Early Holocene environmental change and the presence of Mesolithic people in the Tungelroyse Beek valley near Mildert, the Netherlands

Lineke Woelders,Jan-Willem De Kort,Wim Z Hoek,Johanna A A Bos

doi:10.1007/s00334-015-0543-x

Lineke Woelders, Jan-Willem De Kort + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-015-0543-x

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Abstract

An archaeological excavation in the Tungelroyse Beek valley revealed the remains of two red deer specimens (Cervus elaphus) of Early Mesolithic age that possibly were the victims of hunter-gatherers. The find of animal remains of this age is unique in the Netherlands. In this respect, a sediment core taken close to the remains was investigated, i.e. to reconstruct the vegetation and landscape development of the site and to find more evidence for human activity at this site during the Early Mesolithic. The sediment core shows a typical Early Holocene palynological sequence from the Younger Dryas into the Middle Atlantic, which is supported by AMS dating. The microscopic charcoal record shows peaks in fire activity during the Younger Dryas and Friesland phase, probably wildfire related. Records of spores of coprophilous fungi indicate that the Tungeroyse Beek valley was a favourable place for large herbivores (game) to visit during the investigated period. However, around the age of the oldest red deer remains, no significant peak in fire activity or spores of coprophilous fungi is visible in the investigated record. The pollen diagram does not show disturbed or open vegetation around this age either. This study therefore suggests the impact of Early Mesolithic people on their environment was very low.

Highlights

The Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) is a cultural period that started at the beginning of the Holocene (*10,700 cal BP or 9500 BC) and is characterized by hunter-gatherer, prefarming societies (Price 1987)
An archaeological excavation in the Tungelroyse Beek valley revealed the remains of two red deer specimens (Cervus elaphus) of Early Mesolithic age that possibly were the victims of hunter-gatherers
The palynological results together with magnetic susceptibility, loss on ignition (LOI) and microscopic charcoal record of the Tungelroyse Beek core are shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which display the regional and local pollen records, respectively

Summary

Introduction

The Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) is a cultural period that started at the beginning of the Holocene (*10,700 cal BP or 9500 BC) and is characterized by hunter-gatherer, prefarming societies (Price 1987). The invention or introduction of new technologies, agriculture and the domestication of animals marks the end of the Mesolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic. During the Mesolithic, settlements were generally larger, of longer duration, and more differentiated than in the preceding Palaeolithic (Price 1987). The activities of Mesolithic people had a supposedly small-localized impact on the vegetation. Their impact is, often poorly reflected in the pollen deposition and overlooked in pollen diagrams (Bos and Janssen 1996). Many sites reached the final stages of sediment accumulation and hydroseral succession during

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