Methods of Paleoecological Investigations: A Case Study of the Holocene Environmental Reconstruction

Abstract

This work reconstructs changes in the Holocene paleolandscape, plants, and climate conditions of the Upper Kama Region based on integrated analysis of data collected through paleochannel, palynological, paleocarpological, and radiocarbon methods. The selection of these methods is determined from the objective to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions of human settling in this region. Parallel use of archeological and natural science methods has proved to deliver good results, while comparison of the findings revealed spatial patterns in the distribution of archeological sites of different ages and allowed detailed reconstructions of the Holocene paleoenvironment.