Bronze Age human–landscape interactions in the southern Transural steppe, Russia – Evidence from high-resolution palaeobotanical studies

Abstract

The Transural steppe is a cultural contact zone between areas east and west of the Ural Mountains. Mobile pastoralism is the traditional way of life in the steppe, while sedentary cultures constitute an exception, probably as a result of climatic variations. A change of lifestyle together with other innovations is documented at the turn of the 3rd to the 2nd millennia BC and often believed to have been accompanied by a shift to agro-pastoralism. To examine the ecology and economy in the Bronze Age steppe, we employed a combination of methods. As proxy-data, plant macro-remains from archaeological excavations of Sintashta fortified settlements and pollen from off-site archives were used for a high-resolution palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Statistical comparisons of past and present pollen spectra show no significant differences in vegetation distribution. This allowed us to map the recent vegetation units by multispectral satellite imagery and to use them for modelling. Models further incorporate steppe productivity, carrying capacity and population figures to estimate herd sizes. Even if the climate was suitable for agriculture, evidence is missing from all botanical records. The economic mainstay was animal husbandry. Models consider autonomous activity zones of at least 4 km radius surrounding each Sintashta settlement where grazing resources could easily sustain the estimated population and their livestock. The river is seen as the determining factor to settle in this region as it provided constant access to water and valuable natural grazing areas. During dry years and winter, the productive meadow steppes functioned as reserve pastures.