Multidisciplinary Studies of Environment and Early Farming in Neolithic Settlements of Lubāns Wetland

The paper summarises data from previous and new multidisciplinary studies of Lubāns wetland, a unique place with a complex geological structure, a unique hydrological regime, including lake level fluctuations. There was intensive Stone Age population around Lake Lubāns. Changes in the palaeogeographical conditions in the vicinity of Lake Lubāns have significantly influenced both the nature of the vegetation and the landscape. Human impact on the landscape and vegetation in Stone Age settlements Zvidze, Sūļagols, Lagaža, Eiņi, Asne, and Abora and their surroundings was investigated using biostratigraphic studies of sediments, plant macro-remains, pollen records, and radiocarbon dates. The aim of the research was to determine the time of the beginning of agriculture in the Lubāns wetland. So far Cerealia grains have not been found in macro-remains, but pollen, mainly barley (Hordeum), has been found in samples dated to the Middle Neolithic.