A multi-proxy approach to mid-5th millennium BCE human-plant relationships at Ploča Mičov Grad, Lake Ohrid

On-site and near-site analyses from Ploča Mičov Grad, Lake Ohrid (North Macedonia) provide complementary perspectives on the mid-5th millennium BCE pile-built lakeshore settlement and local vegetation dynamics within a sheltered bay. Through a synthesis of archaeobotanical, dendroarchaeological and palaeoecological evidence, we consider the relationship between human activity (particularly foraging, timber selection and cultivation) and local vegetation changes during the settlement phase, against the background of the longer term palynological record. The archaeobotanical dataset from the lakeshore settlement’s cultural sequence shows that the plant food system incorporated a broad spectrum of crops and collected fruits and nuts, many of which are reflected in the palynological record. The near-site palynological and on-site archaeobotanical records together suggest that human activities, including systematic foraging, encouraged the growth of rosaceous plant foods such as almond, possibly through protection and/or management of woodland edges. The complementary dendrochronological analyses of the wooden pile construction elements attest to woodland structure and timber selection practices, with a preference towards large-diameter timbers for construction. Analysis of the arable weed flora associated with archaeobotanical crop remains indicates that autumn-sowing was practiced and that cultivation was intensive and, as confirmed by the palynological data, small-scale. Arable plots and/or wheat processing activity likely occurred near to the settlement. The archaeobotanical, dendroarchaeological and palaeoecological analyses offer independent and complementary lines of evidence for the nature of plant-centred activities by the mid-5th millennium BCE community over a period of around a century.