Vegetation history, agricultural intensification, and changes in wood-resource utilization in ancient Southwest Korea (1500 bc–ad 700)

Abstract

An overview is presented of the analysis of wood remains at 11 archaeological sites in the southwestern region of the Korean Peninsula, and the results are used to shed light on the changes in wood-resource selection around the villages over the periods of c. 1500–300 bc and ad 1–700. Pollen research on swamps of the region has previously revealed that oak ( Quercus), alder ( Alnus), and pine ( Pinus) were the major woodland components, and that pine became increasingly prevalent after c. 1500 bc under the influence of agricultural expansion and climatic changes. Agricultural activities are represented by the dominance of grasses (Poaceae) in the pollen records. The wood collection underwent changes over time but not in direct response to the regional vegetation change. Wood was not randomly collected during the Mumun Period ( c. 1500–300 bc), with oak being preferentially selected despite the increasing dominance of pine. Chestnut tree ( Castanea crenata Siebold & Zucc.) was routinely used during and after the Proto-Three-Kingdoms Period ( c.ad 1–300) and was used almost exclusively at some sites. Such abundance suggests that the site occupants managed the neighboring forests and promoted the propagation of chestnut trees. Pinewood rarely appears in the retrieved samples, which suggests that the versatile use of pinewood is a relatively recent tradition in the Holocene history.