Archaeological investigations in the Vroue area in Westjutland (see Fig. 1) have been performed since the beginning of this century. Single Grave barrows on Resen Heath were excavated 1901-1902 by HC Blinkenberg and H. Kjrer for the National Museum. These investigations were later published by Jergensen (1977a). The famous passage grave at Hagebrogard was excavated 1910 and was re-investigated by E. Jergensen in1969 Qergensen 1977a). Early Neolithic long-barrows, passage graves, stone-heap graves and Single Grave barrows in the Sjerup Plantation and on Vroue Heath were excavated by E. Jergensen 1970-1985 Qergensen 1973; 1977a; 1977b; 1981, 1985). A number of well-dated barrows extending in age from the Early Neolithic to the Single Grave Culture and concentrated to a small area in the Sjerup Plantation and on Vroue and Resen Heaths thus are thoroughly known (Fig. 3). One grave mound from the Bronze Age occurs in that area Qergensen 1977a). In recent years experience with pollen analysis of soil horizons buried below barrows and enclosed in fill material from Early Neolithic mounds, Middle Neolithic passage graves and Bronze Age mounds in East and North Denmark has been gained (Andersen 1988; 1990; 1992; in print a; in print b). Based on these investigations, information about small-scale vegetation composition and prehistoric land-use at the burial mounds prior to and at the time of their erection was gained. S. Jergensen (1965) and Odgaard and Rostholm (1989) investigated soils beneath a few Single Grave Culture barrows in West Jutland. Information about vegetation and land-use around barrows from the Funnel Beaker Culture and a wider range of Single Grave Culture barrows in West jutland is still missing.

The general vegetational development and human impact on the vegetation in North West jutland is well known from the investigations of Odgaard (1994). It was therefore a promising task to study the well-dated barrows in the Vroue area by pollen analysis. It was expected to obtain pollen diagrams to indicate small-scale changes in vegetation prior to the erection of the mounds and vegetation and landuse at the time of the barrows. These results might also elucidate the transition from the Funnel Beaker Culture to the Single Grave Culture. 1994, sections were opened in four Early Neolithic long barrows, three passage graves and a round barrow from the Early Middle Neolithic, five barrows with undergraves and three barrows with ground graves of the Single Grave Culture in the Vroue area. Pollen diagrams were worked out for these sites. No soils occur underneath the stone-packing graves from the Middle Neolithic and there were no primary barrows with overgraves. Soils in Neolithic barrows in Denmark were first investigated by Muller (1884) and Sarauw (1898). Later, pollen analysis was applied by Jergensen (1965), Andersen (1988; 1992) and Odgaard and Rostholm (1989). Neolithic soils in North Germany were studied with pollen analysis by Groenman-van Waateringe (1979) and Averdieck (1980). In the Netherlands, soils underneath Neolithic barrows were first studied with pollen analysis by Waterbolk (1954; 1958),