Savaria - A Vas Megyei Múzeumok értesítője 25/3. (2000-2001) (Szombathely, 2002)

Vámos Gábor: Növényjelenségek a Borostyánkő út magyarszecsődi szakaszán

VÁMOS GÁBOR: Növényjelenségek a Borostyánkő út magyarszecsődi szakaszán EFFECTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PHENOMENA ON CULTIVATED PLANTS AT AMBER-ROAD NEAR MAGYARSZECSŐD Currently, an increasing number of studies, papers deal with interdisciplinary topics embracing the border region of several scientific disciplines. This paper was made in a similar spirit. Notions from the field of agrarian sciences can effectively help in a discipline of totally different approach, i.e., archaeology. By our days, one of the most advanced branches of archaeological prospection, aerial archaeology has surpassed its initial phase, the analysis of aerial photographs. The growing set of information requires more exact measurements, better preparation and more careful work. Analysis of aerial photos focus on natural phenomena. Archaeological features can be defined for this method as natural phenomena as well. The features analysed can be assigned into two large group, soil phenomena and crops phenomena. Soil phenomena include shadow, snow and moisture marks. More important for us, there are some specific features in the growth of crops associated with large archaeological features. Crops phenomena specifically mean the indication by the growth of plants. This paper is consecrated in the strict sense to this problem. The study of plant crops phenomena has been a neglected orphan child of archaeological aerial photography, both in the few Hungarian instances as the more ample international technical literature. Even in more detailed studies we find only vague references, saying, i.e., some archaeological features like hidden walls the covering vegetation produces lesser growth rates, while an equally hidden trench produces more intensive growth of the vegetation than the individuals of the surrounding environment. The former phenomenon is called negative, the latter positive plant growth anomalies. The problem however is much more complex: the interaction of several components appears as the features registered as crops growth phenomena. The perspective of these studies have been to prove the existence of plant growth anomaly phenomena by exact measurements, helping the practical work of those who study aerial photographs of corn fields covering archaeological features. The aim of the analyses has been, above all, the presentation of the growth of cereal plants covering archaeological features. The study area is a ploughland of 3,5 ha extension called Bibic-meadow, belonging to the village Magyarszecsőd adjacent to the town of Körmend in Vas county. The covering plant studied was spring barley; the archaeological feature a part of the Roman Age „Amber road" connecting the stations Salla and Savaria in Pannónia. In our case the registered feature appears as special soil features. As such, these features influence the growth of the covering plant individuals. These changes can be detected in qualitative and quantitative way as the Roman road produces apparent negative crops phenomena. Experimental methodology included the observation of measurement points fixed by geodesic methods. The vegetation cycle of barley was divided into twelve measurement units (from Sprouting till harvesting). Differences in growth and colour over and around the immediate vicinity of the archaeological feature were registered. Numerical data were evaluated taking into consideration pedological and meteorological factors, registered in tables and charts. 233