JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE (2004) 19(3) 271–280
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published online 24 February 2004 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jqs.805
Late-glacial and Holocene river development in the
Teleorman Valley on the southern Romanian Plain
A. J. HOWARD,1* M. G. MACKLIN,2 D. W. BAILEY,3 S. MILLS3 and R. ANDREESCU4
1
School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England
2
Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DB, Wales
3
School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University, PO Box 909, Cardiff CF10 3XU, Wales
4
Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a României, calea Victoriei nr. 12, Sector 3, Bucureşti, Romania
Howard, A. J., Macklin, M. G., Bailey, D. W., Mills, S. and Andreescu, R. 2004. Late-glacial and Holocene river development in the Teleorman Valley on the southern
Romanian Plain. J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19 pp. 271–280. ISSN 0267-8179.
Received 21 January 2003; Revised 24 September 2003; Accepted 29 September 2003
ABSTRACT: This paper reports on a radiocarbon-dated sequence of alluvial terraces from the Teleorman Valley in the southern Romanian Plain and represents the first Late-glacial and wellconstrained Holocene alluvial sequence from the lower Danube Valley of southeast Europe. The
two earliest and most extensive terraces (T1 and T2) are dissected by large, high-amplitude palaeochannels, which are dated to ca. 12 800 yr BP and are comparable to large meandering palaeochannels identified from other Late glacial contexts across northern and central Europe. The remaining
sequence of alluvial deposits show changes in river activity and accelerated sedimentation around
4900–4800 yr BP, 4000–3800 yr BP, 3300–2800 yr BP, 1000 yr BP and within the past 200 yr. A phase
of tributary stream alluvial fan deposition is dated to ca. 2400 yr BP. All these periods of alluvial sedimentation correlate well with episodes of climatic cooling, higher rainfall and enhanced river activity, both in terms of incision and greater lateral mobility as well as increased flood frequency and
magnitude identified elsewhere in central, western and northern Europe. Human activity appears
to have had little effect on this river environment and significant fine-grained sedimentation is not
noted until ca. 2400 yr BP, approximately 5000 yr after the first neolithic farmers settled the area.
Whether this record of river activity truly reflects the impact of prehistoric societies on this catchment
will only be elucidated through further, ongoing detailed archaeological research. Copyright ß 2004
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
KEYWORDS: fluvial; river terraces; climate change; Danube; Romania.
Introduction
In contrast to the detailed Late-glacial and Holocene fluvial histories that have been constructed for river basins in northwest
and northeast Europe, and interpreted with respect to climatic
and land-use records (Vandenberghe, 1993; Vandenberghe
et al., 1994; Rose, 1995; Schirmer, 1995; Starkel, 1995; Buch
and Heine, 1995; Mäckel and Zollinger, 1995; Kalicki, 1996;
Collins et al., 1996; Rumsby and Macklin, 1996; Kaliki and
Sanko, 1998; Andres et al., 2001; Sidorchuk et al., 2001), the
evolution of river systems draining to the Black Sea, most notably, the middle and lower Danube, remain poorly constrained.
Of the studies that have been undertaken, the majority are
focused on rivers flowing across the Great Hungarian Plain
(Borsy and Felegyhazi, 1983; Gábris, 1987, 1995, 1998). These
studies demonstrate the well-preserved nature of fluvial land* Correspondence to: Dr A. J. Howard, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, The University of Newcastle, Daysh Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1
7RU, England. E-mail: [email protected]
forms and sediments in this part of Europe identifying a suite
of six palaeochannel assemblages ranging in age from the middle of last glacial stage to the middle of the Holocene Period.
Further south, with the exception of geoarchaeological studies
on the Danube immediately downstream of the Iron Gates
Gorge (C. Bonsall, University of Edinburgh, UK unpublished),
Late Quaternary histories of rivers draining to the Danube
across the Romanian Plain remain underresearched, despite
the presence of well preserved alluvial terrace sequences.
The Southern Romania Archaeological Project (SRAP) was
initiated in 1998 to investigate middle and late neolithic
land-use and settlement in the Teleorman Valley (Fig. 1) from
4500 BC (ca. 5700 yr BP). It provided an opportunity to study the
alluvial evolution of this part of the Danube basin as part of a
major integrated landscape history project (Bailey et al., 1999;
Bailey et al., 2001; Bailey et al., 2002). This paper presents the
results of detailed geomorphological, stratigraphical and sedimentological fieldwork combined with a programme of radiocarbon dating of the valley floor alluvial sequence. The
resulting data set provides the first Late-glacial and wellconstrained Holocene alluvial chronology and an assessment
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Figure 1 The location of the Southern Romania Archaeological Project (SRAP) field study area with respect to the Rivers Teleorman and Danube
of palaeohydrological conditions in the southern Romanian
Plain. Comparison of this data set with alluvial sequences
recorded elsewhere in central and northern Europe allows an
assessment of the potential for synchronous fluvial activity
across these parts of the continent.
Study area
The Teleorman River rises in the Carpathian Mountains and is a
major left bank tributary of the Danube. It has a drainage area
of approximately 830 km2, average channel gradient of
2 m km1, and channel length of 160 km. During the Pleistocene, it deposited a low-gradient fan composed of sands,
gravels and marls associated with orogenic uplift of the Carpathians. The fan was subsequently blanketed by loess prior
to incision towards the end of the last glacial stage (Neumann
and Haită, 1999). In the wider Danube basin, fluvial terraces,
lacustrine deposits, coversands and loessic material, the latter
including several well-developed palaeosols, form important
parts of the Pleistocene stratigraphical framework, although
research on these deposits is somewhat limited (Oncescu,
1965; Conea, 1970; Burchfiel and Bleahu, 1976).
Investigations have focused on a study reach 2 km long
between Lăceni and Măgura (25 210 2000 E 44 210 0400 N). Here,
the river has incised through approximately 20 m of Pleistocene fluvial and loess sediments to form a low gradient (falling
1.46 m km1) Holocene valley floor approximately 2 km wide.
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The contemporary river, which is situated in the central part of
the valley floor, is slightly sinuous with a single thread channel
inset up to approximately 5 m below the Late-glacial and
Holocene age terraced alluvial fills (Fig. 2).
The archaeological record of the Teleorman Valley has been
well studied (Spiru, 1996) and has provided important information for understanding prehistoric settlement patterns across
Europe (Willis and Bennett, 1994; Bailey, 2000). The earliest
notable settlement of the region is represented by the early neolithic Criş culture (from ca. 7400 yr BP, ca. 6200 cal. yr BC) and
is identified by red-slipped pottery sometimes with black or
white painted decoration. Criş sites are characterised by small
spreads of single-roomed pit-huts located on Pleistocene age
terraces 15–20 m above the valley floor. The population practiced small-scale garden horticulture (supplemented by gathering) in addition to the breeding of sheep, goat, cattle and pig
and the hunting of wild cattle and pig. After ca. 6600 yr BP
(ca. 5500 cal. yr BC), communities made different types of pottery (the Dudeşti culture) with diagnostic surface treatments of
deep, wide incisions of curvilinear and rectilinear design. During the Dudeşti phase, people again lived on the Pleistocene
age terraces, typically occupying small collections of pit-huts
with some structures built at ground level; their economy
was similar to the Criş culture. In the last quarter of the sixth
millennium and the first half of the fifth millennium BC, changing ceramic design denoted by the cutting away of clay from
the surface of the pot (excision) and the infilling of the empty
spaces with white paste indicates the development of the Boian
culture (ca. 6200 yr BP, ca. 5200 cal. yr BC), which was located
on the Late Pleistocene and early to mid-Holocene valley floor.
J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
RIVER DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOUTHERN ROMANIAN PLAIN
273
Figure 2 Geomorphological map of the study reach within the Teleorman Valley, southern Romanian Plain and sites referred to in the text
The Boian economy was similar to the Criş and Dudeşti cultures and settlement was also within small collections of single
and, in some cases, double-roomed structures either dug partially into the ground (a pit-hut) or more substantial buildings
created at ground level. However, during the middle of the fifth
millennium BC a significant change occurred marking the
beginning of the Gumelniţa culture (from ca. 5700 yr BP,
4500 cal. yr BC). Habitation was in larger buildings, many of
which had several rooms built using more substantial construction materials (larger wooden timbers, foundation trenches).
These larger, more durable Gumelniţa buildings were concentrated into small villages at the edges of the Holocene valley
floor, which became the focus for long-term occupation,
although it is most likely that people continued to move from
site to site or from one part of a landscape to another on a seasonal basis or in response to the needs of animals and resource
bases. The significant difference from the Criş, Dudeşti and
Boian communities is that Gumelniţa villagers chose to return
repeatedly to the same places. Through time, over a period of
centuries, Gumelniţa villages grew, although not necessarily
continuously into monumental settlement tells as a result of
repeated cycles of building, repair, destruction and rebuilding.
Significant occupation of tells appears to have ceased after
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
4800 yr BP (3500 cal. yr BC), although some show signs of reoccupation during the later first millennium BC and the medieval
period (Bailey, unpublished). After 4800 yr BP, the population
spread out, back across the landscape, although limited
research into this period prevents a secure understanding of
the focus of this settlement and the associated human activity.
In contrast to the archaeological record, the Late Pleistocene
and Holocene vegetational history of the Romanian Plain is
poorly understood (Tomescu, 2000). The alkaline loess deposits of the region do not favour the preservation of organic material and no research has been undertaken on lacustrine
sequences in the region (Tomescu, 2000). Further north and
west, pollen analysis of a small number of lake basins in the
Carpathian Mountains has provided a more detailed, radiometrically dated record of Late-glacial and Holocene vegetation.
However, these pollen sites are at contrasting altitudes and are
affected by significantly different local climatic conditions, preventing the secure correlation of these records on vegetational
grounds (Farcas et al., 1999; Björkman et al., 2002). The present vegetation of the Romanian Plain can be divided into three
broad zones, with oak forests present in the north and west,
forest-steppe in the south and central area, and steppe
along the eastern part of the plain adjacent to the Danube.
J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
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Pedological studies, however, have identified fossil steppe soils
under recent forest soils, suggesting that forests have advanced
and retreated across the steppe several times during the
Holocene, possibly reaching their maximum extent on the
Romanian Plain during the sub-Atlantic period (ca. 2500 yr BP)
(Chişu, 1971; Tomescu, 2000). It is likely that retreat and readvance of woodland would have had significant effects on local
hydrology and human activity, but without accurate dating of
these events (Tomescu, 2000) the precise implications of any
changes are presently unclear.
available (Fig. 2). The stratigraphy recorded in these test pits is
illustrated in Fig. 3. Detailed topographic profiles of the valley
floor were constructed by EDM (laser level) survey at three
cross-sections to determine stratigraphical relationships. The
valley floor sequence illustrated in Fig. 4 is based upon transect
2 shown in Fig. 2. Once a relative chronology had been established in the field, material for radiocarbon dating was collected from key sedimentary units. In total, 11 samples of
organic material were recovered and radiocarbon dated. These
dates are augmented by age determinations on three samples
collected by Tomescu during 1998 (Tomescu, 1998). Full
details of all dates and calibrated ages are provided in Table 1.
Field methods
Results
In the Lăceni–Măgura study reach, geomorphological mapping
of the valley floor was undertaken to identify alluvial landforms, including river terraces and upstanding sand and gravel
islands, palaeochannels, inset benches adjacent to the contemporary channel and alluvial fans on the western edge of the valley floor. The mappable edges of all landforms were delimited
using a hand-held Garmin (GPS12) Global Positioning System
(GPS), which at the time of survey had a spatial accuracy of
between 2 m. These co-ordinate data were incorporated into
a larger Geographical Information System data base (ArcView
3.2) captured as part of SRAP, allowing comparison of the
archaeological site distribution identified through fieldwalking
and test-pitting with river landforms. The sedimentology of
alluvial units on the western side of the valley floor was examined in natural cut-bank exposures along the contemporary
channel and in a series of large drainage ditches up to 2 m
deep, which were dug across the area during the 1980s. In
addition, 19 test pits, individually up to 3 m deep, were excavated by machine in areas where no other exposures were
Beyond the approximately 50 m wide active channel zone, the
valley floor forms a low-relief plain upon which five terrace
surfaces and associated palaeochannel systems have been
identified (Figs 2 and 4). Alluvial landforms are better preserved
on the eastern side of the valley floor because the western side
was disturbed by the excavation of drainage ditches and terracing during agricultural improvements in the 1980s. The oldest
fluvial elements of the valley floor comprise a system of two terraces (T1 and T2) with gravelly–sandy bars, islands and leveés,
associated with a series of high-amplitude palaeochannels
between ca. 150 and 200 m wide (Fig. 2). Internally these terraces comprise poorly-bedded sandy gravels and pebbly sands
in the topographically higher areas and peaty clays and peaty
sands within the lower lying palaeochannels. Imbrication indicates a high variance of palaeoflow. Sediments of both these
terrace units are strongly indurated by calcareous cementation,
probably precipitated during periods of fluctuating water table
Figure 3 Stratigraphy of sediments recorded in test pits excavated across the study reach. Locations of test pits are shown in Fig. 2. Test pit 14 quickly
flooded with groundwater, requiring rapid recording and sampling; this was not undertaken by the project geomorphologists (Howard and Macklin)
and therefore is not included here
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
RIVER DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOUTHERN ROMANIAN PLAIN
275
Figure 4 Cross-section through the deposits exposed on the western side of the study reach valley floor. Section is based on transect 2 (Fig. 2)
recorded by EDM survey
(Fig. 3). Palaeochannels on these terraces are five times larger
than the contemporary channel and reflect discharge conditions considerably higher than at present. A sample of wood
recovered from test pit 12 at a depth of 2 m, which yielded a
radiocarbon age estimate of ca. 12 880 yr BP (Beta-158852,
Table 1) suggests that these large gravel-bed channels were
active during part, if not all, of the Late-glacial period.
Although the possibility exists that the dated sample was
reworked from older sediments, its delicate condition suggests
that it was not recycled and therefore represents the true age
of these sediments. However, it is equally conceivable that
parts of these sedimentary sequences were deposited over a
prolonged time-scale, which may extend back to full glacial
conditions. Settlements of the semi-mobile Boian culture have
been found on top of these sandy bars, islands and levees of
Terraces 1 and 2, adjacent to the large palaeochannels
(Fig. 2). Radiocarbon dating of a single piece of animal bone
in a securely stratified archaeological context at one of these
settlement sites (Bailey et al., 2002) provided a radiocarbon
date of ca. 5800 yr BP (Beta-148762, Table 1) and provides a
broad upper age limit for the formation of these terrace units,
although it is accepted that there could be a prolonged hiatus
between the date provided by the animal bone and the final
deposition of the sediments.
Incised into this Late-glacial landsurface are at least three
younger terraces (T3, T4 and T5) with, on the less disturbed
eastern side of the valley, smaller meandering palaeochannels,
on their surfaces which are approximately 50 m wide. Test pitting of the highest and most extensive terrace on the western
side of the valley floor (T3) revealed approximately 2 m of clay
overlying sandy gravels, with both sediment facies being
cemented and indurated, although less intensely than the
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Late-glacial deposits (Figs 2 and 3). Extensive contemporary
channel-bank exposures through T4 and T5 revealed up to
3 m of imbricated sandy gravels overlain by up to 2 m of silt
and clay. The basal sand and gravel had well-developed lowangle, lateral accretionary bedding typical of deposition within
bar complexes of a laterally mobile river. The overlying finegrained sediments represent overbank deposition, and within
these are a number of prominent iron- and clay-rich palaeosols
(Neumann and Haită, 1999) traceable for over 100 m in section. Radiocarbon dating of T3–T5 alluvial units has helped
to refine the chronology of river incision and aggradation. At
the northern edge of the study reach, 14C dating of a tree trunk
within the basal sands and gravels of T3 (point A, Fig. 2), close
to the contemporary river bed, indicates that incision of T2 had
occurred sometime before the beginning of the third millennium BC and that aggradation of T3 started sometime after ca.
4800 yr BP (Beta-147293; Table 1). This is corroborated by a
date of ca. 4900 yr BP from wood within basal sands and
gravels approximately 300 m downstream (point B, Fig. 2;
Beta-147292, Table 1). A date of ca. 4000 yr BP from a sample
of wood collected from test-pit 10 from a depth of 2.4 m and a
basal sample of charred material from a lateral accretionary
surface at point C dated to ca. 3800 yr BP (Fig. 2) suggest that
aggradation continued until the end of the second millenium BC
(Beta-158850 and Beta-147291, Table 1). Incision of T3 and
aggradation of T4 had begun by the latest at ca. 3100 yr BP,
demonstrated by dated material recovered by Tomescu close
to point C (Fig. 2; AA-38910, AA-38911 and AA-38912,
Table 1). Sedimentary exposures in test pit 14 in the neighbouring Claniţa Valley (Fig. 2) also indicate significant peat growth
at the floodplain margins by ca. 2900 yr BP (Beta-161049 and
Beta-161050, Table 1).
J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In bar core sands and silts (T4)
In bar core sands and silts (T4)
In bar core sands and silts (T4)
Charred material
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
Charcoal
Bone (animal)
Wood
Wood
Wood
Plant seed
Plant seed
Beta-147291
Beta-147292
Beta-147293
Beta-158850
Beta-158851
Beta-158852
Beta-148762
AA-38910
(GU-8997)
AA-38911
(GU-8998)
AA-38912
(GU-8999)
Beta-161049
Beta-161050
Peat
Peat
In colluvial sandy clay of fan
In bar top sands
In bar core pebbly sands (T2)
In fine grained channel fill (T5)
In bar core sands and gravels (T4)
In bar core sands and gravels
(inset bench)
In bar top sands and gravels (T3)
In bar core sands and gravels (T3)
In bar core sands and gravels (T3)
In bar core sands and gravels (T3)
SRAP 2000/07
SRAP 2000/08
SRAP 2000/09
SRAP 2001/07
(TPT 10)
SRAP 2001/08
(TPT 12)
SRAP 2001/09
SRAP 2000/10
(TPT 19)
SRAP/ Tomescu
W2.1
SRAP/ Tomescu
W2.2
SRAP/ Tomescu
W2.3
SRAP 2001/36
(TPT 14)
SRAP 2001/37
(TPT 14)
Wood
Wood
Bone
Beta-147288
Beta-147289
Beta-147290
Location
SRAP 2000/04
SRAP 2000/05
SRAP 2000/06
Material
Laboratory code
SRAP sample
code
30.8
25.2
24.3
3100 45
3125 40
3075 70
25.6
23.6
19.5
2380 120
5880 40
2810 40
27.4
12 880 130
25.2
25
25
25
27.5
3800 60
4980 80
4820 60
4000 80
2930 40
25
25
19
1050 60
3360 70
190 60
Conventional 13CPCB age (BP)
0.1%
AMS
AMS
AMS
AMS
AMS
R
AMS
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
Radiometric (R)
or AMS assay
BC
BC
BC
BC
BC
1040–850
1270–1000
1500–1128
1494–1265
1488–1223
2450–2040
3960–3640
BC 3700–3510 and 3420–3390
BC 2860–2810, 2750–2720
and 2700–2290
BC 13 850–13 310 and
12 630–12 520
BC 800–180
BC 4810–4680
BC
BC
BC
880–1050/AD 1100–1140
1870–1840/BC 1780–1500
AD 1530–1550/AD 1630–1950
AD
Calibrated to 2
cal. yr, BC/AD
2990–2800
3220–2950
3450–3078
3443–3214
3437–3172
4400–3990
5910–5590
5650–5460 and 5370–5340
4810–4760, 4700–4670
and 4650–4240
15 800–15 260 and
14 580–14 470
2750–2130
6760–6640
1070–900/850–810
3820–3780/3730–3450
420–400/320–0
Calibrated
years BP
Table 1 Radiocarbon dates from the Teleorman River valley, southern Romania collected as part of the Southern Romania Archaeological Project (SRAP). All Beta dates are calibrated using INTCAL 98 (Stuiver et al.,
1998); dates AA-38910-38912 are calibrated by the University of Washington, Quaternary Isotope Laboratory Radiocarbon Dating Programme, Rev. 4.0 1998
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J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
Figure 5 Correlation of river activity within the Teleorman Valley with other geomorphological proxy records across central and northern Europe. Sources of this information are: Passmore et al. (unpublished); Macklin
and Lewin (1993); Starkel (1995); Kalicki (1996); Kalicki and Sanko (1998); Alexandrowicz and Alexandrowicz (1999); Andres et al. (2001); and Sidorchuk et al. (2001)
RIVER DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOUTHERN ROMANIAN PLAIN
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
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The lower Holocene terrace units (T4 and T5) are overlain by
sands, silts and clays, and radiocarbon dating of wood from a
small channel fill scoured into the top of the sands and gravels
at point D (Fig. 2) indicates fine-grained alluviation began soon
after 1000 yr BP (Beta-147288, Table 1). However, charcoal
recovered at a depth of 1.5 m (test pit 19) within an alluvial
fan on the western side of the valley floor (Fig. 2) provided
an age determination of ca. 2400 yr BP (Beta-158852; Table
1), indicating significant slope erosion and deposition at valley
floor margins around this time.
The present channel and floodplain of the Teleorman River is
entrenched approximately 5 m below the Holocene age terraces. Radiocarbon dating of animal bone from within a bench
approximately 1.5 m above the contemporary channel gave an
age of ca. 190 yr BP (point E, Fig. 2; Beta- 147290, Table 1),
indicating that this phase of incision occurred sometime
between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries AD.
Discussion
Figure 5 illustrates the timing of periods of enhanced Late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial activity in the Teleorman Valley
with respect to other fluvial systems across central and eastern
Europe (Macklin and Lewin, 1993; Starkel, 1995; Kalicki,
1996; D. G. Passmore et al., University of Newcastle, unpublished). River activity in some of these latter systems has been
linked to climatic change through correlation with other geomorphological proxy records including lake-level and glacier
fluctuation data in the Alpine zone, landslides in the Carpathians (Starkel, 1995; Kalicki, 1996; Alexandrowicz and
Alexandrowicz, 1999) and raised bog stratigraphies in the UK
(Macklin, 1999).
In the Teleorman Valley, palaeochannels on Terraces 1 and
2 have a similar morphology to those recorded from the Maas
basin in The Netherlands (Vandenberghe et al., 1994), the
Tisza basin in Hungary, the Warta and Vistula basins in Poland
(Vandenberghe et al., 1994; Kalicki, 1996) and across the East
European Plain (Sidorchuk et al., 2001). All of these examples
date from ca. 25 000 yr BP and were abandoned during the
Late-glacial, by ca. 11 000 yr BP, their size reflecting both
higher discharges and permafrost preventing groundwater
throughflow (Sidorchuk et al., 2001). Variations in local geological conditions including channel slope and bedload type
have been used to explain regional discrepancies in the timing
of abandonment, which in the northern part of the East
European Plain (EEP, Fig. 5) may not have occurred until ca.
8500 yr BP (Vandenberghe et al., 1994; Sidorchuk et al.,
2001). Although only a single age determination, the date of
ca. 12 800 yr BP from a large meander on T2 sits well within
this established chronology and indicates that it was probably
active during the Late-glacial period. The timing of large meander abandonment in the Teleorman Valley is unclear because
no fluvial units of early Holocene age have been identified or
dated. However, archaeological evidence and radiometric dating indicates that people of the Boian culture were occupying
the gravelly–sandy bars, islands and leveés immediately adjacent to these large palaeochannels for prolonged periods
around 5800 yr BP (Beta-148762, Table 1). Occupation of this
area would have been unlikely if these were still active primary
channels and this therefore provides a broad upper age for
these features.
From the middle Holocene, the Teleorman River underwent
net aggradation at around 4900–4800 yr BP, 4000–3800 yr BP,
3300–2800 yr BP and 1000 yr BP, punctuated by phases of river
Copyright ß 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
incision. In addition, a phase of alluvial fan deposition on the
western side of the valley floor is dated to ca. 2400 yr BP (Fig. 5).
All these periods of alluvial sedimentation correlate well with
periods of climatic cooling, increased humidity and enhanced
fluvial activity (flood frequency and magnitude) recorded elsewhere in central, northern and western Europe (Macklin and
Lewin, 1993; Starkel, 1995; Kalicki, 1996, Rumsby and Macklin 1996) and other geomorphological records, including landslide activity in the Carpathian Mountains (Alexandrowicz and
Alexandrowicz, 1999) and bog oak chronologies in Germany
(Spurk et al., 2002). Phases of calcium precipitation and
cementation of alluvial sediments in the Teleorman Valley
could relate to a number of these wetter phases, with calcareous precipitation recorded in Poland, for example, before
5000 yr BP and between 4100 and 3200 yr BP (Starkel, 1995).
It is not yet possible to ascertain whether human activity was
important in changing the nature of the hydrological regime in
this region. Pedological studies across the Romanian Plain
have indicated that forests have advanced and retreated across
the steppe several times during the Holocene in response to climate change, possibly reaching their maximum extent on the
Romanian Plain during the sub-Atlantic period (ca. 2500 yr BP)
(Chişu, 1971; Tomescu, 2000). These ecotonal changes would
have had significant effects on local hydrology and these may
have led to some of these episodes of increased river activity
and chemical precipitation in the Teleorman Valley, although
the lack of dating of these vegetational changes prevents a
detailed comparison with the fluvial record. The archaeological record provides evidence for human occupation and a
small-scale garden horticulture economy in the Teleorman Valley from the early neolithic period (ca. 7400 yr BP). However,
the fluvial record suggests that the impact of these peoples on
the landscape (in the form of, for example, enhanced slope
channel sediment coupling associated with devegetation)
appears to have been limited with no evidence of significant
fluvial activity for another ca. 2500 yr. Further, enhanced
fine-grained sedimentation, which is commonly associated
with human-induced soil erosion (Robinson and Lambrick
1984; Brown and Barber, 1985; Macklin et al., 1991; Brown,
1992; Hunt et al., 1992) is not noted until ca. 2400 yr BP,
approximately 5000 yr after the first neolithic farmers. It may
be that the impact of these early farmers on the landscape
was slight or that clearance was taking place in conjunction
with woodland management (coppicing, pollarding) thereby
reducing degradation of the natural environment as suggested
for the neolithic period and Copper Age of northeast Hungary
(Gardner, 2002). However, the retreat of forest habitats after ca.
2500 yr BP, through a combination of climate change and the
intensification of human activity may explain the increased
fine-grained sedimentation recorded in alluvial fans and more
recent river incision in response to higher rates of runoff. Unfortunately, at present, the archaeological record of the later prehistoric and historic periods in the Teleorman Valley is poorly
understood and it would be unwise to attempt to link these
phases of enhanced fluvial activity to human practices.
Conclusions
This study of the Teleorman Valley in the southern Romanian
Plain has identified a suite of five major river terraces and associated palaeochannel systems, which record changing climatic
conditions from the Late-glacial through to the middle and late
Holocene and approximately 5 m of entrenchment in the central part of the valley floor within the past 1000 yr. The increase
J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 19(3) 271–280 (2004)
RIVER DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOUTHERN ROMANIAN PLAIN
in fine-grained sedimentation across the valley floor may be
linked to changing sediment supply and alluvial fan deposition
around 2400 yr BP. These episodes of alluviation appear to
have parallels with records established elsewhere in central
and northern Europe. Starkel (1995) has suggested that the
cyclonic nature of circulation across Europe may explain the
strong correlations between ‘black oak’ deposition in southern
Germany and southern Poland and weaker correlations
between southern and northern Poland. The record presented
here from the Teleorman Valley, a tributary of the Danube, suggests that despite major physiographic barriers separating the
southern Romania Plain from other parts of central Europe,
strong parallels exist between alluvial and other geomorphological records. Human activity appears to have had little effect
on the environment, with significant fine-grained sedimentation not noted until ca. 2400 yr BP, approximately 5000 yr after
the first neolithic farmers settled the area. Whether this record
truly reflects the impact of prehistoric societies on this catchment is unclear at present. Ongoing work in this part of southeast Europe aims to further elucidate these relationships.
Acknowledgements The Southern Romania Archaeological Project
(SRAP) is grateful for financial support from the Society of Antiquaries,
the British Academy, Cardiff University, The National Historical
Museum of Romania, the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Teleorman
Regional Historical Museum and the Teleorman Regional Council. AJH
and MGM gratefully acknowledge financial assistance to undertake
geomorphological studies of the Teleorman Valley as part of this project. Thanks are also due to Lois Wright and Ann Rooke for drawing the
figures, Steve Trick for additional GPS survey, and Costel Haită and
Amy Bogaard for sampling test pit 19. The comments of Dr Jamie
Woodward and Professor Jef Vandenberghe improved this manuscript
and are gratefully acknowledged. Further details of SRAP can be found
at www.cf.ac.uk/srap/
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