Thesis (Ph. D.)--Halle-Wittenberg University. / "Literaturnachweis", pp.[149]-158.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-274).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Halle-Wittenberg University. / "Literaturnachweis", pp.[149]-158.

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A marked change in character of Mesolithic chipped stone industries occurred c. 9200 BP. Early Mesolithic 'broad-blade' microlithic technology was replaced by Late Mesolithic 'narrow-blade' technology. Narrow-blade technology remained in use throughout the period c. 9200-5200 BP. Some changes are likely during this 4000-year period. Hitherto, however, it has proved difficult to identify chronological and regional variations within the British narrow-blade industries, based on stylistic and technical attributes. This is because most narrow-blade assemblages are surface collections which represent hundreds of years of human activity, concealing technological development over time. I have approached this problem by analyzing and comparing the lithic assemblages from securely dated sites from various parts of northern Britain, with the intention of re-defining Late Mesolithic typochronology. Six lithic assemblages from Late Mesolithic sites in northern England and western Scotland served as the primary source material. These assemblages were recovered from sites excavated by Clive Bonsall between 1974 and 1999: Monk Moors and Williamson's Moss in the Eskmeals region of Cumbria; Lon Mor, Kilmore and Ulva in western Scotland; and Low Hauxley in Northumberland. By undertaking a detailed quantitative typological analysis of each lithic assemblage, I have been able to examine chronological and regional variability in narrow-blade lithic technology. Patterns of variability in the primary and secondary technological components of the lithic assemblages have been explored, and I have fitted this data into a much broader context incorporating the greater body of narrow-blade lithic material excavated from northern Britain. I have also assessed the security and efficacy of the current 14C record for the narrow-blade Mesolithic using the S2AGES 14C evaluation scheme. Using this method, I have been able to identify and remove unreliable 14C dates from the typochronological model. Chronological variability in narrow-blade technology has been assessed using only reliable 14C evidence. I have therefore established a secure 14C foundation for future research in the narrow-blade Mesolithic, and the interpretative potential of narrow-blade material from northern Britain has been greatly improved. Finally, I have integrated the Mesolithic 14C chronologies of Britain and north-western Europe. The chronological and technological dimensions of the narrow-blade Mesolithic in northern Britain have been considered within a broader European context, and I have modelled the development of lithic cultures in Postglacial north-west Europe.

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Mesolithic and Neolithic bone artifacts were analyzed with the aim of contributing knowledge regarding technological achievements, food procurement and processing, personal adornment and other aspects of social behavior. Part I presents the methodology involving the integration of data obtained through experimental replication, surface traces, metric analysis, ethnographic analogy, and archaeological context. Replicative experiments were performed to reconstruct manufacturing techniques and test functional hypotheses. Surficial topography was examined using a scanning electron microscope for the identification of manufacturing and use traces. Five key measurements were devised for evaluating gross morphology and working surfaces of artifacts. Where applicable, ethnographic analogy was employed as a source for hypotheses about artifact function. Archaeological context was studied to reveal distributional and associational patterns that might contribute evidence pertaining to the use of bone artifacts and their temporal development. Emphasis was placed on comparing data derived from the various methods to determine whether the y supported or refuted one another. Interpretations were formulated on the basis of documented patterns rather than isolated events and, whenever possible, from multiple analytical techniques. Part II demonstrates the general applicability of these methodological approaches through three case studies selected to maximize diversity of cultural affiliation, environmental conditions, temporal duration, preservational factors, and sample size. The first case study is a large, well-preserved collection from the Mogollon-Pueblo village of Point of Pines in the American Southwest. The assemblage is derived from a settlement of brief duration situated in a prairie environment. The second is a medium-sized collection from Tell Abu Hureyra in northern Syria with a long sequence from the Mesolithic through Ceramic Neolithic. The third case study consists of two small samples from Ulu Leang and Leang Burung, rock shelters in Indonesia which offer an interesting contrast in settlement t ype and environment from the two open air sites.

The Lake Flixton basin is one of the most important Mesolithic landscapes in Europe. From the start of the period groups of hunter-gatherers began to occupy sites around the shores of a large shallow lake, the palaeo-lake Flixton, which had formed in an area of low-lying ground at the eastern end of the Vale of Pickering. Throughout the time the area was inhabited the lake gradually infilled, allowing environments of swamp, fen and carr to expand across it. At the same time peat forming wetlands began to form over areas of previously dry ground, slowly burying the remains of hunter-gatherer sites and preserving a detailed record of the environments within which people were living. Since the 1940s, extensive programmes of archaeological and palaeo-environmental research have created a wealth of data, relating to both the human inhabitation of this landscape and the changing character of the lake and the associated wetland environments. But whilst analysis of the archaeological material has made a number of important contributions to the study of the Mesolithic the nature of people’s engagement with the wetlands remained poorly understood. It is this issue that this thesis has sought to address. Targeted programmes of archaeological and palaeo-environmental analysis have been undertaken at three locations around the basin. In each case this work has established the nature of the wetlands that formed in these areas as well as the specific environmental context from which evidence for human activity has been recorded. From this, the forms of activity that were undertaken within the wetlands has been discussed, both in relation to the specific case studies and in terms of the wider landscape. The palaeoenvironmental analysis has also been used to refine our understanding of the timing and nature of environmental change within the basin, allowing a broader discussion of the human occupation of the landscape. Finally, the nature of activity on the adjacent dryland has been investigated through new excavations at one of these sites. This recorded a stratified sequence of features, focused around a large pit, that had been re-used during subsequent visits to the site, possibly forming part of a small structure. Taken together, the results of this work have demonstrated the dynamic nature of people’s relationship with wetlands. At individual sites, tasks were undertaken within a range of different environments, the character of which often changed during the time the area was inhabited. Across the landscape, patterns of activity varied spatially and temporally as people engaged with the diverse and changing nature of these environments.