Palaeobotanic

A relevant source of input to the Project will be from palaeobotanical research. Results of palynology analyses have long been used in the study of prehistoric settlement with a very positive effect. They are of great help in determining the extent of the forest cover and contribute significantly to the study of land use, palaeodemographic issues, help to identify areas without settlement and the duration of depopulation episodes. The potential offered by this type of analysis supports the validity of including palaeobotanical research in our Project.

To date we have no similar analyses of data from pollen profiles secured in the basin of the Odra and the Vistula aimed on identifying the processes at work during the first millennium AD, and no high resolution pollen analysis made for this period. A comprehensive summary of the results of the palynology study, particularly in cartographic form, and their confrontation with archaeological data will furnish an entirely novel perspective on changes in settlement and demography during the Migration Period and help in reassessing views accepted at present.