Natural and human induced environmental changes preserved in a Holocene sediment sequence from the Etoliko Lagoon, Greece: New evidence from geochemical proxies Elke Haenssler a, * , Marie-Josée Nadeau b , Andreas Vött c , Ingmar Unkel a a Graduate School “Human Development in Landscapes”, c/o Institute for Ecosystem Research, Kiel University, Olshausenstr. 75, D-24118 Kiel, Germany b Leibniz-Laboratory for Radiometric Dating and Isotope Research, Max-Eyth-Str.11-13, 24118 Kiel, Germany c Department of Geography, University of Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 21, D-55099 Mainz, Germany article info Article history: Available online 30 June 2012 abstract A key feature of Greece is the large amount of historical and archaeological records. The sedimentary record of the Etoliko Lagoon, Aetolia, Western Greece, offers an ideal opportunity to study human eenvironment interaction and to disentangle natural and anthropogenic imprints in the sedimentary record. By applying an interdisciplinary approach of combining geoscientific methods (XRF, LOI, grain size analysis) with archaeological and historical records, the 8.8 m long sedimentary sequence ETO1C reveals the palaeoenvironmental history of the lagoon and its catchment since 11,670 cal BP. With a thorough chronology based on 14 C age-depth-modelling including varve counting, different evolu- tionary stages were put in a chronological context. These stages include a lake period (11,670 e8310 cal BP) followed by a period of sporadic saltwater intrusion (8310e1350 cal BP) as a result of continuing transgression. Phases of limnic predominance associated with freshwater inflow of episodi- cally activated distributaries (around 5230 cal BP) still occurred. By 1350 cal BP, ongoing sea level rise had connected the lagoons of Etoliko and Messolonghi and freshwater influence had ceased. With the onset of settlement activity in the Late Helladic (1700e1100 cal BC) humans took advantage of the prevailing environmental landscape. A sudden increase in coarse sedimentation correlates with the history of human occupation with its peak of prosperity from the Late Helladic until the end of the Hellenistic Period (30 cal BC). Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction An important characteristic of Greece is its rich cultural heritage represented by various archaeological sites containing relicts depicting the emergence and decline of highly populated and advanced societies. In order to fully comprehend the environmental context affecting the choice of location and to capture environmental changes and its effect on societies, numerous studies were conducted aiming at reconstructing the palaeoenvironment surrounding ancient cities or famous landmarks (e.g. Kraft et al., 2007; Pavlopoulos et al., 2006; Vött et al., 2006; Ghilardi et al., 2010; Triantaphyllou et al., 2010). Additionally, the rich documentary evidence of human activity is an essential premise to decipher anthropogenic signatures in sedimentary archives, a significant question of research. The controversial work of Vita-Vinzi (1969), The Mediterranean Valleys, provoked a stimulating debate about the underlying cause of Holocene soil erosion. Vita-Vinzi (1969) proposed a climate driven sediment aggradation, whereas contrasting opinions (Pope and van Andel,1984; Brückner,1986) argued for anthropogenic-induced soil erosion. After almost four decades of research, disentangling climatic and anthropogenic signals in sedimentary sequences is still focus of discussion, however, more complex, multi causal concepts are considered (Bintliff, 2002; Pope et al., 2003). Recently, the current knowledge concerning the identification of the driving force of Holocene sediment dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean was reviewed in a comprehensive synthesis by Dusar et al. (2011). In this paper, the sedimentary record (ETO1C) of the Etoliko Lagoon, Aetolia, Western Greece, is presented. Influenced by the interrelationship of marine and terrestrial environments, lagoons are excellent geoarchives for the reconstruction of spatio-temporal coastline dynamics (Pavlopoulos et al., 2006). The Etoliko Lagoon marks the northern part of the Etoliko-Messolonghi Lagoon complex characterizing the southern coast of Aetolia (Fig. 1). From an archae- ological point of view, Aetolia is still in its infancy. However, ceramic finds and archaeological evidence confirm noteworthy human activity from the Late Helladic (1700e1100 BC) onward (Bommeljé and Doom, 1987). This study builds on the work of Vött et al. (2007) which * Corresponding author. E-mail address: ehaenssler@gshdl.uni-kiel.de (E. Haenssler). Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint 1040-6182/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2012.06.031 Quaternary International 308-309 (2013) 89e104