Mesolithic People Research Articles

A multiproxy approach to understanding the impact of the Storegga tsunami upon Mesolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers across different regions of western Norway

The Storegga tsunami (c. 8150 cal BP) is geologically well attested from various isolation basins across the west Norwegian coast. Ascertaining the impact it had upon the Mesolithic peoples who lived through it, however, remains a difficult proposition; one further complicated by broadly synchronic processes of climate change and sea-level rise. This paper presents a regional scale approach to addressing this matter through a multiproxy study comprising: 1) the performance of a new numerical tsunami run-up simulation for six different focus areas; 2) characterising the impact of the tsunami upon key resource base ecosystems; 3) characterising the potential for complication arising from contemporaneous processes of environmental change caused by the ‘8.2 ka BP event', and sea-level rise associated with the early-mid Holocene ‘Tapes’ transgression, and 4) the reconstruction of temporal traditions in site location relative to the contemporary palaeoshoreline within the six focus areas used for the numerical simulation.Severity of run-up and inundation is found to be acutely variable according to coastal geomorphology and topography, bathymetry, and proximity to the propagation centre. Although the tsunami may have had a severely negative impact upon some coastal inhabitants and ecosystems, it is not possible from current evidence to reliably infer unequivocal impacts relating to the tsunami through the archaeological record, nor is it clear that impact upon key ecosystem components was necessarily lasting, widespread, or even entirely negative for coastal hunter-fisher-gatherers. Variability in projected run-up and settlement histories highlight the appeal of regionally based approaches to reconstructing impact, at least where data resolution may permit. The tsunami does not appear to have prompted a lasting shift away from coastally oriented ways of life.

Plant exploitation and subsistence patterns of the Mesolithic in arid China: New evidence of plant macro-remains from the Pigeon Mountain site

The nature of the Mesolithic in China has not been studied much due to the few well-context sites discovered and excavated during this period. The situation also restricts the understanding of human subsistence in the Mesolithic period in China, especially in the arid region. The present paper reports the flotation results at Locality 10 of the Pigeon Mountain site in Northwest China. Ten species of plants belonging to six families were identified, dominated by Agriophyllum squarrosum and Artemisia sieversiana. No firm evidence proves the domestication. Combined with the lithic artefacts in QG10, ancient people could utilize plant resources by constructing or expanding the food spectrum. It is the first systematic archaeobotany work in the Paleolithic site of Northwest China. The result reminds us that the enhanced utilization of wild plant resources is a vital subsistence for Mesolithic people in arid regions.

A multi-staged drift sand geo-archive from the Netherlands: New evidence for the impact of prehistoric land use on the geomorphic stability, soils, and vegetation of aeolian sand landscapes

The drift sand area near Hilversum, the Netherlands, holds a geo-archive with multiple drift sand phases and intercalated palaeosols. We studied this area to test earlier theories on the development of podzols in such aeolian sands, the occurrence of sand drifting, and the contemporary vegetation development, and to gain insight into the early human impacts on these fragile ecosystems. Based on OSL and radiocarbon datings, palaeoecological studies, and soil chemical analyses, the age and origin of the drift sand phases and palaeosols were established. Sand drifting started around 6000 BCE (Late Mesolithic), the drift sand covering a distinct podzol in the Younger Cover Sand II. A second Late Mesolithic drift sand phase dated from ca. 4900–4500 BCE. Three later drift sand phases were distinguished of which the last is the classic Late Medieval (and younger) phase, while the first two date from the Neolithic. All intercalated palaeosols exhibited more or less prominent podzolisation. The palaeocological data showed that, prior to the Neolithic, in the forest open patches had developed with non-arboreal vegetation, dominated by Poaceae and Ericaceae. This changed during the Neolithic, most probably linked to the introduction of crop farming, the vegetation gradually acquiring the characteristics of the classic heathland with patches of trees/shrubs. The early sand drifting, podzolisation and opening of the forest are attributed to Mesolithic land use, with intentional burning as major factor. We conclude that the local destruction of the deciduous forests by fire and associated creation of open patches with bare sand were essential for the early sand drifting and podzolisation to occur. The results shed new light on the origin of drift sands, heathlands, and podzols in the Netherlands, and on the environmental impacts of Mesolithic people, and testify to the fundamental instability of these dry inland dune ecosystems.

Lateglacial to Mid-Holocene Vegetation History in the Eastern Vale of Pickering, Northeast Yorkshire, UK: Pollen Diagrams from Palaeolake Flixton

Palaeolake Flixton, in the eastern Vale of Pickering in northeast Yorkshire, UK, existed as open water during the Lateglacial and early to mid-Holocene, until hydroseral succession and gradual terrestrialisation changed it to an area of fen and basin peatland by the later mid-Holocene. The environs of the lake were occupied by Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic people over thousands of years and many Early Mesolithic sites, in particular, have been found located along the ancient lake edge, including the paradigm site for the British Early Mesolithic at Star Carr, where occupation occurred over several centuries. We have analysed eleven sediment cores, distributed in most parts of the palaeolake area, for pollen and stratigraphic data with which to reconstruct lake development and vegetation history. These new diagrams augment earlier pollen studies from the western part of the lake, particularly in the Star Carr area and near other major Mesolithic sites around Seamer Carr. Especially informative are a long core from the deepest part of the lake; cores that document the Lateglacial as well as early Holocene times, and evidence for the later Mesolithic that helps to balance the high density of Late Mesolithic sites known from research in the adjacent uplands of the North York Moors. There are many records of charcoal in the deposits but, especially for the earliest examples, it is not always possible to tie them firmly to either human activity or natural causes. Overall, the new and previously existing diagrams provide evidence for the spatial reconstruction of vegetation history across this important wetland system, including (a) for the progression of natural community successions within the wetland and on the surrounding dryland (b) the influence of climate change in bringing about changes in woodland composition and (c) for discussion of the possibility of human manipulation of the vegetation in the Late Upper Palaeolithic, Early and Late Mesolithic. Results show that climate was the main driver of longer-term vegetation change. Centennial-scale, abrupt climate events caused significant vegetation reversals in the Lateglacial Interstadial. The Lateglacial vegetation was very similar throughout the lake hinterland, although some areas supported some scrubby shrub rather than being completely open. Immigration and spread of Holocene woodland taxa comprised the familiar tree succession common in northern England but the timings of the establishment and the abundance of some individual tree types varied considerably around the lake margins because of edaphic factors and the effects of fire, probably of human origin. Woodland successions away from proximity to the lake were similar to those recorded in the wider landscape of northern England and produced a dense, homogenous forest cover occasionally affected by fire.

Locating Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherer Camps in the Carpathian Basin

The Mesolithic in Eastern Europe was the last time that hunter-gatherer economies thrived there before the spread of agriculture in the second half of the seventh millennium BC. But the period, and the interactions between foragers and the first farmers, are poorly understood in the Carpathian Basin and surrounding areas because few sites are known, and even fewer have been excavated and published. How did site location differ between Mesolithic and Early Neolithic settlers? And where should we look for rare Mesolithic sites? Proximity analysis is seldom used for predictive modeling for hunter-gatherer sites at large scales, but in this paper, we argue that it can serve as an important starting point for prospection for rare and poorly understood sites. This study uses proximity analysis to provide quantitative landscape associations of known Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sites in the Carpathian Basin to show how Mesolithic people chose attributes of the landscape for camps, and how they differed from the farmers who later settled. We use elevation and slope, rivers, wetlands prior to the twentieth century, and the distribution of lithic raw materials foragers and farmers used for toolmaking to identify key proxies for preferred locations. We then build predictive models for the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in the Pannonian region to highlight parts of the landscape that have relatively higher probabilities of having Mesolithic sites still undiscovered and contrast them with the settlement patterns of the first farmers in the area. We find that large parts of Pannonia conform to landforms preferred by Mesolithic foragers, but these areas have not been subject to investigation.

Palaeoecological signals for Mesolithic land use in a Central European landscape?

ABSTRACTDuring the Early Holocene, climate was the major factor causing fires, but whether during the Mesolithic (~11.5–7.4 cal ka BP) people co‐shaped their environment by means of fire remains of debate. Few studies have tackled this question by linking high‐resolution multi‐proxy palaeoecological studies from near Mesolithic occupation sites. An Early Holocene sediment record from the Ammer Valley palaeo‐wetland in south‐west Germany was studied using pollen, micro‐ and macrocharcoal, and plant macroremains. Archaeological evidence from Early and Late Mesolithic sites of Rottenburg‐Siebenlinden allowed us to link this palaeoecological record with Mesolithic land use in the same catchment. Between 11.6 and 10.6 cal kabp,intensive wildfires reinforced the persistence of open and pioneer vegetation. A transition from a river‐dominated landscape towards a wetland with open stagnant waters at 10.6–9.5 cal ka bpmade the region attractive to hunter‐gatherers, providing various plant resources (incl. hazel). From 10.1 cal ka bponwards, Mesolithic communities may have shaped their environment by using fire as a tool to expand open areas, which were important for the implementation of their subsistence strategies. After 9.5 cal ka bp, human control over fires cannot be excluded as Mesolithic occupation phases chronologically coincide with frequent low‐intensity fires and vegetation disturbance.

Architecture during Gupta Period: With Special Reference to Literature and Structural Remains from Archaeological Excavations

The antiquity of structural activities goes back as far as the Prehistoric period, where the Mesolithic people constructed their houses in the form of huts. The Neolithic man built their houses in the form of mud structures as well. During the Chalcolithic age houses were constructed with the use of unbaked bricks. This paper examines the architecture of the Gupta period as referenced in the works of Kalidas, including but not limited to Abhigyaanshakuntalam and Vikramorvashiyam. During Gupta period, the constructions were generally in various forms like rock-cut monuments, temples, stupas, viharas, administrative and residential buildings. The study of Ancient Indian architecture/monuments has played a significant role in understanding human past. The current study references the mentions of city structure like the palaces, bathhouses, entertainment areas, moats, etc. in contemporary literature and discusses their relevance to the understanding of architecture of the period among archeologists and historians.

Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe

Around 8,200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami hit the coasts of the Norwegian and North Seas. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. Outside of attempts at palaeodemographic models, however, exploration of the social impact of the wave on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies living on the coasts of west Norway, the north and east British Isles, and around the southern North Sea basin have been less common. It has been widely assumed that the tsunami was a disaster–but what constituted a disaster for the Mesolithic peoples who lived through this event? What can we learn about life after natural hazards by considering the archaeological material from regions with distinct Mesolithic histories? This paper presents a review of evidence of the Storegga tsunami at Mesolithic sites from western Norway, the Northeast UK, and elsewhere around the southern North Sea basin. We consider the ways in which the social impact of the Storegga tsunami has been studied up till now and suggest an alternative way forward.

The colonization of Ireland: A human ecology perspective

Human migration throughout northern Europe following the Last Glacial Maximum is an ideal situation to investigate human colonization and adaptation in new landscapes. This is particularly so in Ireland, which possesses a distinctly compressed archaeological record compared to the rest of Europe. While various periods of Paleolithic occupations are well-documented throughout Europe, including Britain, the initial colonization of Ireland appears to be delayed until the Early Holocene. An assessment of archaeological and paleoenvironmental data suggests that inhospitable environmental conditions, specifically the absence of mature woodland ecosystems, substantially delayed the human colonization of Ireland. Once Mesolithic peoples reached Ireland, the absence of familiar fauna led them to quickly modify existing technologies. These local adaptions are reflected in the discontinuation of composite microlith technologies that characterize the rest of the European Mesolithic record. Within 1000 years of colonization, Mesolithic hunter-gatherers developed a uniquely Irish macrolith-based technology.

The archaeology of climate change in Late and Post-Glacial North-west Europe

Climate change regularly made the news in 2019. In the face of numerous protests around the globe, and increasingly frequent natural disasters, we appear to be entering a (perhaps overdue) stage of heightened awareness with regard to the fragility of the Earth and our impact upon it. Current concerns over the fate of our planet, and species, look set to stay, but for deep-time prehistorians, who have long contended with records of environmental change on a scale relatively unparalleled in historic times, business continues as usual. In the opening to Resilience and reorganisation of social systems during the Weichselian Lateglacial in North-west Europe, Sonja Grimm makes reference to the importance of the Club of Rome (a non-profit, non-governmental organisation) in highlighting socio-ecological stability as an issue for public concern, and one that archaeological studies such as this can contribute to and bolster. Meanwhile, Peter Moe Astrup, in his introduction to Sea-level change in Mesolithic southern Scandinavia, notes that Mesolithic people from this area would have been exposed to the consequences of global sea-level rise on a far greater scale than those predicted for our own future generations. What these volumes share is an emphasis on the importance of adaptive flexibility and the human experience in shaping our response to climate change.

The Mesolithic settlement and economy in the Lake Gościąż area

Lake Gościąż is located in a Gostinińskie Lake District (Central Poland). It contains long and good preserved continuous sequence of the annually laminated lake sediments spanning from the end of the last glaciation to contemporary times. They offer unique opportunities for investigating changes in the environment and human activity in the vicinity of the lakes. This paper is focused on correlation of palynological indicators of activity of the Mesolithic people with the picture of settlement in the region. Another problem discussed there question of reliability of palynological data, and therefore their usefulness for studies on settlement and economy.

Living Mesolithic Time: Narratives, Chronologies and Organic Material Culture

British and Irish Mesolithic studies have long been characterized by a reliance on broad-scale lithic typologies, both to provide chronologies, and in discussion of ‘cultural’ groups. More recently, traditional narrative structures—period definitions of ‘Early’ and ‘Late’, or culture typologies—have been complemented by a host of other evidence. This has included new studies of site stratigraphy, evidence for seasonality, and material culture chaîne opératoire chronologies, which place a greater emphasis on both temporal precision and the lived experiences of Mesolithic peoples. This paper will consider how the study of organic artefacts forces these narrative scales into acute focus, and presents an opportunity to explore the challenges in synthesizing different forms of data. We discuss how the evidence from sites in Ireland and Britain allows for new approaches, and highlight some of the challenges that this evidence presents, not least the perennial issue of moving from site-specific data to broader narratives. While the nature of earlier prehistoric evidence makes this an especially obvious issue for Mesolithic studies, it is one which generally besets archaeology. We suggest that in order to move beyond this in earlier prehistoric studies specifically, we need to make better use of all evidence sources, however seemingly prosaic, including antiquarian collections in museums, and chance and casual finds. Only by including the raft of available data, and recognizing its utility beyond the sum of individual apparently uninspiring parts, can we begin to move from generalizing narratives to more nuanced archaeological understandings of past material worlds.

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Teeth from a Female Burial in Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov, Northwestern Russia (c. 6200 cal BC) – Local Rarities or Transported Goods?

ABSTRACTTooth pendants of European elk, Eurasian beaver and brown bear are the most common artefact type in graves at Late Mesolithic Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov on Lake Onega, northwestern Russia. In one burial of a 20-35-year-old woman, 18 fragments of wild boar tooth pendants from at least five individuals were found. Wild boar was not a regular part of local fauna in the Mesolithic, and if these wild boars were hunted locally, they were very unusual game. These wild boar tooth pendants may also represent imported goods that came to Onega from a more southern area via exchange. It is also possible that the woman was not local but came from a region where wild boars were abundant and common game for Mesolithic people.

Beyond the archaeological contexts: The debate on the records of the Mesolithic and early Neolithic in the upper Ebro Basin

Discussing the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic requires a definition for the archaeological record. In the Ebro Basin the typical archaeological sites, rock shelters, have been considered in a simplified way as hunting grounds, but advances in research indicate that they were in fact multi-purpose habitats with varied activities, tight control of resources and a comprehensive exploitation of the area. Our hypothesis is that Mesolithic societies were sedentary with a complex social organisation. For this reasons, we reject the concept of Mesolithic peoples with pottery which is applied to records which do not contain the whole Neolithic package. We know that versatility is one of the characteristics that defines these settlements whith a) all the steps in the lithic chaîne opératoire, b) a wide variety of objects, c) the use for hunting, butchery, fur making, woodworking, bone, plants and so on. In terms of wildlife, the description of an individual animal as domestic is not always easy to extrapolate from anatomical criteria, but an in-depth analysis does not discard this possibility either in the rockshelters. The prehistory of the Ebro Basin seems to indicate that their historical narrative began in the transition towards a production economy: in the balance between the archaeological record and historical logic it makes sense to assess ground-breaking processes of Neolithisation in comparison with participatory models of local communities.

Krajinou mezolitických lovců a sběračů…

This article is a reflection about relationship between mesolithic population and the world around them, and also about the possibilities how can archaeology trace this relationship. This article presents chosen interpretations from authors doctoral thesis. There are presented several concepts how hunter-gatherers could understand their place in the world around them. After theorethical introduction there are presented some ideas where we could see some traces of this relationship in archaeological record. Finally there are some concluding remarks as a summary of what do we know about relationship of mesolithic people and space around them in central Europe.

Modeling the role of voyaging in the coastal spread of the Early Neolithic in the West Mediterranean

The earliest dates for the West Mediterranean Neolithic indicate that it expanded across 2,500 km in about 300 y. Such a fast spread is held to be mainly due to a demic process driven by dispersal along coastal routes. Here, we model the Neolithic spread in the region by focusing on the role of voyaging to understand better the core elements that produced the observed pattern of dates. We also explore the effect of cultural interaction with Mesolithic populations living along the coast. The simulation study shows that (i) sea travel is required to obtain reasonable predictions, with a minimum sea-travel range of 300 km per generation; (ii) leapfrog coastal dispersals yield the best results (quantitatively and qualitatively); and (iii) interaction with Mesolithic people can assist the spread, but long-range voyaging is still needed to explain the archaeological pattern.

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on the Early Holocene Haelen sequence, near Roermond (southeastern Netherlands)

AbstractHigh-resolution Early Holocene palynological records from the middle Meuse River valley were missing until recently. In order to investigate environmental and inferred climate changes during the Preboreal, sediments from a former residual channel of the Meuse River near Haelen were studied. Detailed multi-proxy analyses, including microfossils, macroremains and loss-on-ignition measurements, were carried out at a high temporal resolution. An accurate chronology of the >1000-year-long record was provided by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)14C wiggle-match dating.The channel was abandoned during the late Younger Dryas, when accumulation started with gyttja. This period was characterised by an open landscape with herbaceous vegetation and dwarf shrubs. Patches of birch were present on the floodplains around depressions and (oxbow) lakes. Some pines survived the cold in sheltered locations. In the residual channel the water was flowing temporarily and aquatic plant communities developed with predominantly submerged taxa and algae. The shores were fringed by willows and sedges and were probably used as a watering place by large herbivores.Following the Late-glacial/Holocene climate warming, dated in the Haelen record around 11,520 cal BP, birch woodlands expanded on the river floodplains and slopes of terraces during the Friesland Phase. Open vegetation with herbs and juniper remained present on the nearby terraces. An increase in the water level of the oxbow lake and seepage of groundwater occurred. Along the shores herbaceous vegetation was present. Around 11,420 cal BP, birch expansion was interrupted by the dry continental Rammelbeek Phase. On the river floodplain and terrace slopes, open grassland vegetation developed and on the terraces, grasslands and open grounds were abundant. In the residual channel the water became stagnant and floating-leaved vegetation developed. At the start of the Late Preboreal, around 11,270 cal BP, a sudden shift to a more humid climate took place and birch forests expanded again on the river floodplains and terrace slopes. Poplar became more abundant in these forests, and birch and poplar swamp forests were present near the site. Pine expanded atc. 11,160 cal BP on the higher sandy and gravelly terraces. During the Late Preboreal a reed swamp developed on the shores of the residual channel.At the onset of the Boreal, around 10,710 cal BP, woodlands, initially with hazel, but later also with oak, elm and lime, started to develop, while pine forest remained present on the higher terraces. Hazel shrubs were growing on the terrace slopes. Birch and poplar forests occurred on moist parts of the floodplains. Around the residual channel they formed a zone behind the reed swamps surrounding the oxbow lake. Vegetation with water lilies was present in open water.The Haelen record shows, despite a lack of archaeological evidence, indications for the presence of Mesolithic people in the area during the Preboreal. These include the occurrence of (natural or man-made) fires, in combination with the presence of trampled areas and disturbed grounds and possibly consumption of Nymphaeaceae seeds and tubers.

Filling the gap: Recent Mesolithic discoveries in the central and south-eastern Swiss Alps

Until 2007 only a handful of surface finds dating to between the end of the LGM and the Middle Neolithic were known in the alpine regions of central and south-eastern Switzerland. A number of recent rescue excavations, research projects and single finds have now shown the presence of people at high altitude in these parts of the Alps from the 9th millennium cal BC onwards. Both open-air sites and rock shelters are represented. Many sites lie above the valley floor, in the upper subalpine or alpine zones, and on routes to minor as well as major passes. Together with new palaeoenvironmental data, these archaeological finds allow us first insights into the nature of interaction of Mesolithic people in the south-eastern Swiss Alps with their social and natural environment, as well as their relationship with regions further afield. Furthermore, the finds allow us to start thinking about future research into the early prehistory of the south-eastern Swiss Alps.

NONMETRIC DENTAL TRAIT DISTRIBUTION IN THE NEOLITHIC POPULATIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA

The article explores dental affinities of people associated with three Neolithic cultures of southwestern Siberia. At least three morphological components were revealed. The first, evidently derived from the Upper Paleolithic population of the Altai-Sayan Highland, is found in the Baraba forest-steppe. The second, related to Baikal Mongoloids, is present in people representing the Kuznetsk-Altai and Bolshemys cultures. The third component, revealing affinities with the Mesolithic people of northeastern Europe, was detected in the Vengerovo-2a group.

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

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.