Demographic developments in Stone Age coastal western Norway by proxy of radiocarbon dates, stray finds and palynological data

Bergsvik, Knut Andreas; Darmark, Kim; Hjelle, Kari Loe; Aksdal, Jostein; Åstveit, Leif Inge

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106898

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Summed radiocarbon dates have been used to study long-term population dynamics on very different geographical scales, from continental (Peros et al, 2010) to national and regional (Tallavaara et al, 2010; Armit et al, 2013; Lagerås, 2013; Crema et al, 2016; Bergsvik et al, 2021). Some studies have focused on specific research questions, particularly the Neolithic population dynamics of northern Europe (Shennan & Edinborough, 2007; Collard et al, 2010; Stevens & Fuller, 2012; Shennan et al, 2013; Downey et al, 2014; Woodbridge et al, 2014), or on the possible correlation between demography and climate (Riede, 2009; Bevan et al, 2017; Warden et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Neolithic Boom-and-Bust to Iron Age Peak and Decline: Population and Settlement Dynamics in Southern Sweden Inferred from Summed Radiocarbon Dates

Friman

Lagerås²

2022

Eur. j. archaeol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article presents 6637 radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites in southernmost Sweden, from 9000 cal bc to the present. Based on summed probability distributions (SPDs) of the calibrated radiocarbon dates, the authors consider long-term trends in settlement and human population. Most dates are from the fertile and densely populated plains of south-western Scania, but coastal lowlands and forested uplands are also represented, allowing for a discussion of the relationship between central and peripheral areas. The authors distinguish between different types of archaeological contexts and features and between different types of dated material, so as to better understand the processes behind population and settlement change. They highlight three periods and phenomena revealed by the SPDs: a strong population increase at the onset of the Neolithic (4000–3700 cal bc), followed by a sharp decline; a steady and long-lasting expansion from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman Iron Age (1500 cal bc–cal ad 200); and a decrease in the Nordic Late Iron Age (seventh century ad), particularly in recently colonized upland areas. The SPDs presented provide a new framework for archaeology in southern Sweden and offer an empirical basis for discussion of long-term trends in settlement and population development.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Neolithic Boom-and-Bust to Iron Age Peak and Decline: Population and Settlement Dynamics in Southern Sweden Inferred from Summed Radiocarbon Dates

Friman

Lagerås²

2022

Eur. j. archaeol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Palynological Evidence For Early Farmingmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…Based on this it is suggested that the structure of the historical farm was established in southern Norway through a gradual process most likely caused by interaction with Bell beaker groups (Prescott 2020: 38). The shift in economic strategies identified around 4000 cal BP is consistent with an upswing in population in the region further illustrating the expansion of farming (Nielsen et al 2019;Solheim 2020;Bergsvik et al 2021). From the Early Iron Age there is, in addition to charred cereals at archaeological sites, a continuous presence of cereal pollen in pollen diagrams throughout southeastern Norway (Høeg 1997;Svensson and Regnell 2013;Wieckowska-Lüth et al 2017).…”

Section: Palynological Evidence For Early Farmingmentioning

confidence: 85%

Timing the Emergence and Development of Arable Farming in Southeastern Norway by Using Summed Probability Distribution of Radiocarbon Dates and a Bayesian Age Model

Solheim

2021

Radiocarbon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The paper explores the emergence and development of arable farming in southeastern Norway by compiling and analyzing directly dated cereals from archaeological contexts. By using summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates and Bayesian modeling, the paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of the directly dated evidence for farming in the region. The models provide a more precise temporal resolution to the development than hitherto presented. The results demonstrate that the introduction of arable farming to southeastern Norway was a long-term development including several steps. Three different stages are pointed out as important in the process of establishing arable farming: the Early and Middle Neolithic, the Late Neolithic, and the Early Iron Age.

show abstract

“…Demographic modelling of population levels throughout different periods of prehistory has enjoyed recent popularity, and several studies have suggested that the 8.2 event may have been exacerbated by the Storegga tsunami (Wicks and Mithen 2014;Waddington and Wicks 2017) (but see Weninger et al, 2008;Blankholm 2018, for different approaches). Identified troughs in the generated curves representing demography during the Mesolithic are interpreted as signalling population decline (see also Solheim and Persson 2018;Damm et al, 2019;Bergsvik et al, 2021;Mithen and Wicks 2021). Other such studies, however, have either found the effects of both these events to be less obviously related to any apparent changes in demography, or less confident in their attribution of significance (Griffiths and Robinson 2018;Maldegem et al, 2021).…”

Section: Limitations Of Traditional Archaeological Approaches: or How To Identify Squashed Mesolithic People!mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Demographic developments in Stone Age coastal western Norway by proxy of radiocarbon dates, stray finds and palynological data

Cited by 19 publications

References 63 publications

From Neolithic Boom-and-Bust to Iron Age Peak and Decline: Population and Settlement Dynamics in Southern Sweden Inferred from Summed Radiocarbon Dates

From Neolithic Boom-and-Bust to Iron Age Peak and Decline: Population and Settlement Dynamics in Southern Sweden Inferred from Summed Radiocarbon Dates

Timing the Emergence and Development of Arable Farming in Southeastern Norway by Using Summed Probability Distribution of Radiocarbon Dates and a Bayesian Age Model

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About