Experiments on neolithic slash-and-burn agriculture in Forchtenberg

Welcome to our conference website. Here you will find all the information about the conference and some impressions of our nearly 30-year-long experiments near Forchtenberg. Kontakt: info@wald-feldbau.de Registration: Registration 2nd Circular: https://wald-feldbau.de/tagung202627/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2nd_circular_Farming-in-the-Forest-4_final-updated.pdf

History

Ever since the early years of Neolithic research in Europe, the use of fire as a method for forest clearance has been a subject of debate. While the notion of Neolithic swidden cultivation had long been dismissed for Central Europe, interdisciplinary studies in the Lake Constance region have revived the question of whether such practices may indeed have occurred. Since 1998, the long-term Forchtenberg experiment has been investigating both the economic potential of fire-based extensive cultivation and its ecological impact on the natural environment. With this nearly 30-year-long experiment, it is also possible to monitor the secondary succession that follows anthropogenic disturbance. More

Conference

The 4th “Farming in the Forest”-conference seeks to bring together archaeologists, palaeobotanists, archaeozoologists, soil scientists, ecologists, historians and geographers interested in pre-industrial agriculture. Different modes of cultivation, ranging from horticulture to forest fallow systems, including the regular use of fire will be discussed in terms of their economic potential and environmental impact. Furthermore, different modes of livestock farming, will be discussed in terms of interactions between fire, pasture and animal husbandry, the integration of grazing into forest-use systems, and their economic and ecological implications.Experiments on neolithic slash-and-burn agriculture in Forchtenberg

MAIN THEMES

  • Fire as a land‑use tool: the interaction between fire, agricultural production, pasture environments,
    and animal husbandry, and the associated agricultural and pastoral systems, analysed through
    archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and experimental frameworks
  • Recognising and recording palaeofire in archaeological and palaeoecological archives: standards
    and methodological developments
  • Forest ecology under fire and associated disturbances: “the foodprint” of fire-related land use
    patterns in the forest ecosystem

Scientific sessions + Slash and burn experiment:

The Slash and burn experiment scheduled for september was cancelled due to dry conditions and risk of forest fires this summer.
Both events will now take place on the same date in April:

04.-06.04.2027 at the Schöntal Monastery, Klosterhof 6, 74214 Schöntal, Germany

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
This conference is organised by the
– Baden-Württemberg State Office for Cultural Heritage https://www.denkmalpflege-bw.de/
– Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne https://ufg.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/
– Institute of Prehistory, Early History and Medieval Archaeology University of Tübingen https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/philosophische-fakultaet/fachbereiche/altertums-und-kunstwissenschaften/ur-und-fruehgeschichte-und-archaeologie-des-mittelalters/institut/
– Institute for Ecosystem Research (Geoarchaeology and Environmental Hazards), Kiel University https://www.ecosystems.uni-kiel.de/en/institute-for-ecosystem-research/geoarchaeology-and-environmental-hazards


Scientific committee in alphabetical order:
Eileen Eckmeier, Kiel University, Kiel
Hannes Knapp, University of Cologne, Cologne
Raiko Krauß, University of Tübingen, Tübingen
Elena Marinova, Baden-Württemberg State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hemmenhofen
Oliver Nelle, Baden-Württemberg State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hemmenhofen
Vincent Robin, University of Lorraine, Metz
Silviane Scharl, University of Cologne, Cologne


Local Organising Committee:
Oliver Nelle, Elena Marinova, Otto Ehrmann, Birgit Kury, Tanja Märkle, Ayaka Nguyen, Giulia Di Giamberardino