Environmental Change Documented in the Fluvial Landscape: A Case Study of the Late Neolithic Bršadin-Pašnjak Pod Selom Site (NE Croatia)

The formation of Neolithic tell settlements in wetlands or near watercourses is documented in the published literature, but their research is not often based on environmental study. In this paper, we present the results from two sediment cores (BR1, BR2) collected from the case study archaeological site, located on the former bank of one of the Danube's tributaries in the southern Carpathian Basin. Although it has been suggested that a waterlogged environment was deliberately selected for this type of settlement in the regional Late Neolithic, the results of this study, based on both archaeological and environmental data, indicate dry and cool conditions prior and during the initial phase of the settlement formation. The abandonment of the settlement, possibly in the late 5th millennium, probably occurred due to alternating dry and wet episodes, rather than a gradual increase in wet conditions, as suggested elsewhere in the region. A large ditch encircling the settlement, not documented by archaeological research, can be indirectly confirmed by the BR2 core results and the analysis of aerial and satellite images. In general, there is a good correlation of results with the major global climate events, but there are differences in regional and wider south-eastern European context.