A multi-scalar palynological investigation of plant- and land-use at a Mesolithic occupation site in central Ireland

Abstract Recent research on the archaeobotanical and pollen records from north-west Europe has suggested that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers actively shaped woodland environments. These early communities created small-scale clearances, exploited a variety of wild plants, and possibly managed specific taxa. Interpretation of such activities is complicated by the influences of herbivory and the challenges posed by spatial and temporal resolution. Despite tantalizing evidence suggesting that hunter-gatherers in Ireland engaged in plant management and forest clearance, the environmental impacts of these practices remain enigmatic. In this paper, we present multi-scalar palaeoenvironmental records from Derragh, an exceptionally rich multi-period site in central Ireland. The results provide insights into the environmental evolution of the locality, including likely episodic flooding of the site that may have necessitated the deliberate build-up of deposits on the site during its occupation. Despite archaeological evidence for extensive plant use and burning on site, the pollen records show no unambiguous signals of woodland disturbances that can clearly be distinguished from hydrologically-driven vegetation responses. We hypothesise that the site’s proximity to fringe woodland contributed to over-representation of woodland taxa and limited the dispersal of pollen and microcharcoal. Our findings raise questions about the scale of woodland disturbances needed to be perceptible in pollen records and highlight the limitations of pollen records from woodland settings to explore Mesolithic vegetation impacts.