Bi9291 Human Ecology in Quaternary Period

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2011
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Jiří Svoboda, DrSc. (lecturer)
prof. RNDr. Jaromír Demek, DrSc. (lecturer)
RNDr. Vlasta Jankovská, CSc. (lecturer)
prof. RNDr. Rudolf Musil, DrSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jiří Svoboda, DrSc.
Department of Anthropology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. PhDr. Jiří Svoboda, DrSc.
Timetable
Mon 12:00–13:50 Bp1
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
At the end of this course the student should be able to understand and explain the effects of climate and landscape formation in the Quaternary period on human evolution. He/she will be able to describe glacial environment, the specifics of the complete and partial continental glaciers and their effeecto on the living conditions of the paleolithic populations. He/she will also be able to use the results of paleobotanic, paleozoological, settlement and other complex analyses to form a complex image of the environment and the necessary adaptations of Man and the society to environmental changes.
Syllabus
  • 1. Climate, landscape, human evolution (J. Svoboda).
  • 2. Glacial environment. Pleistocene continental glaciation. Environment of mountain glaciations. Environment of the proglacial zone. Environment of the Pleistocene pluvial zone (J. Demek).
  • 3. Cryogenic processes and formations in periglacial environment. Paleoecological reconstruction of environment, based on cryogenic forms (J. Demek).
  • 4. Explaining the terms paleobotanics, palynological and macroremain analyses, pollen spectrum, paleoreconstruction. Methodics of fieldwork, “natural archives” – peat and peatbog, water biotops, lake, pond, and related deposits, untraditional, mostly antropogennic deposits, forest humus, etc. Sampling methods and related problems. Laboratory preparation of samples, pollen analyses and their interpretations, graphic presentations, description of the pollen diagrams, problems of interpretation (V. Jankovská).
  • 5. Selected pollen-analytically described sites in Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia. Several interesting sites showing pollen-analytically proven climatic and vegetational change in Northern Eurasia. Vegetational and landscape relationships within actual Boreal zone of Eurasia as a partial analogy to situation in central Europe during the last glaciation (V. Jankovská).
  • 6. Basic stratigraphy and faunal record of the Quaternary period, with emphasis on the last glaciations, and in relationship to environmental changes (R. Musil).
  • 7. Environmental analyses as a complex of anorganic and biological factors (R. Musil).
  • 8. Human adaptations and environmental changes (J. Svoboda).
Literature
  • Butzer, K.W. 1971: Environment and archaeology: An ecological approach to prehistory. Chicago, Aldine.
  • Embleton, C. - King, C.A.M. 1975: Periglacial Geomorphology. London, Edward Arnold.
  • French, H 2007: The Periglacial  Environment, Third Edition,  Chichester, Wiley.
  • Jankovská V.1997: Možnosti využití pylové analýzy.  Lesnická práce 10,:366-367.
  • Jankovská V.1997: Vývoj vegetace střední Evropy od konce poslední doby ledové do současnosti.- Lesnická práce 11: 409-412.
  • Lang G. 1994: Quartare Vegetationsgeschichte Europas.-Gustav Fischer Verlag: 462 p.
  • Ložek, V. 1973: Příroda ve čtvrtohorách. Praha, Academia, 1973.
  • Ložek V. 2007: Zrcadlo minulosti-Česká a slovenská krajina v kvartéru.-Vydavatelství Dokořán: 190 p.
  • Musil R., 1999: Životní prostředí v posledním glaciálu. (The environment in the Last Glacial on the territory of Moravia).- Acta Musei Moraviae, Sci. Geol. 84, 161-186, Brno.
  • Musil R., 2000: The environment in Moravia during the stage OIS 3.- In: Neanderthals and Modern Humans - Discussing the Tradition: Central and Eastern Europe from 50.000-30.000 B.P., Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums 2, 68-75.
  • Musil R., 2005: Klima v posledním glaciálu (The climate of the Last Glacial).- Acta Musei Moraviae, Sci. geol. 90, 223-246, Brno.
  • Musil R., 2005: Rekonstrukce prostředí střední Evropy v době 9.000 až 5.500 let (Rekonstruction of the environment in Central Europe during  9,000 - 5,500 cal. BP).- Ve službách archeologie 6, 239-245.
  • Musil R., 2010: Das Austerben der Megafauna am Ende des Pleistozäns (The extinction of megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene). - (Hrsg. H. Müller) Elephantenreich. Eine Fossilwelt in Europa, Halle/Saale,  613- 624.
  • Musil R., 2010: Palaeoenvironment at Gravettian Sites in Central Europe with emphasis on Moravia (Czech Republic).  (Die Paläoumwelt mitteleuropäischer Gravettien-Fundstellen mit Schwerpunkt in Mähren (Tschechische Republik).- Quartär 57, 95-123.
  • Musil R., 2010: The environment of the middle Palaeolithic sites in Central and Eastern Europe.- Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis, No 3207, Studia archeologiczne XLI, 121- 179,Wroclaw.
  • Svoboda, J., Havlíček, P., Ložek, V., Macoun, J., Musil, R., Přichystal, A., Svobodová, H., Vlček, E. 1994, 2002, 2009: Paleolit Moravy a Slezska. Archeologický ústav AV ČR Brno, 1.-3. vyd.
  • Svoboda, J., Ložek, V., Vlček, E. 1996: Hunters between East and West. The Paleolithic of Moravia. New York - London, Plenum.
  • van Andel, T. – Davies, W. (Eds.) 2003: Neanderthals and modern humans in the European landscape during the last glaciation: Archaeological results of the Stage 3 Project. McDonald Institute Monographs, Cambridge.
  • Washburn, A .L. 1979: Geocryology. A survey  of periglacial processes and environments. London, Edward Arnold.
Teaching methods
Theoretical preparation in the form of lectures complemented with class disscussion.
Assessment methods
The course is concluded by an oral exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2011, recent)
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