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This thesis investigated human impact on the environment at a local scale from the onset of the Neolithic (6100 BC) until the end of the Middle Ages (1400 AD) near the Jantra catchment in northern Bulgaria. It is generally accepted that humans have altered the environment since the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic to improve hunting and gathering, but it is not clear since when humans had a significant impact on the landscape. Several studies have been investigating human impact on the vegetation, but different estimations of human impact occur among different authors. Furthermore, existing studies are often done at a global scale which restricts detailed human impact assessment and geomorphic modelling. Holocene erosion and sedimentation patterns are studied in several regions including western Europe and the Mediterranean, but these patterns are unknown in the Balkan region, despite the importance of the region in the spread of agriculture from the Levant to the rest of Europe.The assessment of human impact in this thesis was done by simulating and mapping land cover requirements for different scenarios. The land cover requirements were modelled based on existing archaeological research and reports, food requirements and population numbers. Next, the optimal location for arable land, pasture and forest was simulated. Erosion and sedimentation were calculated using a geomorphic model. Eventually, the results were compared with field-based results from another MSc student who worked in the same area. Results show that pasture and arable land demands in the region were low from the Neolithic until the Iron Age, but increased sharply at the onset of the La Tène period and kept on increasing until the Medieval period. The same trend is visible regarding erosion and sedimentation. At the start of the La Tène period, soil erosion rates sharply increased. However, at the end of the Iron Age, on average 10 to 30 cm, of the top soil was removed depending on the scenario...