Discovering Landscape Modification through Pollen Data Analysis at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Author(s): Crystal Ptacek; Beatrix Arendt; John Jones; Derek Wheeler; Fraser Neiman
Year: 2016
Summary
Pollen analysis can advance our understanding of change and spatial variation in the landscape of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation from its initial settlement in the 18th century to the present. In this poster, we present and evaluate data from an intensive, multi-year campaign of stratigraphic sampling conducted in the largely ornamental mountaintop landscape immediately surrounding Jefferson's mansion. Comparing these data to stratigraphic samples not from Monticello Mountain allows us to measure the distinctiveness of trajectories of change in ornamental and agricultural contexts. We suggest that Jefferson's landscaping activities created a distinctive, ever-changing niche on the mountaintop which both humans and plants exploited.
Cite this Record
Discovering Landscape Modification through Pollen Data Analysis at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Crystal Ptacek, Beatrix Arendt, John Jones, Derek Wheeler, Fraser Neiman. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 405403)
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Keywords
General
Geoarchaeology
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Monticello
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Pollen
Geographic Keywords
North America - Mid-Atlantic
Spatial Coverage
min long: -84.067; min lat: 36.031 ; max long: -72.026; max lat: 43.325 ;