Late Glacial Human Dispersals in Northern Europe and Disequilibrium Dynamics

Abstract

There is mounting evidence for the non-analogue nature of Late Glacial (18,000–11,700 years BP) ecosystems. Several dispersal episodes of human forager groups moving into previously uninhabitable glacial or periglacial landscapes also occurred during this period. In palaearctic northern Europe, these dispersals are associated with a succession of archaeological technocomplexes that are traditionally thought to reflect changing adaptation strategies synchronised with contemporaneous environmental changes. Recent investigations into ecological disequilibrium dynamics suggest, however, that there may be a greater degree of mismatch between organisms and their environments, especially in arctic-type environments and during times of rapidly changing climate. We link these climatic changes to cultural changes via demographic inference. Based on recent dating evidence, environmental analyses and preliminary morphometric and technological analyses of lithic material, we infer that Late Glacial Palearctic foragers, similarly at disequilibrium and with very low population densities, were prone to regional extinction episodes. We focus in particular on ‘Hamburgian’ culture and its potentially failed dispersal into southern Scandinavia. In conclusion, we suggest avenues for further testing this hypothesis of regional extinction.