Looking down the well

Looking down the well. A reconstruction of the vegetation in Flanders from the bronze age till the late medieval period based on palynological data from wells.

Past vegetation evolution is generally studied using pollen analyses from lake sediments or peat bogs. Such sedimentary archives dating to the middle and late Holocene period are largely missing in Flanders (N-Belgium) however. As a result, little is known about the evolution of the vegetation during this period in most regions in Flanders. For this project, we will use palynological data from archaeological remains of structures such as wells and ditches as an alternative to provide information on the evolution of the vegetation from the bronze age till the late medieval period.