Convergent catastrophes and the termination of the Arctic Norwegian Stone Age: A multi-proxy assessment of the demographic and adaptive responses of mid-Holocene collectors to biophysical forcing ...
Using multiple archeological and paleoenvironmental proxies, this paper makes the case for a climate-induced convergent catastrophe among the human population of terminal Stone Age Arctic Norway. We show that climatic changes correlate with the termination of the so-called Gressbakken phase (4200–35...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
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Figshare
2019
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.25384/sage.c.4603445 https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Convergent_catastrophes_and_the_termination_of_the_Arctic_Norwegian_Stone_Age_A_multi-proxy_assessment_of_the_demographic_and_adaptive_responses_of_mid-Holocene_collectors_to_biophysical_forcing/4603445 |
| Summary: | Using multiple archeological and paleoenvironmental proxies, this paper makes the case for a climate-induced convergent catastrophe among the human population of terminal Stone Age Arctic Norway. We show that climatic changes correlate with the termination of the so-called Gressbakken phase (4200–3500 cal BP), and unpack the middle-range mechanisms linking the Gressbakken termination to contemporaneous changes in the biophysical environment. We show that what was a Holocene extreme, and likely volcanically-induced, climate deterioration around 3550 cal BP coincided with a population decline as reflected in the frequency of radiocarbon-dated archeological sites along with major changes in material culture and settlement pattern. Together, these proxies suggest a return to forms of social and economic organization based on lower population densities, higher residential mobility, and reduced locational investments. In establishing the middle-range ecological mechanics mediating these changes into ... |
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