Mesolithic projectile variability along the southern North Sea basin (NW Europe): Hunter-gatherer responses to repeated climate change at the beginning of the Holocene

This paper investigates how former hunter-gatherers living along the southern North Sea coast in NW Europe adapted to long-term and short-term climatic and environmental changes at the beginning of the Holocene. It is argued that contemporaneous hunter-gatherers repeatedly changed their hunting equipment in response to changing climate and environment, not just for functional reasons but mainly driven by socio-territorial considerations. Based on a Bayesian analysis of 122 critically selected radiocarbon dates a broad chronological correlation is demonstrated between rapid changes in the design and technology of stone projectiles and short but abrupt cooling events, occurring at 10.3, 9.3 and 8.2 ka cal BP. Combined with the rapid sea level rises and increased wildfires these climatic events probably impacted the lifeways of hunter-gatherers in such a way that they increasingly faced resource stress and competition, forcing them to invest in the symbolic defense of their social territories.

本研究探讨了栖息于西北欧北海南部沿岸的史前狩猎采集者（hunter-gatherers）如何适应全新世（Holocene）初期的长期与短期气候及环境变迁。研究提出，同期狩猎采集者为响应气候与环境变化，曾反复调整其狩猎装备，此类调整并非仅源于功能层面的需求，而主要受社会领地相关动因的驱动。本研究通过对122份经严格筛选的放射性碳测年数据（radiocarbon dates）开展贝叶斯分析（Bayesian analysis），证实石制投射武器（stone projectiles）的形制与技术快速变革，与发生于距今10.3、9.3和8.2 ka cal BP的短期突发性降温事件（abrupt cooling events）之间存在广泛的年代学关联。结合海平面快速上升与野火活动加剧的背景，上述气候事件或对狩猎采集者的生计模式造成显著冲击：他们逐渐面临愈发严峻的资源压力与生存竞争，进而被迫加大对社会领地的象征性防御投入。