Camping and foraging in Boreal hazel woodland – The environmental impact of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers near Groningen, the Netherlands

Woldring, H.E.S.; Schepers, Mans; Mendelts, J.; Fens, R.L.

doi:10.2307/j.ctt2272864.29

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Hazelnut shells are well known as the most common plant remains found at Mesolithic sites in Scandinavia and northern Central Europe, and these nuts must have played an important role in foraging (e.g. Cappers and Ytsma, 2005;Holst, 2010Holst, , 2014Mithen et al, 2001;Regnell, 2012;Warren et al, 2014;Woldring et al, 2012). Hazelnut exploitation was surely already systematic and intensive (sensu Zvelebil, 1994).…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Sites From Duvenseementioning

confidence: 99%

“…But it is important to keep in mind that the role of nuts is easily overestimated and generally difficult to compare with other food sources (Divišováa and Šída, 2015; Groß, 2017; Leesch et al, 2017; Leesch in Richter et al, 2015). It is still under discussion whether hazel was promoted by human activity (Bokelmann, 1980; Clarke, 1978; Kuneš et al, 2007; Tallantire, 2002; Woldring et al, 2012; c.f. Warren et al, 2014), as is known from some recent foragers (Greaves and Kramer, 2014; Headland et al, 1989; Solway and Lee, 1990).…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Sites From Duvenseementioning

confidence: 99%

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Early Mesolithic activities at ancient Lake Duvensee, northern Germany

et al. 2018

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The ancient lake Duvensee in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, is one of the prime locations in northern Europe for early Holocene research. Archaeological sites on the former lakeshore provide vivid illustrations of early Mesolithic life, with bark mats and other organic finds preserved, including evidence for the extensive use of hazelnuts. Although the area has been the subject of research for almost 100 years, a coherent summary of these discoveries has not yet been written. Here we review past research at Duvensee, and give some prospects for further research. We show that the Duvensee sites varied in their structure and chronology. While only a limited number of sites can be connected to hazelnut exploitation, some of them show signs of hafting and retooling and other domestic activities. At a few sites, specific hearths were excavated which can be connected with hazelnut roasting and other subsistence activities. Finally, we show that while most earlier studies focused almost exclusively on archaeological research questions, Duvensee has the potential to reveal not only transformations in human behaviour, but also environmental changes at a detailed scale; we therefore argue for a more holistic perspective and multidisciplinary approach to reconstructing prehistoric landscapes and cultural transformations.

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Section: Characteristics Of the Sites From Duvenseementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Characteristics Of the Sites From Duvenseementioning

confidence: 99%

Early Mesolithic activities at ancient Lake Duvensee, northern Germany

et al. 2018

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“…While indications are missing for Duvensee that specific plants were intentionally promoted during the early Holocene, such evidence has been detected in other areas or phases of the Mesolithic (e.g. Divišováa and Šída, 2015; Innes and Blackford, 2003; Innes et al, 2013; Klooß, 2014, 2015; Law, 1998; Mithen et al, 2001; Regnell, 2012; Sjöström, 2009; Woldring et al, 2012). A plausible example is, for instance, reported from Mesolithic Scotland, where hunter-gatherers systematically used hazel and oak for food and fuel and it seems that they supported them in particular through the maintenance or creation of woodland clearings – potentially a case of an early vegetation management strategy which included the construction of new ecological niches (Bishop et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, studies have shown that people’s coping strategies have adjusted to specific environmental niches or have been developed to overcome shortages and environmental changes (e.g. Adaev, 2005; Anderson, 2005; Boethius, 2018; Regnell, 2012; Schmölcke et al, 2006; Woldring et al, 2012). Even aspects like perishability of food were sophistically faced, by, for instance, fermenting and thereby preserving fish as a study from southern Sweden recently showed for the mid-Mesolithic (Boethius, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptations and transformations of hunter-gatherers in forest environments: New archaeological and anthropological insights

Groß

Piezonka

Corradini³

et al. 2019

The Holocene

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Like any other living being, humans constantly influence their environment, be it intentionally or unintentionally. By extracting natural resources, they shape their environment and also that of plants and other animals. A great difference setting people apart from all other living beings is the ability to construct and develop their own niche intentionally, and the unique tool for this is cultural behaviour. Here, we discuss anthropogenic environmental changes of hunter-gatherers and present new palaeoecological and palynological data. The studies are framed with ethnoarchaeological data from Western Siberia to gain a better understanding of how different triggers lead to coping mechanisms. For archaeological implication, we use two Mesolithic case studies from Germany: One of them focuses on hazelnut economy around ancient Lake Duvensee, and the other broaches the issue of selective roe deer hunt and its consequences at the site of Friesack. We address the archaeological evidence from the perspective of active alteration and its consequences, starting our argumentation from a perspective of niche construction theory. This approach has rarely been applied to early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Northern Europe even though the available data render possible to discuss human-environment interaction from such a perspective. It is demonstrated that archaeological research has tools at hand that enables to detect anthropogenic niche construction. However, the ethnoarchaeological example shows limitations and archaeologically invisible triggers and consequent results of human adaptations. The critical revision of such perspectives based on empirical data provides a better understanding of social and environmental transformations in the early-and mid-Holocene.

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“…Not surprisingly, little is known about the impact of Mesolithic people on their environment in the Netherlands. There are a few cases described in literature (Bos et al 2005;de Moor et al 2009;van der Linden 2011;Bos and Verbruggen 2012;Woldring et al 2012;Hamburg et al 2012;Moree and Sier 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Woelders

Bos

Kort³

et al. 2015

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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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.

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Camping and foraging in Boreal hazel woodland – The environmental impact of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers near Groningen, the Netherlands

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Early Mesolithic activities at ancient Lake Duvensee, northern Germany

Early Mesolithic activities at ancient Lake Duvensee, northern Germany

Adaptations and transformations of hunter-gatherers in forest environments: New archaeological and anthropological insights

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

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