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The history of settlement and agrarian land use in a boreal forest in Värmland, Sweden, new evidence from pollen analysis

The history of settlement and agrarian land use in a boreal forest in Värmland, Sweden, new... Shielings are the historically known form of transhumance in Scandinavia, where livestock were moved from the farmstead to sites in the outlands for summer grazing. Pollen analysis has provided a valuable insight into the history of shielings. This paper presents a vegetation reconstruction and archaeological survey from the shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, western Sweden, a renovated shieling that is still operating today. The first evidence of human activities in the area near Kårebolssätern are Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen grains occurring from ca. 100 bc . Further signs of human impact are charcoal and sporadic occurrences of apophyte pollen from ca. ad 250 and pollen indicating opening of the canopy ca. ad 570, probably a result of modification of the forest for grazing. A decrease in land use is seen between ad 1000 and 1250, possibly in response to a shift in emphasis towards large scale commodity production in the outlands. Emphasis on bloomery iron production and pitfall hunting may have caused a shift from agrarian shieling activity. The clearest changes in the pollen assemblage indicating grazing and cultivation occur from the mid-thirteenth century, coinciding with wetter climate at the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The earliest occurrences of anthropochores in the record predate those of other shieling sites in Sweden. The pollen analysis reveals evidence of land use that predates the results of the archaeological survey. The study highlights how pollen analysis can reveal vegetation changes where early archaeological remains are obscure. Keywords Sweden · Norway · Pollen · Archaeology · Land use · Boreal forest · Settlement · Agriculture Introduction continues today. Historically, transhumance operated as a means to expand agrarian opportunities, especially grazing Transhumance, the movement of livestock to grazing areas areas, where they were naturally scarce. This type of tran- over longer or shorter distances, has occurred in many shumance is steadily decreasing and has been abandoned parts of the world since the early days of agriculture and in most places. The shieling system, the historically known form of transhumance in Scandinavia is governed by local rules for outland use within communities (Costello and Svensson 2018). Shielings (fäbod or säter in Swedish, seter Communicated by M.-J. Gaillard. in Norwegian) are sites for seasonal use located in outlands, * Sigrún Dögg Eddudóttir made up of meadows and buildings to house people and live- sigrun.dogg.eddudottir@arkeologi.uu.se stock. A range of activities beyond grazing may have been part of daily life at the shielings such as milking, hay mak- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Engelska Parken, Thunbergsvägen 3H, ing and dairy production. Livestock, often goats, cattle and 752 38 Uppsala, Sweden sheep, were moved to the shieling from the farm for grazing Centre for Research On Sustainable Societal Transformation during summer and grazed in the surrounding forests. The &, Department of Political, Historical, Religious and Cultural distance between shielings and the home farm or hamlet var- Studies, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden ied (often about 10 km) and shielings were often located at Geographica Antikva, Stationsvägen 14, 686 97 Lysvik, higher altitudes than farms (Emanuelsson et al. 2003; Lars- Sweden son 2009). The emergence of shielings in Scandinavia is Länsstyrelsen Värmland (County Administrative Board), debated. Norwegian archaeologist Bjørn Hougen suggested Våxnäsgatan 5, 651 86 Karlstad, Sweden Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 760 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 that transhumance and shielings in Scandinavia may have from the shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, had an early beginning and preceded the establishment of western Sweden. The shieling has been renovated and is permanent farms in the Norwegian inland river valleys in the still operating today. The aim of the paper is to examine the Roman Iron Age (ca. ad 1–400) (Hougen 1947). In contrast, land use history of Kårebolssätern. We seek to answer the Norwegian and Swedish historians proposed that shielings questions: (1) When are the first indicators of human impact emerged as a part of increased cattle breeding following the and land use recorded in the pollen record? (2) How did late medieval agrarian crisis (14th and 15th centuries da ), or land use develop over time at Kårebolssätern? (3) Are the in early modern times when agriculture had recovered from results of the pollen analysis consistent with the archaeo- the same crisis (Sandnes 1989, 1991; Larsson 2009). How- logical record? (4) How does the development of land use ever, fully developed shielings from the Viking age (ca. ad at Kårebolssätern compare to other sites in Scandinavia? 800 to 1050) have been found in Iceland (Sveinbjarnardóttir 1991; Lucas 2008), the Faroe Islands (Mahler 2007) and Kårebolssätern shieling Greenland (Ledger et al. 2013), suggesting the existence of a fully developed shieling system at the onset of Scandinavian The shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, Torsby colonisation of the North Atlantic. Municipality, is located at the southeast end of the lake of Distinguishing between farm and shieling can be difficult Kårebolssjön, at an elevation of 348 m a.s.l., (Fig. 1). The based on archaeology alone and sometimes this can apply shieling is located ca. 9 kms east of the mother hamlet Kåre- to palaeobotanical material as well. Traditionally, a shiel- bol. The number of farmsteads in the Kårebol hamlet has ing was used for haymaking, grazing and dairy production varied over time. The map of Hundreds from ca. 1883–1895, (Larsson 2009), whereas a farm was the centre of a more when the settlement peaked, shows nine farmsteads. Kårebol complex economy which also engaged in cereal cultivation. is located within a narrow river valley on the west bank of However, investigations of shielings often uncover evidence the river Klarälven, while the shieling is situated upon a for- of cereal cultivation (e.g. clearance cairns, fossil fields and ested mountain plateau above the eastern flank of the valley cereal pollen) (Olsson 1998; Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson (Fig. 2). The separation of hamlet and shieling on different et al. 2003). It is likely that land-use at shielings could be sides of the river Klarälven is quite unusual in this region. expanded in relation to the needs of the farms, when there The shieling is located on forested land owned by another were many children in the home or due to changing mar- hamlet, Elindebol situated on the eastern shore of the river ket conditions. Land use at shielings was flexible and there Klarälven. Only the forest closest to the shieling belongs to are also some indications that shielings (or parts thereof) Kårebol (Sundquist and Johansson 2014). This arrangement were used as farms on a temporary or permanent basis, and is possibly the result of an exchange of land between the two deserted farms could be transformed into shielings (Sven- hamlets, presumed to have taken place in the 17th century. It sson 1998). In Sweden, shielings were part of the general is unclear if this exchange of land included Kårebolssätern expansion of cattle breeding in the late middle ages and early or not. No shieling associated with Kårebol appears on the modern times, probably to sell cattle to the Swedish Mining earliest map of the area from 1697, or on the first partition District (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson 2001; Emanuelsson map for Kårebol from 1799. Kårebolssätern first appears et al. 2003; Larsson 2009). on historical maps in 1815, on the first partition map for Low archaeological visibility and difficulties of inter - pretation long hampered research of shielings in Sweden. The earliest investigations, involving surveying and detailed mapping, showed that shieling sites were spread over large areas and included several dispersed house foundations of apparently indeterminable age. It is difficult to determine the oldest feature for excavation or to find alternative means of dating. As archaeological evidence does not allow the identification of the earliest structures for excavations, pollen analysis can be utilised to shed light on the establishment of shielings and development of land use associated with them. Pollen analysis has for example revealed the use of sites in Norway and Sweden for occasional grazing in an early phase of recurrent use of outland sites from the late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age (e.g. Magnus 1986; Kvamme 1988). This paper will present the results from a pollen based Fig. 1 Map showing the shieling Kårebolssätern and the coring site vegetation reconstruction and detailed archaeological survey (red square). Source Lantmäteriet 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 761 is probably the same as –vold, commonly indicating old, rural settlements in Norway (Rosell 1981). None of the three hamlets Gravol, Elindebol or Kårebol are known in any written documents prior to the earliest tax ledger from 1503 (Björklund 2018). Kårebolssätern is a uniquely well preserved, or rather, a well restored shieling (Fig.  3), consisting of about 30 buildings, mainly dwelling houses, cow houses and barns. The shieling was abandoned in 1973 but reclaimed in 1988 and is managed by a local cultural heritage society (Läns- styrelsen Värmland 2020). The pasture of the shieling is today surrounded by a forest of Norway spruce (Picea abies). Birch trees (Betula pubescens, B. pendula) form a boundary between the shieling meadow and the surround- ing forest. Grazing and meadow management are still prac- ticed and since its reopening in 1988 the shieling meadow Fig. 2 Map of Hundreds from ca. 1880–1895 showing Kåre- bolssätern, Kårebol, Elindebol and Gravol (Grafol). Source: Häradse- has been mowed by scythe. Cows and horses graze the konomiska kartan 1883–1895 (Lantmäteriet 2021) meadow during summer, although in the past livestock grazed in the surrounding forests and were prevented from Elindebol. After that Kårebolssätern appears in several his- entering the meadow inside the shieling fence (Fig. 3). A torical maps covering Kårebol and Elindebol (Nilsson et al. vegetation survey of the meadows made in 2012 revealed 2018). the presence of apophytes such as pyramidal bugle (Ajuga The age of the Kårebol hamlet is not known, nor that of pyramidalis), greater butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlo- the possible prior mother hamlet Elindebol. Both hamlets rantha), heath speedwell (Veronica officinalis ) and mat- have the suffix –bol, dating back to medieval times and grass (Nardus stricta). The shieling is located within a later. The prefix Kåre, a pre-Christian male name, could forest owned by Elindebol, therefore only the forest closest indicate that Kårebol could date back to pre-Christian to the shieling belongs to Kårebol and forest grazing has times (before ca. ad 1000) whereas Elindebol would be historically taken place in forest common with Elindebol younger. Both hamlets were probably secondary units to hamlet (Sundquist and Johansson 2014). an older hamlet, possibly nearby Gravol. The suffix –vol Fig. 3 The shieling Kåre- bolssätern. a Central meadow area with haybarns, b a cow house, connected to the fence surrounding the shieling (the entrance for the livestock faced the forest, preventing the cattle from entering the meadows), c house foundation of pre-modern character. Photos: Eva Svensson 1 3 762 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 Materials and methods Coring Fieldwork to retrieve a sediment core for pollen analysis was carried out on 7th February 2019 in the southeast end of Kårebolssjön (60°24′7"N, 13°25′52"E, Fig. 1). A 100 cm long core was retrieved using a 7.5 cm diameter Russian peat corer. The water depth at the coring site was 317 cm. The coring site is located at a distance of about 170 m from the south end of the shieling, with a difference in elevation of about 20 m between the lake surface and the shieling. No possible sites for coring were identified near the shieling or in the surrounding forest, and therefore the southeast end of the lake was selected as the location for the coring site. Kårebolssjön is large, with a surface area of about 1 km and it therefore likely has a large source area for pollen (Sugita 1994, 2007). However, given the location of the coring site at the end of the lake, close to the shieling, a pollen signal from the shieling site, once established, should be discern- Fig. 4 Age-depth model for the Kårebolssjön core ible in the data. between 318 and 378 cm (measured from the water surface). Chronology A minimum of 500 terrestrial pollen grains were counted for each sample. Coprophilous fungal spores, pteridophyte Six bulk sediment samples were sent for radiocarbon dating spores, and microscopic charcoal were also recorded. Iden- at the Tandem Laboratory, Uppsala University (Table 1). tification of pollen grains and spores was based on Moore Bulk sediment samples were used due to absence of ter- et al. (1991) and pollen and spore taxonomy followed Ben- restrial macrofossils for dating in the sediment. The radio- nett (2007). Identification of coprophilous fungal spores carbon dates were calibrated using the IntCal20 calibration relied on Cugny et al. (2010) and van Geel et al. (2007). Pol- curve (Reimer et al. 2020) and a smooth spline age-depth len, spore and charcoal percentages were calculated based model for the core (Fig. 4) was constructed, based on the on the total sum of terrestrial pollen grains. Samples were radiocarbon dates, using the R package clam (Blaauw 2010). divided into pollen assemblage zones (PAZs) using CONISS analysis in the software Tilia (Grimm 2016). Samples for Sampling and analysis measurements of organic matter (OM) were taken every 1 cm and measured by loss on ignition, by combusting the The core was subsampled every 2 cm for pollen analysis. sample at 550 °C for 4 h. Dry bulk density (DBD) was meas- Pollen samples were prepared using standard methods with ured where enough material was available, by dividing the 10% HCl, 10% NaOH, acetolysis (Moore et al. 1991) and −3 dry weight of 1.2  cm of sediment by the original volume density separation (Björck et  al. 1978; Nakagawa et  al. (Aaby and Berglund 1986). 1998). A total of 31 samples were counted spanning a depth Map analysis and archaeological field‑survey Table 1 Results of radiocarbon dating of samples from the Kåre- Detailed mapping was conducted at Kårebolssätern in the bolssjön sediments early summer of 2018 guided by historical maps (Nilsson 13 14 et al. 2018). The mapping was carried out by walking the Lab code Sample δ C (‰) C age bp Calibrated age area inside the fences of the shieling and a few metres out- Ua-62418 KAR330 − 28,5 700 ± 27 ad 1324 ± 60 side the fences, looking for visible traces of buildings, other Ua-64909 KAR341 − 29.0 1,011 ± 29 ad 1062 ± 86 constructions and traces of land use. The detailed mapping Ua-64910 KAR343 − 28.8 1,091 ± 29 ad 953 ± 60 also included checking some detected remains for cultural Ua-64911 KAR359 − 29.3 2,172 ± 30 239 ± 121 bc layers with a single gouge auger. Parts of the shieling were Ua-64912 KAR373 − 29.3 2,477 ± 31 602 ± 170 bc covered successively, starting in the south-western part, Ua-62419 KAR390 − 28,9 2,985 ± 29 1203 ± 87 bc moving on to the southeast and finally the northern part. 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 763 The locations of buildings and other features on the his- as well as Cannabis-type pollen appear within this PAZ, torical maps were transferred to ArcGIS prior to fieldwork although mostly as single pollen grains. Pollen suggesting and used during the detailed mapping for comparison with agrarian land-use e.g. Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, and structures found in the field. All structures and remains were Plantago media/major, appear within this PAZ. Picea pol- mapped in ArcGIS. len decreases upwards within this PAZ (Fig. 5). Results PAZ 3 (332–342 cm; ad 1000–1250) Chronology There is a relative increase in Pinus pollen (~ 53–60%) and decrease in birch pollen (~ 19–25%) between ca. ad 1000 The age-depth model for the core was constructed using and 1250 (342–332 cm). Apophyte pollen of Chenopodi- dates from bulk sediments in the absence of terrestrial plant aceae, Plantago media/major and Rumex acetosa/acetocella macrofossils in the sediments (e.g. Ascough et al. 2011; are recorded while Melampyrum appears towards the top of Philippsen 2013). Dates obtained from bulk sediments can the PAZ. Charcoal fragments are 7–18% within this PAZ be considered to be reliable as the bedrock in the research (Fig. 5). area does not include calcareous rock that can cause a fresh- water reservoir effect (Bergman et al. 2012). The reliability of the results of the radiocarbon dating can be confirmed PAZ 4 (332–318 cm; after ad 1250) by using the Picea pollen record as age control for the core. A pollen study from Stor-Flen about 63 km east of Kåre- There is a decrease in Pinus pollen at ca. ad 1250 (332 cm) bolssätern gives the date of 410 bc -ad 30 for Picea coloni- to < 39%, and a relative increase in birch ~ 31–44%. At the sation (Segerström 1997) and other studies suggest similar same time there is an increase in Juniperus-type (> 1%) and dates (Påhlsson 1988; Eriksson 1991; Giesecke and Ben- Rumex acetosa/acetocella pollen. Cereal pollen of Avena- nett 2004). With the suggested age-depth model (Fig.  4), type, Secale cereale and Hordeum-type, and pollen of Can- Picea pollen begins to increase in the Kårebolssjön core ca. nabis-type is recorded more frequently. Charcoal increases 240 ± 120 cb , which is in good accordance with the previous to > 18% within this PAZ. Occasional spores of coprophil- studies. This is therefore an indication that the radiocarbon ous fungi of Sordaria-type and one spore of Apiosordaria dates used in the age-depth model provide a good approxi- vernaculosa are recorded, there is also an increase in Coni- mate age of the changes observed in the data. ochaeta B spores. Poaceae (1–5%) and Cyperaceae (0.5–2%) pollen reach their highest values in the record. Pollen of Pollen analysis apophytes Chenopodiaceae, Melampyrum, Plantago sp. and Rumex acetosa/acetocella is recorded in this PAZ. Sphag- PAZ 1 (358–378 cm; 600–200 bc ) num spores are most abundant in the record within this PAZ, 6–17% (Fig. 5). The earliest pollen assemblage is dominated by tree pollen; birch (Betula) ~ 47–70%, Pinus ~ 9–38%, and Alnus ~ 6–14%. Pollen of broadleaved trees are recorded, such as Quercus Sedimentary properties (≤ 2.3%), Ulmus (≤ 1%) and Tilia (≤ 1.5%). Picea pollen is present in very low percentages (< 1%) until ca. 550 bc The sediment consisted of gyttja containing between 32 (368 cm), after which it increases to ~ 4%. Fern spores range and 58% organic matter (OM), having a dry bulk den- −3 between 1–2% (Fig. 5). Microscopic charcoal is ~ 3–9%. sity (DBD) of 0.2 to 0.4  g  cm (Fig.  5). The DBD is relatively high in the lowest part of the core, with val- −3 PAZ 2 (342–358 cm; 200 bc ‑ ad 1000) ues ≥ 0.3  g  cm before ca. 700 bc (375 cm). The OM is relatively low during the same period, ~ 32–36% in the Picea pollen increases to > 10% in all but one level, while lowest samples, increasing to > 39% ca. 700 bc (375 cm) −3 Betula pollen ranges between ~ 27–45%. Meanwhile, the as DBD decreases to < 0.25 g  cm . DBD increases, peak- −3 pollen of broadleaved trees decreases, Quercus (≤ 1.1%), ing at ~ 0.36–0.41  g  cm , between ca. 250 bc -ad 450 Ulmus (0–0.6%) and Tilia (≤ 0.4%) ca. 100 cb (356 cm), and (359–350 cm). The OM decreases to < 37% during the same −3 fern spores (Pteropsida) decrease to < 1% between ca. 100 cb period. The DBD decreases to ≤ 0.27 g  cm ca. ad 950 and ad 200 (356–352 cm). Charcoal fragments are recorded (343 cm). Both OM and DBD increase ca. da 1250 (332 cm). increasingly within this PAZ reaching ≥ 10% after ca. da 250 OM increases to the highest values in the core, ~ 42–58%, (352 cm). Pollen grains of cereals, mainly Hordeum-type, after ca. ad 1400 (Fig. 5). 1 3 764 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 −3 Fig. 5 Percentage pollen diagram, dry bulk density (g cm ), organic matter (%) and CONISS from the Kårebolssjön core. Gray curves exagger- ated × 10 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 765 concentrated in the south and southeast part of the shieling. The results of the archaeological survey suggest that Kåre- bolssätern is a relatively young shieling, based on dating of similar remains at other sites. House foundations with shallow cellar pits, house foundations with very low, squar- ish hearths and smaller clearance cairns without very small stones, such as those found at Kårebolssätern, have been dated to the 12th–16th century at other shielings in western Sweden, such as Backasätern, Ingersbysätern and Gammel- vallen, Ängersjö (Magnusson 1989; Johansson and Svensson 2002; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). Thus, the four house foun- dations with shallow cellar pits recorded at Kårebolssätern may be pre-modern. The concentration of these buildings in the south and southeast part of the shieling, along with small clearance cairns without smaller stones, may suggest that this is the oldest part of the shieling. The north and northeast parts may have been younger extensions of Kårebolssätern. This hypothesis is reinforced by the fact that one house foun- dation of pre-modern character (Fig. 3c) is located in what is now the central part of the shieling. Houses, apart from hay barns, were usually built along shieling fences in order to not take up land from the meadows (Fig. 3). Discussion Natural forest (600–100 bc ) The earliest part of the pollen assemblage represents mixed Fig. 6 Kårebolssätern. Structures recorded through detailed mapping and buildings standing today. “Edge” refers to “lynchet-like” features boreal forest characterized by Betula and Pinus, Alnus not clearly connected to fields. “Misc.” refers to features connected to and pollen of broadleaved trees Quercus, Ulmus and Tilia present day use of the shieling, i.e. buildings such as summer houses. (Fig. 5). The high proportion of tree pollen, a relatively low Map: Stefan Nilsson presence of shrub pollen of Corylus/Myrica, Salix, Juni- perus, Ericaceae and Calluna, and herb pollen, as well as the occurrence of fern spores (Pteropsida monolete) (Fig. 5) Archaeological survey suggest a relatively closed forest canopy (Hicks 1988; Segerström et al. 1994). There are no clear signs of human The archaeological features mapped at Kårebolssätern are commonly found at other shielings in the area and indicate presence in the pollen record during this period. Picea pol- len appears ca. 550 bc and increases above 10% ca. 240 cattle grazing, dairy production, haymaking and some cereal cultivation. Forty-five structures were mapped and described bc in accordance with the colonisation of the region by spruce observed in other studies (Segerström et al. 1996; during fieldwork (Fig.  6). Several minor clearance cairns were mapped, but not described individually. The recorded Segerström 1997; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). As Picea pol- len increases there is a relative decrease in Pinus, Betula, structures included 12 house foundations, two wells, three areas with cultural layers, two fields and some features indi - Quercus and Tilia pollen as well as fern spores (Fig. 5). A similar change in the pollen assemblage is recorded at other cating additional fields, seven border stones marking the internal divisions of the shieling, the remains of a fireplace sites in the region, reflecting a change in the forest composi- tion as a response to the expansion of Picea abies (Giesecke and c. ten larger clearance cairns. Four of the recorded house foundations at Kårebolssätern had remains of shallow cellar 2005). The increase in dry bulk density and a slight decrease in organic matter (Fig. 5), may suggest a change in the mate- pits which may suggest pre-modern use. The house founda- tions did not match any buildings on historical maps, and are rial deposited into Kårebolssjön. The increase in Picea abies may have changed the litter composition, and subsequently, therefore considered to predate the oldest map, from 1815. These buildings and many small clearance cairns without soil chemistry possibly leading to increased soil erosion (Giesecke 2005). smaller stones, presumably of pre-modern origin, were 1 3 766 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 from the region. The first evidence of grazing and cultivation First indications of agriculture (100 bc –ad 1000) at sites in the forest above the Klarälven river valley about 20 km northwest of the Kårebolssjön coring site is seen ca. The first indications of cultivation in the Kårebolssjön core appear ca. 100 bc , when individual pollen grains of Hor- ad 200–600 (Emanuelsson et al. 2003). Pollen studies from clearance cairns at two sites in Norway located about 125 deum- and Cannabis-type are recorded with pollen grains of both taxa occurring sporadically thereafter. According and 150 km east of Kårebolssätern reveal cultivation had begun there during the Early Iron Age (Overland and Hjelle to the age-depth model for the core the sample with the first occurrence of Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen 2013). The pollen analysis demonstrates that land use has a has an age range of 180 bc to ad 90. The occasional occur- rences of these pollen types, the presence of charcoal and long history in the area near Kårebolssätern. The evidence of early cultivation of Hordeum and Cannabis do suggest an some pollen types indicative of agrarian land use suggest some degree of farming near the lake between ca. 100 bc early phase, however none of the recorded archaeological remains at the shieling can be dated to this period. Remains and ad 250 (Fig. 5). Extensive cultivation, used to com- plement other methods of sustenance, may not be easily of fields recorded during the survey at Kårebolssätern did not resemble fields from the centuries around ad in other discerned from palynological or archaeological evidence (Behre 1981). Separating pollen of wild grasses and cere- parts of Scandinavia, such as large areas with clearance cairns or shallow, small sunken fields, so called celtic fields als can be challenging (e.g. Vorren 1986; Hannon and Bradshaw 2000; Edwards et  al. 2005). Hordeum-type (Welinder et al. 1998). House foundations assessed as being of pre-modern character during the survey have their coun- pollen is problematic as the group includes several wild grasses, such as Elytrigia repens and Glyceria fluitans that terparts at other shielings dated to medieval and early mod- ern times (Magnusson 1989; Johansson and Svensson 2002; are common in Sweden (Den virtuella floran 2017). Care should therefore be taken in interpreting the origins of Emanuelsson et al. 2003). House foundations dated before ad 600 in the mountain areas of southern Norway were long individual pollen grains of Hordeum-type. Cannabis-type pollen includes both pollen of Cannabis and Humulus. houses with well-built foundations of stones, earth and turf (Stene 2015), and no parallels to these were discovered at Although there have been attempts to distinguish between the two species there is a large overlap in morphologies Kårebolssätern. It is possible that some of the house founda- tions of pre-modern character at Kårebolssätern are consid- (Moore et  al. 1991). It is not known whether Humulus lupulus (hop) is native to Sweden or may have been erably older than the dated corresponding structures, but it is more likely that the early remains of buildings have not been imported (Strese et al. 2012). Cannabis sativa (hemp) has many traditional uses, including use for ropes and textiles, identified. There is thus a knowledge gap concerning how to archaeologically identify remains of pre-medieval build- food, oil and medicinal use. The combination of cereal and Cannabis-type pollen at Anundsjö (in central Sweden) ings and fields in shieling environments (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). dated to 2500–2000 bc , similar to that in the Kårebolssjön record, is interpreted as indicative of cultivation at the site Reduction in agrarian activities (ad 1000–1250) (Huttunen and Tolonen 1972). It is therefore possible that the results from Kårebolssjön indicate crop cultivation in The relative increase in Pinus and decrease in Betula and the vicinity of the lake during the last centuries bc . Due to the relatively large size of Kårebolssjön it is not possible Corylus/Myrica-type pollen ca. da 1000–1250 (Fig. 5), may represent closing of the canopy in response to decreased to say for certain whether the few pollen grains of anthro- pochores and apophytes recorded during this period origi- land use. Betula trees and shrubs of Myrica gale may have decreased in response to decreased light availability as the nate from the shieling site or elsewhere in the catchment. An increase in charcoal abundance after ca. ad 250 canopy closed (Atkinson 1992; Skene et al. 2000). Juniperus communis pollen also decreases between ca. ad 1100 and to ≥ 10% may be an indication of human activities in the area near the lake. Fire may have been used to clear forest 1200, suggesting less light availability. Sporadic occurrences of apophyte pollen including Chenopodiaceae and Plantago and for management of pastures (Behre 1981; Vorren 1986; Segerström et al. 1996). Pollen of plants suggesting arable media/major, indicating cultivation, may however suggest continuation of agricultural practices. Only one Hordeum- land use (i.e. Asteraceae and Chenopodiaceae) is occasion- ally recorded after ca. ad 500. Juniperus-type, Poaceae type pollen grain was recorded during this period, and may indicate a decrease in cereal cultivation (Fig. 5). The timing and Cyperaceae pollen begin to increase after ca. ad 600 (Fig. 5), indicating an opening of the canopy, and may sig- of this vegetation phase coincides with the increased impor- tance of production of goods such as smelted iron, and hunt- nify grazing as Juniperus communis and Poaceae pollen are considered strong indicators of grazing (Behre 1981). The ing as shown from other sites in the region (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). The chronology of pitfall hunting early evidence of land use is consistent with other studies 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 767 systems in Värmland shows an increased emphasis towards houses may use previous locations of buildings, and fields hunting, with the highest number of pitfalls in the region dat- may have been in continuous use. The increased use of the ing to this period (Hennius 2020). New production patterns shieling in modern times can most likely be connected with may have shifted the focus away from agrarian activities, the northern extension of Kårebolssätern, assessed as more resulting in linked changes in the vegetation community. recent during the survey. The changes in the pollen assemblage do not suggest that the area around the coring site was used for iron production, Development of land use at Kårebolssätern as previous studies suggest that early iron production in the Swedish outlands may be manifested by a relative increase in The early beginning of land use at Kårebolssätern may pre- Betula and decrease in Picea in pollen records (Emanuelsson date both Kårebol and Elindebol, at least judging by their 2001; Karlsson et al. 2016). place names tentatively dated to ca. ad 1000. It is possible that the shieling was previously connected to the hamlet Gravol, which appears to be of an older date (Rosell 1981). Establishment of a dominant grazing regime (after Kårebolssätern and its surroundings may have started off ad 1250) as a site used for recurrent grazing, characterising the first phases of shieling in an ‘innovation package’ farm—shiel- The clearest signs of land use are seen in the record after ing (Emanuelsson 2001). Shieling sites in western Norway ca. ad 1250. Hordeum-type pollen grains are found in low and western Sweden show evidence of periodic grazing (and numbers in most samples from this period. Occasional pol- sometimes haymaking as well) prior to the establishment of len grains of Avena-type and Secale cereale as well as Can- the historically known shieling mode. In Norway this phase nabis-type are recorded (Fig. 5), indicating that cultivation is dated to the Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (Magnus 1986; became an increasingly important part of agrarian activities. Kvamme 1988) and in western Sweden to the middle or The numerous clearance cairns, although also a result of second half of the first millennium, while historically shiel- haymaking, and several cultivation terraces identified during ings are dated to the Viking Age and the Medieval Period the field-survey (Fig.  6) indicate that cultivation was prac- (Olsson 1998; Emanuelsson 2001; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). ticed at Kårebolssätern. The highest occurrence of charcoal Both in Norway and Sweden these early phases of outland is recorded during this period (Fig. 5) and can indicate the use appear at the same time as farms. It may have been the use of fire, perhaps as a tool for pasture management (Behre combination of farm and shieling (albeit initially in a more 1981; Vorren 1986; Segerström et al. 1996). An increase in sporadic form) that made feasible the expansion of settle- Juniperus-type and Rumex acetosa/acetocella pollen may ment into rough terrain, such as dense forests or mountain- serve as an indicator of grazing as unpalatable and tough ous areas with little arable land (Emanuelsson 2001). In plants can benefit from grazing and trampling by livestock these areas, grazing and haymaking was scarce and scattered (Behre 1981; Vorren 1986) but are vulnerable to heavy graz- over great distances, and more recurrently used sites in the ing pressure (Thomas et al. 2007). Furthermore, the increase outland were needed to make the system work. Such sites in shrub pollen such as Calluna and other ericaceous spe- matured and were shaped into the historically known shiel- cies, Corylus/Myrica-type, as well as Betula pollen (Fig. 5) ing. Based upon interpretation of pollen data, the sites inves- may suggest clearing of woodland and a more open canopy. tigated so far in nearby regions have given starting dates sev- The presence of livestock during this period is perhaps eral centuries younger than Kårebolssätern, although sites in indicated by the occurrence of spores of coprophilous fungi western Norway have produced older dates (Kvamme 1988; of Sordaria-type (Fig. 5), although the fungi may also be Olsson 1998; Emanuelsson 2001; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). related to wild herbivores such as elk and deer. Coniochaeta Still, the early dates for the onset of farming and grazing B-type spores also increase during this period; these taxa around Kårebolssjön would indicate that agrarian land use are most commonly found on fern fallows and in heathlands was established earlier in the area than the farm—shiel- (Cugny et al. 2010). ing—outland use system, which so far has been dated to the There is a stronger correspondence between the results middle of the first millennium or some centuries earlier in from the archaeological survey and the pollen analysis in northern Värmland (Emanuelsson et al. 2003). medieval, early modern and modern times. Fields, meadows Sites in the south Norwegian mountain areas may and house foundations correspond fairly well with the results be most comparable with the earliest phase of agrarian of the pollen analysis, although there are a few remains of a activities at Kårebolssätern, both in age and type of land medieval to early modern character such as the house foun- use. During the first five centuries ad historically known dations with shallow cellar pits, house foundations with very shielings in the mountain areas of southern Norway show low, squarish hearths and smaller clearance cairns. How- evidence of permanent and seasonal settlements with cat- ever, some of the more recent house remains and standing tle breeding and outland use (Stene 2015). Land use at 1 3 768 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 these sites could be complex, sometimes including cereal at Kårebolssätern. The change in the vegetation and environ- cultivation, and systems of pitfalls for reindeer, showing ment at the site may indicate a decrease in agrarian activities the importance of hunting. A hypothesis could therefore at Kårebolsätern coinciding in time with large scale com- be that the area around Kårebolssjön started as a pioneer modity production in the outlands such as iron smelting and resource colonisation site, and Kårebolssätern became pitfall hunting. Similar reduction in agrarian activities has a shieling when the system of farm—shieling—outland been detected at other shielings in the area, e.g. the nearby use was established a few centuries later; a development shieling Backasätern. It is likely that during this period, the similar to the Norwegian sites (Stene 2015), and possibly available work force concentrated on producing bloomery Backadammen, located about 25 km northwest of Kåre- iron and hunting, and shieling activities became less of a bolssätern (Emanuelsson et  al. 2003). Kårebolssätern priority (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). could thus have been something of a frontier site, season- The intensified grazing regime and change in land use ally or permanently used in the extraction of commodi- reflected in the pollen record in the late 13th and 14th centu- ties in line with the hunt for furs of bear and lynx for ries is in line with the increased emphasis on cattle breeding trading with the elite living on the plains (Lindholm and in Scandinavia as well as the regional transformation of the Ljungkvist 2016; Zachrisson and Krzewinska 2019). Set- economy towards a larger degree of self-sufficiency when tlement and agrarian land use were most likely organised production and trade in iron and hunting products declined in relation to the local requirements for the extraction of (Svensson 1998; Larsson 2009). The renewed agrarian commodities such as furs, especially during the resource land use at Kårebolssätern took place during a period of colonisation phase. Patterns such as these can be seen as changing climate characterised by wetter conditions (Cook significant for “ecological globalisation” where valuable et  al. 2015), reflected in an increase in spores of Sphag- resources result in interdependencies between the com- num mosses that thrive in waterlogged, moist environments, munities that extract the resource, and distant centres of beginning in the early 14th century (Fig. 5). Tree ring and consumption (Barrett et  al. 2020). The process can be isotope studies from Sweden suggest a period of wet sum- described as ‘resource colonisation’ at the local landscape mers between ca. ad 1300 and 1450 (Young et al. 2012; level, shaping landscapes by the exploitation of valued Rosqvist et al. 2013). Avena (oat) pollen is found in two sam- resources for crafts and trade (Lindholm et al. in press). ples dating from the 14th century, no Hordeum-type pollen Cultivation of Cannabis sativa may have been important is found in the same samples. This perhaps suggests changes in this economy, as ropes were needed for packing and in cultivation in the outlands when summers became wetter. transporting commodities such as furs and later smelted This phase of land use continued for the remainder of the iron. A similar pattern is seen at Backadammen where record. There is however a large age uncertainty towards the the first evidence of arable land use appears in the late top of the record (± 250 years) with the best estimate of the Roman Iron Age (ca. ad 200–400) and Migration period age-depth model of ad 1550. Therefore, it is possible that (ca. ad 400–550), later followed by increased land use there is a gap in the record for early modern and modern and grazing, traces of pitfall hunting and iron smelting times when use of shielings increased. Though historical (Emanuelsson et al. 2003). The farm—shieling relation- maps show an intensification in shieling activities, this is ship appears to have been especially blurred in the earlier not reflected in the pollen record from Kårebolssjön. Later, phases, when linked with commodity extraction. With the shielings went successively out of use with modern, indus- establishment of the farm—shieling—outland use system trialised agriculture in the 20th century. after ca. ad 600, Kårebolssätern was most likely integrated into this system as a shieling as the mother farm/hamlet was established in the Klarälven river valley in the first Conclusions centuries ad . In this phase, Kårebolssätern was possibly connected to the hamlet Gravol, which is thought to have The earliest evidence of human impact in the area near Kåre- been the older settlement in the river valley. In response bolssätern is Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen grains to a growing population, new settlement units such as occurring from ca. 100 bc . Other signs of possible human Kårebol and Elindebol were created through partitioning. impact on the environment in the area are charcoal, indi- Shielings could have been included in the outlands allot- cating clearing of forest and possibly pasture management, ted to the new units, and Kårebolssätern could thus have and sporadic occurrences of apophytes from ca. ad 250. An become part of Elindebol, or more unlikely Kårebol, due opening of the canopy after ad 600, indicates modification to the later exchange of land. of the forest for grazing. Kårebolssätern may have started A more closed canopy accompanied by a decrease in off as a place occupied and exploited on a seasonal basis for cereal pollen grains and changes in sediment properties hunting and grazing. Settlement and agrarian land use may (Fig. 5) between ca. da 1000–1250 suggest a shift in land use have been organised in relation to the local requirements 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 769 Barrett JH, Boessenkool S, Kneale CJ, O’Connell TC, Star B (2020) for the extraction of commodities such as furs, charcoal and Ecological globalisation, serial depletion and the medieval trade iron, during a resource colonisation phase. of walrus rostra. Quat Sci Rev. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1016/j. quasc Closing of the canopy in response to decreased land use irev. 2019. 106122 between ca. ad 1000 and 1250 may be a response to a shift Behre K-E (1981) The interpretation of anthropogenic indicators in pollen diagrams. Pollen Spores 23:225–245 in emphasis towards large scale commodity production in Bennett KD (2007) Catalogue of pollen types. http:// www. chrono. the outlands, pitfall hunting and bloomery iron production, qub. ac. uk/ pollen/ pc- intro. html and a shift from agrarian shieling activities. The clearest Bergman S, Stephens M, Andersson J, Kathol B, Bergman T (2012) changes in the pollen assemblage indicating grazing and Sveriges Berggrund, skala 1:1 miljon (Bedrock Map of Sweden, scale 1:1 Million). Sveriges geologiska undersökning K 423 cultivation occur from the mid-13th century, coinciding Björck S, Persson T, Kristersson I (1978) Comparison of two concen- with wetter climate. tration methods for pollen in minerogenic sediments. Geol Fören The earliest occurrences of anthropochores in the Stockholm Förh 100:107–111 record predate those of most other shieling sites in Sweden Björklund A (2018) Det medeltida Sverige 2 Värmland Andra delen. Riksarkivet, Stockholm and may best compare to land use history in Norwegian Blaauw M (2010) Methods and code for ‘classical’ age-modelling of mountain areas, and possibly at nearby Backadammen in radiocarbon sequences. Quat Geochronol 5:512–518. https:// doi. Värmland. The evidence of land use in the pollen record org/ 10. 1016/j. quageo. 2010. 01. 002 predates the archaeological evidence. The study highlights Cook ER, Seager R, Kushnir Y et al (2015) Old World megadroughts and pluvials during the Common Era. Sci Adv. https://doi. or g/10. how pollen analysis can reveal vegetation changes where 1126/ sciadv. 15005 61 early archaeological remains are obscure. Costello E, Svensson E (2018) Historical archaeologies of tran- shumance across Europe. Routledge, London Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Guðrún Gísladót- Cugny C, Mazier F, Galop D (2010) Modern and fossil non-pollen tir and Egill Erlendsson at the Institute of Life and Environmental Sci- palynomorphs from the Basque mountains (western Pyrenees, ences at the University of Iceland for kindly offering us the use of France): the use of coprophilous fungi to reconstruct pastoral laboratories and equipment for pollen analysis. Scott John Riddell is activity. Veget Hist Archaeobot 19:391–408 thanked for proof-reading the manuscript and his helpful suggestions. Den virtuella floran (2017) Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. http://linna eus. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable nrm. se/ flora/ welco me. html. Accessed 23 July 2020 suggestions of ways in which to improve the manuscript. 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The history of settlement and agrarian land use in a boreal forest in Värmland, Sweden, new evidence from pollen analysis

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Abstract

Shielings are the historically known form of transhumance in Scandinavia, where livestock were moved from the farmstead to sites in the outlands for summer grazing. Pollen analysis has provided a valuable insight into the history of shielings. This paper presents a vegetation reconstruction and archaeological survey from the shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, western Sweden, a renovated shieling that is still operating today. The first evidence of human activities in the area near Kårebolssätern are Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen grains occurring from ca. 100 bc . Further signs of human impact are charcoal and sporadic occurrences of apophyte pollen from ca. ad 250 and pollen indicating opening of the canopy ca. ad 570, probably a result of modification of the forest for grazing. A decrease in land use is seen between ad 1000 and 1250, possibly in response to a shift in emphasis towards large scale commodity production in the outlands. Emphasis on bloomery iron production and pitfall hunting may have caused a shift from agrarian shieling activity. The clearest changes in the pollen assemblage indicating grazing and cultivation occur from the mid-thirteenth century, coinciding with wetter climate at the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The earliest occurrences of anthropochores in the record predate those of other shieling sites in Sweden. The pollen analysis reveals evidence of land use that predates the results of the archaeological survey. The study highlights how pollen analysis can reveal vegetation changes where early archaeological remains are obscure. Keywords Sweden · Norway · Pollen · Archaeology · Land use · Boreal forest · Settlement · Agriculture Introduction continues today. Historically, transhumance operated as a means to expand agrarian opportunities, especially grazing Transhumance, the movement of livestock to grazing areas areas, where they were naturally scarce. This type of tran- over longer or shorter distances, has occurred in many shumance is steadily decreasing and has been abandoned parts of the world since the early days of agriculture and in most places. The shieling system, the historically known form of transhumance in Scandinavia is governed by local rules for outland use within communities (Costello and Svensson 2018). Shielings (fäbod or säter in Swedish, seter Communicated by M.-J. Gaillard. in Norwegian) are sites for seasonal use located in outlands, * Sigrún Dögg Eddudóttir made up of meadows and buildings to house people and live- sigrun.dogg.eddudottir@arkeologi.uu.se stock. A range of activities beyond grazing may have been part of daily life at the shielings such as milking, hay mak- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Engelska Parken, Thunbergsvägen 3H, ing and dairy production. Livestock, often goats, cattle and 752 38 Uppsala, Sweden sheep, were moved to the shieling from the farm for grazing Centre for Research On Sustainable Societal Transformation during summer and grazed in the surrounding forests. The &, Department of Political, Historical, Religious and Cultural distance between shielings and the home farm or hamlet var- Studies, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden ied (often about 10 km) and shielings were often located at Geographica Antikva, Stationsvägen 14, 686 97 Lysvik, higher altitudes than farms (Emanuelsson et al. 2003; Lars- Sweden son 2009). The emergence of shielings in Scandinavia is Länsstyrelsen Värmland (County Administrative Board), debated. Norwegian archaeologist Bjørn Hougen suggested Våxnäsgatan 5, 651 86 Karlstad, Sweden Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 760 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 that transhumance and shielings in Scandinavia may have from the shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, had an early beginning and preceded the establishment of western Sweden. The shieling has been renovated and is permanent farms in the Norwegian inland river valleys in the still operating today. The aim of the paper is to examine the Roman Iron Age (ca. ad 1–400) (Hougen 1947). In contrast, land use history of Kårebolssätern. We seek to answer the Norwegian and Swedish historians proposed that shielings questions: (1) When are the first indicators of human impact emerged as a part of increased cattle breeding following the and land use recorded in the pollen record? (2) How did late medieval agrarian crisis (14th and 15th centuries da ), or land use develop over time at Kårebolssätern? (3) Are the in early modern times when agriculture had recovered from results of the pollen analysis consistent with the archaeo- the same crisis (Sandnes 1989, 1991; Larsson 2009). How- logical record? (4) How does the development of land use ever, fully developed shielings from the Viking age (ca. ad at Kårebolssätern compare to other sites in Scandinavia? 800 to 1050) have been found in Iceland (Sveinbjarnardóttir 1991; Lucas 2008), the Faroe Islands (Mahler 2007) and Kårebolssätern shieling Greenland (Ledger et al. 2013), suggesting the existence of a fully developed shieling system at the onset of Scandinavian The shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, Torsby colonisation of the North Atlantic. Municipality, is located at the southeast end of the lake of Distinguishing between farm and shieling can be difficult Kårebolssjön, at an elevation of 348 m a.s.l., (Fig. 1). The based on archaeology alone and sometimes this can apply shieling is located ca. 9 kms east of the mother hamlet Kåre- to palaeobotanical material as well. Traditionally, a shiel- bol. The number of farmsteads in the Kårebol hamlet has ing was used for haymaking, grazing and dairy production varied over time. The map of Hundreds from ca. 1883–1895, (Larsson 2009), whereas a farm was the centre of a more when the settlement peaked, shows nine farmsteads. Kårebol complex economy which also engaged in cereal cultivation. is located within a narrow river valley on the west bank of However, investigations of shielings often uncover evidence the river Klarälven, while the shieling is situated upon a for- of cereal cultivation (e.g. clearance cairns, fossil fields and ested mountain plateau above the eastern flank of the valley cereal pollen) (Olsson 1998; Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson (Fig. 2). The separation of hamlet and shieling on different et al. 2003). It is likely that land-use at shielings could be sides of the river Klarälven is quite unusual in this region. expanded in relation to the needs of the farms, when there The shieling is located on forested land owned by another were many children in the home or due to changing mar- hamlet, Elindebol situated on the eastern shore of the river ket conditions. Land use at shielings was flexible and there Klarälven. Only the forest closest to the shieling belongs to are also some indications that shielings (or parts thereof) Kårebol (Sundquist and Johansson 2014). This arrangement were used as farms on a temporary or permanent basis, and is possibly the result of an exchange of land between the two deserted farms could be transformed into shielings (Sven- hamlets, presumed to have taken place in the 17th century. It sson 1998). In Sweden, shielings were part of the general is unclear if this exchange of land included Kårebolssätern expansion of cattle breeding in the late middle ages and early or not. No shieling associated with Kårebol appears on the modern times, probably to sell cattle to the Swedish Mining earliest map of the area from 1697, or on the first partition District (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson 2001; Emanuelsson map for Kårebol from 1799. Kårebolssätern first appears et al. 2003; Larsson 2009). on historical maps in 1815, on the first partition map for Low archaeological visibility and difficulties of inter - pretation long hampered research of shielings in Sweden. The earliest investigations, involving surveying and detailed mapping, showed that shieling sites were spread over large areas and included several dispersed house foundations of apparently indeterminable age. It is difficult to determine the oldest feature for excavation or to find alternative means of dating. As archaeological evidence does not allow the identification of the earliest structures for excavations, pollen analysis can be utilised to shed light on the establishment of shielings and development of land use associated with them. Pollen analysis has for example revealed the use of sites in Norway and Sweden for occasional grazing in an early phase of recurrent use of outland sites from the late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age (e.g. Magnus 1986; Kvamme 1988). This paper will present the results from a pollen based Fig. 1 Map showing the shieling Kårebolssätern and the coring site vegetation reconstruction and detailed archaeological survey (red square). Source Lantmäteriet 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 761 is probably the same as –vold, commonly indicating old, rural settlements in Norway (Rosell 1981). None of the three hamlets Gravol, Elindebol or Kårebol are known in any written documents prior to the earliest tax ledger from 1503 (Björklund 2018). Kårebolssätern is a uniquely well preserved, or rather, a well restored shieling (Fig.  3), consisting of about 30 buildings, mainly dwelling houses, cow houses and barns. The shieling was abandoned in 1973 but reclaimed in 1988 and is managed by a local cultural heritage society (Läns- styrelsen Värmland 2020). The pasture of the shieling is today surrounded by a forest of Norway spruce (Picea abies). Birch trees (Betula pubescens, B. pendula) form a boundary between the shieling meadow and the surround- ing forest. Grazing and meadow management are still prac- ticed and since its reopening in 1988 the shieling meadow Fig. 2 Map of Hundreds from ca. 1880–1895 showing Kåre- bolssätern, Kårebol, Elindebol and Gravol (Grafol). Source: Häradse- has been mowed by scythe. Cows and horses graze the konomiska kartan 1883–1895 (Lantmäteriet 2021) meadow during summer, although in the past livestock grazed in the surrounding forests and were prevented from Elindebol. After that Kårebolssätern appears in several his- entering the meadow inside the shieling fence (Fig. 3). A torical maps covering Kårebol and Elindebol (Nilsson et al. vegetation survey of the meadows made in 2012 revealed 2018). the presence of apophytes such as pyramidal bugle (Ajuga The age of the Kårebol hamlet is not known, nor that of pyramidalis), greater butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlo- the possible prior mother hamlet Elindebol. Both hamlets rantha), heath speedwell (Veronica officinalis ) and mat- have the suffix –bol, dating back to medieval times and grass (Nardus stricta). The shieling is located within a later. The prefix Kåre, a pre-Christian male name, could forest owned by Elindebol, therefore only the forest closest indicate that Kårebol could date back to pre-Christian to the shieling belongs to Kårebol and forest grazing has times (before ca. ad 1000) whereas Elindebol would be historically taken place in forest common with Elindebol younger. Both hamlets were probably secondary units to hamlet (Sundquist and Johansson 2014). an older hamlet, possibly nearby Gravol. The suffix –vol Fig. 3 The shieling Kåre- bolssätern. a Central meadow area with haybarns, b a cow house, connected to the fence surrounding the shieling (the entrance for the livestock faced the forest, preventing the cattle from entering the meadows), c house foundation of pre-modern character. Photos: Eva Svensson 1 3 762 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 Materials and methods Coring Fieldwork to retrieve a sediment core for pollen analysis was carried out on 7th February 2019 in the southeast end of Kårebolssjön (60°24′7"N, 13°25′52"E, Fig. 1). A 100 cm long core was retrieved using a 7.5 cm diameter Russian peat corer. The water depth at the coring site was 317 cm. The coring site is located at a distance of about 170 m from the south end of the shieling, with a difference in elevation of about 20 m between the lake surface and the shieling. No possible sites for coring were identified near the shieling or in the surrounding forest, and therefore the southeast end of the lake was selected as the location for the coring site. Kårebolssjön is large, with a surface area of about 1 km and it therefore likely has a large source area for pollen (Sugita 1994, 2007). However, given the location of the coring site at the end of the lake, close to the shieling, a pollen signal from the shieling site, once established, should be discern- Fig. 4 Age-depth model for the Kårebolssjön core ible in the data. between 318 and 378 cm (measured from the water surface). Chronology A minimum of 500 terrestrial pollen grains were counted for each sample. Coprophilous fungal spores, pteridophyte Six bulk sediment samples were sent for radiocarbon dating spores, and microscopic charcoal were also recorded. Iden- at the Tandem Laboratory, Uppsala University (Table 1). tification of pollen grains and spores was based on Moore Bulk sediment samples were used due to absence of ter- et al. (1991) and pollen and spore taxonomy followed Ben- restrial macrofossils for dating in the sediment. The radio- nett (2007). Identification of coprophilous fungal spores carbon dates were calibrated using the IntCal20 calibration relied on Cugny et al. (2010) and van Geel et al. (2007). Pol- curve (Reimer et al. 2020) and a smooth spline age-depth len, spore and charcoal percentages were calculated based model for the core (Fig. 4) was constructed, based on the on the total sum of terrestrial pollen grains. Samples were radiocarbon dates, using the R package clam (Blaauw 2010). divided into pollen assemblage zones (PAZs) using CONISS analysis in the software Tilia (Grimm 2016). Samples for Sampling and analysis measurements of organic matter (OM) were taken every 1 cm and measured by loss on ignition, by combusting the The core was subsampled every 2 cm for pollen analysis. sample at 550 °C for 4 h. Dry bulk density (DBD) was meas- Pollen samples were prepared using standard methods with ured where enough material was available, by dividing the 10% HCl, 10% NaOH, acetolysis (Moore et al. 1991) and −3 dry weight of 1.2  cm of sediment by the original volume density separation (Björck et  al. 1978; Nakagawa et  al. (Aaby and Berglund 1986). 1998). A total of 31 samples were counted spanning a depth Map analysis and archaeological field‑survey Table 1 Results of radiocarbon dating of samples from the Kåre- Detailed mapping was conducted at Kårebolssätern in the bolssjön sediments early summer of 2018 guided by historical maps (Nilsson 13 14 et al. 2018). The mapping was carried out by walking the Lab code Sample δ C (‰) C age bp Calibrated age area inside the fences of the shieling and a few metres out- Ua-62418 KAR330 − 28,5 700 ± 27 ad 1324 ± 60 side the fences, looking for visible traces of buildings, other Ua-64909 KAR341 − 29.0 1,011 ± 29 ad 1062 ± 86 constructions and traces of land use. The detailed mapping Ua-64910 KAR343 − 28.8 1,091 ± 29 ad 953 ± 60 also included checking some detected remains for cultural Ua-64911 KAR359 − 29.3 2,172 ± 30 239 ± 121 bc layers with a single gouge auger. Parts of the shieling were Ua-64912 KAR373 − 29.3 2,477 ± 31 602 ± 170 bc covered successively, starting in the south-western part, Ua-62419 KAR390 − 28,9 2,985 ± 29 1203 ± 87 bc moving on to the southeast and finally the northern part. 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 763 The locations of buildings and other features on the his- as well as Cannabis-type pollen appear within this PAZ, torical maps were transferred to ArcGIS prior to fieldwork although mostly as single pollen grains. Pollen suggesting and used during the detailed mapping for comparison with agrarian land-use e.g. Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, and structures found in the field. All structures and remains were Plantago media/major, appear within this PAZ. Picea pol- mapped in ArcGIS. len decreases upwards within this PAZ (Fig. 5). Results PAZ 3 (332–342 cm; ad 1000–1250) Chronology There is a relative increase in Pinus pollen (~ 53–60%) and decrease in birch pollen (~ 19–25%) between ca. ad 1000 The age-depth model for the core was constructed using and 1250 (342–332 cm). Apophyte pollen of Chenopodi- dates from bulk sediments in the absence of terrestrial plant aceae, Plantago media/major and Rumex acetosa/acetocella macrofossils in the sediments (e.g. Ascough et al. 2011; are recorded while Melampyrum appears towards the top of Philippsen 2013). Dates obtained from bulk sediments can the PAZ. Charcoal fragments are 7–18% within this PAZ be considered to be reliable as the bedrock in the research (Fig. 5). area does not include calcareous rock that can cause a fresh- water reservoir effect (Bergman et al. 2012). The reliability of the results of the radiocarbon dating can be confirmed PAZ 4 (332–318 cm; after ad 1250) by using the Picea pollen record as age control for the core. A pollen study from Stor-Flen about 63 km east of Kåre- There is a decrease in Pinus pollen at ca. ad 1250 (332 cm) bolssätern gives the date of 410 bc -ad 30 for Picea coloni- to < 39%, and a relative increase in birch ~ 31–44%. At the sation (Segerström 1997) and other studies suggest similar same time there is an increase in Juniperus-type (> 1%) and dates (Påhlsson 1988; Eriksson 1991; Giesecke and Ben- Rumex acetosa/acetocella pollen. Cereal pollen of Avena- nett 2004). With the suggested age-depth model (Fig.  4), type, Secale cereale and Hordeum-type, and pollen of Can- Picea pollen begins to increase in the Kårebolssjön core ca. nabis-type is recorded more frequently. Charcoal increases 240 ± 120 cb , which is in good accordance with the previous to > 18% within this PAZ. Occasional spores of coprophil- studies. This is therefore an indication that the radiocarbon ous fungi of Sordaria-type and one spore of Apiosordaria dates used in the age-depth model provide a good approxi- vernaculosa are recorded, there is also an increase in Coni- mate age of the changes observed in the data. ochaeta B spores. Poaceae (1–5%) and Cyperaceae (0.5–2%) pollen reach their highest values in the record. Pollen of Pollen analysis apophytes Chenopodiaceae, Melampyrum, Plantago sp. and Rumex acetosa/acetocella is recorded in this PAZ. Sphag- PAZ 1 (358–378 cm; 600–200 bc ) num spores are most abundant in the record within this PAZ, 6–17% (Fig. 5). The earliest pollen assemblage is dominated by tree pollen; birch (Betula) ~ 47–70%, Pinus ~ 9–38%, and Alnus ~ 6–14%. Pollen of broadleaved trees are recorded, such as Quercus Sedimentary properties (≤ 2.3%), Ulmus (≤ 1%) and Tilia (≤ 1.5%). Picea pollen is present in very low percentages (< 1%) until ca. 550 bc The sediment consisted of gyttja containing between 32 (368 cm), after which it increases to ~ 4%. Fern spores range and 58% organic matter (OM), having a dry bulk den- −3 between 1–2% (Fig. 5). Microscopic charcoal is ~ 3–9%. sity (DBD) of 0.2 to 0.4  g  cm (Fig.  5). The DBD is relatively high in the lowest part of the core, with val- −3 PAZ 2 (342–358 cm; 200 bc ‑ ad 1000) ues ≥ 0.3  g  cm before ca. 700 bc (375 cm). The OM is relatively low during the same period, ~ 32–36% in the Picea pollen increases to > 10% in all but one level, while lowest samples, increasing to > 39% ca. 700 bc (375 cm) −3 Betula pollen ranges between ~ 27–45%. Meanwhile, the as DBD decreases to < 0.25 g  cm . DBD increases, peak- −3 pollen of broadleaved trees decreases, Quercus (≤ 1.1%), ing at ~ 0.36–0.41  g  cm , between ca. 250 bc -ad 450 Ulmus (0–0.6%) and Tilia (≤ 0.4%) ca. 100 cb (356 cm), and (359–350 cm). The OM decreases to < 37% during the same −3 fern spores (Pteropsida) decrease to < 1% between ca. 100 cb period. The DBD decreases to ≤ 0.27 g  cm ca. ad 950 and ad 200 (356–352 cm). Charcoal fragments are recorded (343 cm). Both OM and DBD increase ca. da 1250 (332 cm). increasingly within this PAZ reaching ≥ 10% after ca. da 250 OM increases to the highest values in the core, ~ 42–58%, (352 cm). Pollen grains of cereals, mainly Hordeum-type, after ca. ad 1400 (Fig. 5). 1 3 764 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 −3 Fig. 5 Percentage pollen diagram, dry bulk density (g cm ), organic matter (%) and CONISS from the Kårebolssjön core. Gray curves exagger- ated × 10 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 765 concentrated in the south and southeast part of the shieling. The results of the archaeological survey suggest that Kåre- bolssätern is a relatively young shieling, based on dating of similar remains at other sites. House foundations with shallow cellar pits, house foundations with very low, squar- ish hearths and smaller clearance cairns without very small stones, such as those found at Kårebolssätern, have been dated to the 12th–16th century at other shielings in western Sweden, such as Backasätern, Ingersbysätern and Gammel- vallen, Ängersjö (Magnusson 1989; Johansson and Svensson 2002; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). Thus, the four house foun- dations with shallow cellar pits recorded at Kårebolssätern may be pre-modern. The concentration of these buildings in the south and southeast part of the shieling, along with small clearance cairns without smaller stones, may suggest that this is the oldest part of the shieling. The north and northeast parts may have been younger extensions of Kårebolssätern. This hypothesis is reinforced by the fact that one house foun- dation of pre-modern character (Fig. 3c) is located in what is now the central part of the shieling. Houses, apart from hay barns, were usually built along shieling fences in order to not take up land from the meadows (Fig. 3). Discussion Natural forest (600–100 bc ) The earliest part of the pollen assemblage represents mixed Fig. 6 Kårebolssätern. Structures recorded through detailed mapping and buildings standing today. “Edge” refers to “lynchet-like” features boreal forest characterized by Betula and Pinus, Alnus not clearly connected to fields. “Misc.” refers to features connected to and pollen of broadleaved trees Quercus, Ulmus and Tilia present day use of the shieling, i.e. buildings such as summer houses. (Fig. 5). The high proportion of tree pollen, a relatively low Map: Stefan Nilsson presence of shrub pollen of Corylus/Myrica, Salix, Juni- perus, Ericaceae and Calluna, and herb pollen, as well as the occurrence of fern spores (Pteropsida monolete) (Fig. 5) Archaeological survey suggest a relatively closed forest canopy (Hicks 1988; Segerström et al. 1994). There are no clear signs of human The archaeological features mapped at Kårebolssätern are commonly found at other shielings in the area and indicate presence in the pollen record during this period. Picea pol- len appears ca. 550 bc and increases above 10% ca. 240 cattle grazing, dairy production, haymaking and some cereal cultivation. Forty-five structures were mapped and described bc in accordance with the colonisation of the region by spruce observed in other studies (Segerström et al. 1996; during fieldwork (Fig.  6). Several minor clearance cairns were mapped, but not described individually. The recorded Segerström 1997; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). As Picea pol- len increases there is a relative decrease in Pinus, Betula, structures included 12 house foundations, two wells, three areas with cultural layers, two fields and some features indi - Quercus and Tilia pollen as well as fern spores (Fig. 5). A similar change in the pollen assemblage is recorded at other cating additional fields, seven border stones marking the internal divisions of the shieling, the remains of a fireplace sites in the region, reflecting a change in the forest composi- tion as a response to the expansion of Picea abies (Giesecke and c. ten larger clearance cairns. Four of the recorded house foundations at Kårebolssätern had remains of shallow cellar 2005). The increase in dry bulk density and a slight decrease in organic matter (Fig. 5), may suggest a change in the mate- pits which may suggest pre-modern use. The house founda- tions did not match any buildings on historical maps, and are rial deposited into Kårebolssjön. The increase in Picea abies may have changed the litter composition, and subsequently, therefore considered to predate the oldest map, from 1815. These buildings and many small clearance cairns without soil chemistry possibly leading to increased soil erosion (Giesecke 2005). smaller stones, presumably of pre-modern origin, were 1 3 766 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 from the region. The first evidence of grazing and cultivation First indications of agriculture (100 bc –ad 1000) at sites in the forest above the Klarälven river valley about 20 km northwest of the Kårebolssjön coring site is seen ca. The first indications of cultivation in the Kårebolssjön core appear ca. 100 bc , when individual pollen grains of Hor- ad 200–600 (Emanuelsson et al. 2003). Pollen studies from clearance cairns at two sites in Norway located about 125 deum- and Cannabis-type are recorded with pollen grains of both taxa occurring sporadically thereafter. According and 150 km east of Kårebolssätern reveal cultivation had begun there during the Early Iron Age (Overland and Hjelle to the age-depth model for the core the sample with the first occurrence of Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen 2013). The pollen analysis demonstrates that land use has a has an age range of 180 bc to ad 90. The occasional occur- rences of these pollen types, the presence of charcoal and long history in the area near Kårebolssätern. The evidence of early cultivation of Hordeum and Cannabis do suggest an some pollen types indicative of agrarian land use suggest some degree of farming near the lake between ca. 100 bc early phase, however none of the recorded archaeological remains at the shieling can be dated to this period. Remains and ad 250 (Fig. 5). Extensive cultivation, used to com- plement other methods of sustenance, may not be easily of fields recorded during the survey at Kårebolssätern did not resemble fields from the centuries around ad in other discerned from palynological or archaeological evidence (Behre 1981). Separating pollen of wild grasses and cere- parts of Scandinavia, such as large areas with clearance cairns or shallow, small sunken fields, so called celtic fields als can be challenging (e.g. Vorren 1986; Hannon and Bradshaw 2000; Edwards et  al. 2005). Hordeum-type (Welinder et al. 1998). House foundations assessed as being of pre-modern character during the survey have their coun- pollen is problematic as the group includes several wild grasses, such as Elytrigia repens and Glyceria fluitans that terparts at other shielings dated to medieval and early mod- ern times (Magnusson 1989; Johansson and Svensson 2002; are common in Sweden (Den virtuella floran 2017). Care should therefore be taken in interpreting the origins of Emanuelsson et al. 2003). House foundations dated before ad 600 in the mountain areas of southern Norway were long individual pollen grains of Hordeum-type. Cannabis-type pollen includes both pollen of Cannabis and Humulus. houses with well-built foundations of stones, earth and turf (Stene 2015), and no parallels to these were discovered at Although there have been attempts to distinguish between the two species there is a large overlap in morphologies Kårebolssätern. It is possible that some of the house founda- tions of pre-modern character at Kårebolssätern are consid- (Moore et  al. 1991). It is not known whether Humulus lupulus (hop) is native to Sweden or may have been erably older than the dated corresponding structures, but it is more likely that the early remains of buildings have not been imported (Strese et al. 2012). Cannabis sativa (hemp) has many traditional uses, including use for ropes and textiles, identified. There is thus a knowledge gap concerning how to archaeologically identify remains of pre-medieval build- food, oil and medicinal use. The combination of cereal and Cannabis-type pollen at Anundsjö (in central Sweden) ings and fields in shieling environments (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). dated to 2500–2000 bc , similar to that in the Kårebolssjön record, is interpreted as indicative of cultivation at the site Reduction in agrarian activities (ad 1000–1250) (Huttunen and Tolonen 1972). It is therefore possible that the results from Kårebolssjön indicate crop cultivation in The relative increase in Pinus and decrease in Betula and the vicinity of the lake during the last centuries bc . Due to the relatively large size of Kårebolssjön it is not possible Corylus/Myrica-type pollen ca. da 1000–1250 (Fig. 5), may represent closing of the canopy in response to decreased to say for certain whether the few pollen grains of anthro- pochores and apophytes recorded during this period origi- land use. Betula trees and shrubs of Myrica gale may have decreased in response to decreased light availability as the nate from the shieling site or elsewhere in the catchment. An increase in charcoal abundance after ca. ad 250 canopy closed (Atkinson 1992; Skene et al. 2000). Juniperus communis pollen also decreases between ca. ad 1100 and to ≥ 10% may be an indication of human activities in the area near the lake. Fire may have been used to clear forest 1200, suggesting less light availability. Sporadic occurrences of apophyte pollen including Chenopodiaceae and Plantago and for management of pastures (Behre 1981; Vorren 1986; Segerström et al. 1996). Pollen of plants suggesting arable media/major, indicating cultivation, may however suggest continuation of agricultural practices. Only one Hordeum- land use (i.e. Asteraceae and Chenopodiaceae) is occasion- ally recorded after ca. ad 500. Juniperus-type, Poaceae type pollen grain was recorded during this period, and may indicate a decrease in cereal cultivation (Fig. 5). The timing and Cyperaceae pollen begin to increase after ca. ad 600 (Fig. 5), indicating an opening of the canopy, and may sig- of this vegetation phase coincides with the increased impor- tance of production of goods such as smelted iron, and hunt- nify grazing as Juniperus communis and Poaceae pollen are considered strong indicators of grazing (Behre 1981). The ing as shown from other sites in the region (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). The chronology of pitfall hunting early evidence of land use is consistent with other studies 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 767 systems in Värmland shows an increased emphasis towards houses may use previous locations of buildings, and fields hunting, with the highest number of pitfalls in the region dat- may have been in continuous use. The increased use of the ing to this period (Hennius 2020). New production patterns shieling in modern times can most likely be connected with may have shifted the focus away from agrarian activities, the northern extension of Kårebolssätern, assessed as more resulting in linked changes in the vegetation community. recent during the survey. The changes in the pollen assemblage do not suggest that the area around the coring site was used for iron production, Development of land use at Kårebolssätern as previous studies suggest that early iron production in the Swedish outlands may be manifested by a relative increase in The early beginning of land use at Kårebolssätern may pre- Betula and decrease in Picea in pollen records (Emanuelsson date both Kårebol and Elindebol, at least judging by their 2001; Karlsson et al. 2016). place names tentatively dated to ca. ad 1000. It is possible that the shieling was previously connected to the hamlet Gravol, which appears to be of an older date (Rosell 1981). Establishment of a dominant grazing regime (after Kårebolssätern and its surroundings may have started off ad 1250) as a site used for recurrent grazing, characterising the first phases of shieling in an ‘innovation package’ farm—shiel- The clearest signs of land use are seen in the record after ing (Emanuelsson 2001). Shieling sites in western Norway ca. ad 1250. Hordeum-type pollen grains are found in low and western Sweden show evidence of periodic grazing (and numbers in most samples from this period. Occasional pol- sometimes haymaking as well) prior to the establishment of len grains of Avena-type and Secale cereale as well as Can- the historically known shieling mode. In Norway this phase nabis-type are recorded (Fig. 5), indicating that cultivation is dated to the Bronze Age/Early Iron Age (Magnus 1986; became an increasingly important part of agrarian activities. Kvamme 1988) and in western Sweden to the middle or The numerous clearance cairns, although also a result of second half of the first millennium, while historically shiel- haymaking, and several cultivation terraces identified during ings are dated to the Viking Age and the Medieval Period the field-survey (Fig.  6) indicate that cultivation was prac- (Olsson 1998; Emanuelsson 2001; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). ticed at Kårebolssätern. The highest occurrence of charcoal Both in Norway and Sweden these early phases of outland is recorded during this period (Fig. 5) and can indicate the use appear at the same time as farms. It may have been the use of fire, perhaps as a tool for pasture management (Behre combination of farm and shieling (albeit initially in a more 1981; Vorren 1986; Segerström et al. 1996). An increase in sporadic form) that made feasible the expansion of settle- Juniperus-type and Rumex acetosa/acetocella pollen may ment into rough terrain, such as dense forests or mountain- serve as an indicator of grazing as unpalatable and tough ous areas with little arable land (Emanuelsson 2001). In plants can benefit from grazing and trampling by livestock these areas, grazing and haymaking was scarce and scattered (Behre 1981; Vorren 1986) but are vulnerable to heavy graz- over great distances, and more recurrently used sites in the ing pressure (Thomas et al. 2007). Furthermore, the increase outland were needed to make the system work. Such sites in shrub pollen such as Calluna and other ericaceous spe- matured and were shaped into the historically known shiel- cies, Corylus/Myrica-type, as well as Betula pollen (Fig. 5) ing. Based upon interpretation of pollen data, the sites inves- may suggest clearing of woodland and a more open canopy. tigated so far in nearby regions have given starting dates sev- The presence of livestock during this period is perhaps eral centuries younger than Kårebolssätern, although sites in indicated by the occurrence of spores of coprophilous fungi western Norway have produced older dates (Kvamme 1988; of Sordaria-type (Fig. 5), although the fungi may also be Olsson 1998; Emanuelsson 2001; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). related to wild herbivores such as elk and deer. Coniochaeta Still, the early dates for the onset of farming and grazing B-type spores also increase during this period; these taxa around Kårebolssjön would indicate that agrarian land use are most commonly found on fern fallows and in heathlands was established earlier in the area than the farm—shiel- (Cugny et al. 2010). ing—outland use system, which so far has been dated to the There is a stronger correspondence between the results middle of the first millennium or some centuries earlier in from the archaeological survey and the pollen analysis in northern Värmland (Emanuelsson et al. 2003). medieval, early modern and modern times. Fields, meadows Sites in the south Norwegian mountain areas may and house foundations correspond fairly well with the results be most comparable with the earliest phase of agrarian of the pollen analysis, although there are a few remains of a activities at Kårebolssätern, both in age and type of land medieval to early modern character such as the house foun- use. During the first five centuries ad historically known dations with shallow cellar pits, house foundations with very shielings in the mountain areas of southern Norway show low, squarish hearths and smaller clearance cairns. How- evidence of permanent and seasonal settlements with cat- ever, some of the more recent house remains and standing tle breeding and outland use (Stene 2015). Land use at 1 3 768 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 these sites could be complex, sometimes including cereal at Kårebolssätern. The change in the vegetation and environ- cultivation, and systems of pitfalls for reindeer, showing ment at the site may indicate a decrease in agrarian activities the importance of hunting. A hypothesis could therefore at Kårebolsätern coinciding in time with large scale com- be that the area around Kårebolssjön started as a pioneer modity production in the outlands such as iron smelting and resource colonisation site, and Kårebolssätern became pitfall hunting. Similar reduction in agrarian activities has a shieling when the system of farm—shieling—outland been detected at other shielings in the area, e.g. the nearby use was established a few centuries later; a development shieling Backasätern. It is likely that during this period, the similar to the Norwegian sites (Stene 2015), and possibly available work force concentrated on producing bloomery Backadammen, located about 25 km northwest of Kåre- iron and hunting, and shieling activities became less of a bolssätern (Emanuelsson et  al. 2003). Kårebolssätern priority (Svensson 1998; Emanuelsson et al. 2003). could thus have been something of a frontier site, season- The intensified grazing regime and change in land use ally or permanently used in the extraction of commodi- reflected in the pollen record in the late 13th and 14th centu- ties in line with the hunt for furs of bear and lynx for ries is in line with the increased emphasis on cattle breeding trading with the elite living on the plains (Lindholm and in Scandinavia as well as the regional transformation of the Ljungkvist 2016; Zachrisson and Krzewinska 2019). Set- economy towards a larger degree of self-sufficiency when tlement and agrarian land use were most likely organised production and trade in iron and hunting products declined in relation to the local requirements for the extraction of (Svensson 1998; Larsson 2009). The renewed agrarian commodities such as furs, especially during the resource land use at Kårebolssätern took place during a period of colonisation phase. Patterns such as these can be seen as changing climate characterised by wetter conditions (Cook significant for “ecological globalisation” where valuable et  al. 2015), reflected in an increase in spores of Sphag- resources result in interdependencies between the com- num mosses that thrive in waterlogged, moist environments, munities that extract the resource, and distant centres of beginning in the early 14th century (Fig. 5). Tree ring and consumption (Barrett et  al. 2020). The process can be isotope studies from Sweden suggest a period of wet sum- described as ‘resource colonisation’ at the local landscape mers between ca. ad 1300 and 1450 (Young et al. 2012; level, shaping landscapes by the exploitation of valued Rosqvist et al. 2013). Avena (oat) pollen is found in two sam- resources for crafts and trade (Lindholm et al. in press). ples dating from the 14th century, no Hordeum-type pollen Cultivation of Cannabis sativa may have been important is found in the same samples. This perhaps suggests changes in this economy, as ropes were needed for packing and in cultivation in the outlands when summers became wetter. transporting commodities such as furs and later smelted This phase of land use continued for the remainder of the iron. A similar pattern is seen at Backadammen where record. There is however a large age uncertainty towards the the first evidence of arable land use appears in the late top of the record (± 250 years) with the best estimate of the Roman Iron Age (ca. ad 200–400) and Migration period age-depth model of ad 1550. Therefore, it is possible that (ca. ad 400–550), later followed by increased land use there is a gap in the record for early modern and modern and grazing, traces of pitfall hunting and iron smelting times when use of shielings increased. Though historical (Emanuelsson et al. 2003). The farm—shieling relation- maps show an intensification in shieling activities, this is ship appears to have been especially blurred in the earlier not reflected in the pollen record from Kårebolssjön. Later, phases, when linked with commodity extraction. With the shielings went successively out of use with modern, indus- establishment of the farm—shieling—outland use system trialised agriculture in the 20th century. after ca. ad 600, Kårebolssätern was most likely integrated into this system as a shieling as the mother farm/hamlet was established in the Klarälven river valley in the first Conclusions centuries ad . In this phase, Kårebolssätern was possibly connected to the hamlet Gravol, which is thought to have The earliest evidence of human impact in the area near Kåre- been the older settlement in the river valley. In response bolssätern is Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen grains to a growing population, new settlement units such as occurring from ca. 100 bc . Other signs of possible human Kårebol and Elindebol were created through partitioning. impact on the environment in the area are charcoal, indi- Shielings could have been included in the outlands allot- cating clearing of forest and possibly pasture management, ted to the new units, and Kårebolssätern could thus have and sporadic occurrences of apophytes from ca. ad 250. An become part of Elindebol, or more unlikely Kårebol, due opening of the canopy after ad 600, indicates modification to the later exchange of land. of the forest for grazing. Kårebolssätern may have started A more closed canopy accompanied by a decrease in off as a place occupied and exploited on a seasonal basis for cereal pollen grains and changes in sediment properties hunting and grazing. Settlement and agrarian land use may (Fig. 5) between ca. da 1000–1250 suggest a shift in land use have been organised in relation to the local requirements 1 3 Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2021) 30:759–771 769 Barrett JH, Boessenkool S, Kneale CJ, O’Connell TC, Star B (2020) for the extraction of commodities such as furs, charcoal and Ecological globalisation, serial depletion and the medieval trade iron, during a resource colonisation phase. of walrus rostra. Quat Sci Rev. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1016/j. quasc Closing of the canopy in response to decreased land use irev. 2019. 106122 between ca. ad 1000 and 1250 may be a response to a shift Behre K-E (1981) The interpretation of anthropogenic indicators in pollen diagrams. Pollen Spores 23:225–245 in emphasis towards large scale commodity production in Bennett KD (2007) Catalogue of pollen types. http:// www. chrono. the outlands, pitfall hunting and bloomery iron production, qub. ac. uk/ pollen/ pc- intro. html and a shift from agrarian shieling activities. The clearest Bergman S, Stephens M, Andersson J, Kathol B, Bergman T (2012) changes in the pollen assemblage indicating grazing and Sveriges Berggrund, skala 1:1 miljon (Bedrock Map of Sweden, scale 1:1 Million). Sveriges geologiska undersökning K 423 cultivation occur from the mid-13th century, coinciding Björck S, Persson T, Kristersson I (1978) Comparison of two concen- with wetter climate. tration methods for pollen in minerogenic sediments. Geol Fören The earliest occurrences of anthropochores in the Stockholm Förh 100:107–111 record predate those of most other shieling sites in Sweden Björklund A (2018) Det medeltida Sverige 2 Värmland Andra delen. 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Routledge, London Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Guðrún Gísladót- Cugny C, Mazier F, Galop D (2010) Modern and fossil non-pollen tir and Egill Erlendsson at the Institute of Life and Environmental Sci- palynomorphs from the Basque mountains (western Pyrenees, ences at the University of Iceland for kindly offering us the use of France): the use of coprophilous fungi to reconstruct pastoral laboratories and equipment for pollen analysis. Scott John Riddell is activity. Veget Hist Archaeobot 19:391–408 thanked for proof-reading the manuscript and his helpful suggestions. Den virtuella floran (2017) Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. http://linna eus. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable nrm. se/ flora/ welco me. html. Accessed 23 July 2020 suggestions of ways in which to improve the manuscript. The research Edwards KJ, Whittington G, Robinson M, Richter D (2005) Palaeoen- on Kårebolssätern was funded by Carl-Göran Adelswärds stiftelse vironments, the archaeological record and cereal pollen detection (CGAS). The investigation of Kårebolssätern is also included in the at Clickimin, Shetland, Scotland. J Archaeol Sci 32:1,741-1,756 project Contesting Marginality: The Boreal Forest of Inland Scandi- Emanuelsson M (2001) Settlement and land-use history in the central navia and the Worlds Outside, ad-1500 ad (UTMA) financed by the Swedish forest region. Swedish University of Agricultural Sci- Swedish Research Council (Dnr 2017-01483). ences, Umeå Emanuelsson M, Johansson A, Nilsson S, Pettersson S, Svensson E Funding Open access funding provided by Uppsala University. (2003) Settlement, shieling and landscape: the local history of a forest hamlet. 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Vegetation History and ArchaeobotanySpringer Journals

Published: Nov 1, 2021

Keywords: Sweden; Norway; Pollen; Archaeology; Land use; Boreal forest; Settlement; Agriculture

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