Palaeoenvironment of a mesolithic peat bed from Austin Friars, Leicester

• Main Authors: Shackley, M, Hunt, SA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society 1984
• Subjects: Austin; Leicester; Tundra
• Online Access: http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/9505/; http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/9505/1/192513_893%20Shackley%20Publisher.pdf; http://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/publications/vol51_60.html

A mesolithic peat bed, dated to 9920±100 bp (HAR-4260) (bp = radiocarbon years before the present calculated from A.D. 19S0 within + or - of 100 years in this case. Ed.) was recovered from Austin Friars, Leicester. Analysis of preserved fauna and flora, especially insects and seeds, indicated that the peat had formed in a shallow pond or lake, with vegetated, marshy edges subject to periodic flooding. The pond was set in open countryside characterised by a lack of trees and preponderance of light-demanding species, living in a cold, damp tundra climate at the very end of Late Glacial Zone III (9000-8300 RC.) extending into the Post Glacial (8300-4000 RC.).