Late quaternary paleogeography of Middle Europe and the Northcentral United States: A framework for comparative studies of prehistoric man‐land relationships

Abstract

AbstractThe work summarized in this paper is an important component of a larger study concerned with the responses of prehistoric hunting‐gathering cultures to long term environmental change. the general approach involves comparing cultural systems and their transformations in Middle Europe and the northcentral United States during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene transition from glacial to interglacial conditions. This paper is specifically aimed at identifying ecological factors that may help account for similarities and differences in the cultural successions on opposite sides of the Atlantic. We conclude that, despite broadly similar environmental histories in both regions, important differences are evident in, for example, trajectories of climatic amelioration. These, together with differences in human demography, can be seen to have contributed toward shaping divergent cultural adaptations in Europe and North America.