En comparaison avec les armatures de projectiles micro lithiques et géométriques très caractéristiques, l'outillage mésolithique reste en marge dans les études lithiques. Cette situation s'explique par son apparence peu typée qui limite la pertinence des approches morpho-typologiques. Cette thèse se propose de redéfinir l'outillage sous l'angle techno-fonctionnel par l'application de méthodes tracéologiques, dans l'objectif de replacer ces objets dans un cycle d'activités plus complet. Les quatre gisements principaux considérés sont attribuables au Premier Mésolithique (Xème- VIIe millénaire av. notre ère) et sont tous situés dans le Nord de la France et en Belgique. L'analyse des collections lithiques a permis de mettre en évidence un outillage brut très important qui constitue la majorité des objets utilisés par les préhistoriques. Ce résultat amène à ré interroger les acquis des études qui ne raisonnaient que sur les pièces retouchées volontairement. Les 501 zones utilisées reconnues montrent logiquement que les Mésolithiques ont transformé des matières animales, en particulier la peau. L'artisanat végétal apparait lui aussi très bien représenté, ce qui constitue un vrai changement par rapport au Paléolithique. Le raclage des plantes et du bois était probablement une activité majeure pendant toute la période mésolithique. Des contrastes peuvent être observés entre les gisements, probablement en raison de fonctions de site différentes. Il est certain que cette variabilité est aussi liée à des facteurs chrono-culturels qui pourront à l'avenir être mieux compris grâce à une approche intégrée comme celle qui a été développée dans cette thèse. / In contrast to the geometric arrow heads, the technological and typological study of Mesolithic lithic tools has often been hampered by their un-standardized nature. This doctoral research presents the results of a functional approach to four Early Mesolithic sites from Northern France and Belgium, with the aim to replace these objects in a more global economical system. Use-wear analysis has made it possible to identify a very significant use of the un-retouched pieces which dominate the toolkits. Mesolithic groups has worked animal materials, especially skins but also different vegetal materials. Plant material and wood-working was probably a major activity in the western Europe Mesolithic. Furthermore, a more detailed analysis of different functional modes suggests that technical attitudes varied between different sites. Site function, together with chronological and geographic differences, were also factors likely to have played a role in the contrasts observed between sites. Functional studies, which are still too sporadic, undoubtedly have a part to play in untangling these factors.

Log-boats within the Ertebölle culture have had a broad use in the society. From social usesas transport and communication devises to economical uses within hunting and fishing. Thelog-boats have been quite large, larger than log-boats in later periods. With a length of up to 10 meters and a width of 0,5-1 meter the log-boat have been big enough to carry a family andthere gear along the cost. Even though the long and narrow shape of the log-boat have made them mostly suitable for calm and shallow water they have still aloud the people of theErtebölle culture to cross major waters such as the sound between Denmark and Sweden.

This study identifies and critically assesses the social and physical consequences of, and possible responses to, sea-level rise and loss of land in the area that is now covered by the southern North Sea and English Channel/La Manche during the Mesolithic period. It suggests that Mesolithic studies still, despite debate on the matter, frame hunter fisher gatherers in economic terms. In this way, nature is seen as a separate entity to culture, the changing environment, therefore, becomes an external force against which people struggle. However, as an alternative, this thesis advocates an understanding of Mesolithic hunter fisher gatherers as an integral part of their changing world, suggesting that they would have had a fundamental awareness of these changes through a sensorial engagement, and acted accordingly. That said, it also suggests that, while not all people living in the area were equally affected by sea-level rise, the associated loss of land could have profoundly impacted people’s sense of place and being. It also highlights that, although sea-level rise and climate change occurred globally and on a millennial-scale, it unfolded and was experienced at a local and generational level. It therefore makes a case that to understand the human experience of early Holocene sea-level rise, it must be studied at the local-scale. This provides us with a better understanding of the effects of sea-level rise – a sense of the experience of it, rather than simply recording it as an abstract concept. Further, the local scale can identify problems that are not necessarily obvious from the larger scale. In this way, this thesis captures some of the nuances of environmental change that are frequently missing from the archaeological literature, and highlights the intense relationship between humans and their environment, providing a fresh approach to Mesolithic environment relations and a richer and more complex story of the effects of early Holocene sea-level rise.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine whether fishing in southern Scandinavia may have created conditions for a sedentary lifestyle. This would contradict the current image of the Early mesolithic as dependent on hunting subsistence. The image of Early mesolithic as dependent on hunting subsistence is in a dichotomous relationship in contrast to Late mesolithic fishing subsistence, which leads to fishing amongst Early mesolithic cultures being overlooked. A dichotomous relationship has also appeared between the mesolithic and neolithic way of life, where the mesolithic attributes as nomadic hunter-gatherers are in contrast to sedentary neolithic farmers. Underwater archaeology has not until recently focused on Early mesolithic settlement. Recent discoveries in the south-eastern Sweden can indicate that fishing would have been a more central part of the Early Mesolithic society than previously assumed.

Dans l’arc liguro-provençal, la coexistence des derniers chasseurs-cueilleurs et des premiersagro-pasteurs entre 7000 et 5500 av. J-C. engendre des interrogations sur la nature de leurs interactions.Colonisation et acculturation sont les deux piliers du phénomène de Néolithisation.Dans l’espace méditerranéen nord-occidental, celle-ci résulte d’évolutions techno-culturellessuccessives se manifestant par une diffusion arythmique. Ces sociétés, respectivement du techno-complexe Castelnovien de la fin du Mésolithique et du complexe Impresso-Cardial du Néolithiqueancien, ne partagent pas les mêmes sites mais peuvent exploiter les mêmes ressourceslithiques.Notre éclairage de ce moment de transition repose sur l’étude de cinq sites pour lesquels lesanalyses interdisciplinaires ont caractérisé finement le contexte chrono-culturel, économique etenvironnemental : Mourre-de-Sève, la Font-aux-Pigeons, Monte Frignone, Arene Candide et Pendimoun.Ils illustrent pour les uns la variété des biotopes exploités au Mésolithique et constituentpour les autres, les premières attestations du modèle économique néolithique dans la région.C’est par une approche fonctionnelle des systèmes de productions lithiques qui combine l’observationà faible et à fort grossissement (loupe binoculaire et microscope) des traces d’utilisationsur les outils que nous entrons dans les univers techniques de chacun de ces groupes. Lesrésultats portent ainsi sur les productions lithiques mais aussi sur la production céramique et lescomportements cynégétiques ou agricoles.La caractérisation des spectres fonctionnels, des ressources exploitées et des traitements exercésvient préciser la fonction de chacun des sites et les modalités de gestion des territoires associésà ces deux techno-complexes. Dans le complexe Impresso-cardial, on relève des éléments decontinuité avec les premiers agro-pasteurs du sud de l’Italie, dans le mode de fonctionnementdes projectiles et dans les techniques de moisson. L’étude de plusieurs phases d’occupations dece complexe donne à voir une évolution dans le travail de l’os notamment et l’apparition de nouvelles pratiques comme l’utilisation des industries lithiques dans la fabrication des céramiques.Parmi les occupations castelnoviennes, aucun témoignage matériel d’emprunts depuis le mondenéolithique n’est visible alors que dans le complexe Impresso-cardial, de nouveaux transferts depuis les traditions mésolithiques apparaissent : la typologie et le fonctionnement des projectilesainsi que d’outils employés pour le traitement des végétaux indiquent une forte convergence. Lesrecherches sur ces interactions doivent se poursuivre, tout au long du chemin de la Néolithisation,pour saisir les causes profondes de cet immense changement économique et donc, social. / The coexistence of the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers in the Liguro-Provencal arcbetween 7000 and 5000 B.C. generates questions about the nature of their interactions. Colonization and acculturation are the two main models used to explain the phenomenon of Neolithisation.In the northwestern Mediterranean area, this is the result of successive techno-culturalevolutions which are manifested in the form of an arrhythmic diffusion. These societies whichbelonged to the late Mesolithic Castelnovian techno-complex and the early Neolithic Impresso-Cardial complex, respectively, did not occupy the same sites but could have exploited thesame lithic resources.Our understanding of this moment of transition is based on the interdisciplinary investigation offive sites including Mourre-de-Sève, la Font-aux-Pigeons, Monte Frignone, Arene Candide andPendimoun that allowed for a precise characterization of the chrono-cultural, economic and environmental contexts. Certain sites illustrate the variety of biotypes exploited during the Mesolithic, while the remaining sites illuminate the first attestations of a Neolithic economic model for the region.It is by means of a functional approach to lithic production systems that combines low and highmagnification (binocular magnifier and microscope) of use-wear traces on tools, that we canaccess the technical universe of each of these groups. The results concern the lithic and ceramicproduction, as well as the hunting and agricultural behaviors of these populations.The characterization of the functional spectra, the resources exploited and the processing techniques clarifies the function of each of these sites and the modalities of territorial managementof these two techno-complexes. In the context of the Impresso-Cardial cultural complex, weidentify elements of continuity with the first agro-pastoralists of southern Italy and especially inwhat concerns projectile use and harvesting techniques. The study of several occupation of thiscultural complex demonstrates an evolution in bone working techniques and the appearance ofnew practices such as the use of lithic industries for ceramic fabrication. There is no evidence forNeolithic material influence on the Castelnovian culture, while in the Impresso-Cardial complex,a strong convergence is indicated through the cultural transfer of Mesolithic traditions includingthe typology and use of projectiles as well as tools used for plant processing. Continued researchon the entire period of Neolithisation is needed in order to understand the profound causes ofthis significant economic and social transformation.

Ce travail s'appuie sur un nouveau bilan concernant les 70 structures en creux mésolithiques du site du « Parc du Château » à Auneau (Eure-et-Loir), datées entre 8 000 et 5 500 ans avant J.-C. Leurs fonctions variées — sépultures, dépôts intentionnels de restes animaux, foyers en fosse, calages de poteau, extraction, stockage, dépotoirs — évoquent des installations d'une certaine durée. Une enquête étendue à une bonne partie de l'Europe permet de recenser plus d'une centaine d'autres sites mésolithiques livrant des structures analogues, parfois en grand nombre. Il en ressort une image très éloignée de la vision traditionnelle de ces sociétés (cf. chasseurs-collecteurs très mobiles aux campements temporaires sommairement aménagés). Deux types de structures retiennent particulièrement l'attention : les fosses destinées au stockage alimentaire enterré (cf. silos) laissent envisager une consommation différée de fruits à coque (noisettes, glands) permettant de s'affranchir des cycles saisonniers ; les fosses-dépotoirs attestent, quant à elles, une gestion des déchets évoquant des installations durables. On en déduit que le développement de stratégies de subsistance adaptées à un riche environnement post-glaciaire a pu favoriser la sédentarisation de certains groupes de chasseurs-collecteurs stockeurs dès le Mésolithique moyen — bien avant donc les premiers contacts avec les populations néolithiques. L'apparition des premiers cimetières en Europe constitue un autre indice très évocateur d'une restriction de la mobilité, également perceptible à travers certains impacts anthropiques sur le milieu et divers types d'équipement (outillage lourd, vannerie, pirogues, pêcheries). / Our research leans on new analysis about the Mesolithic pits discovered during the excavation at "le Parc du Château" in Auneau (Eure-et-Loir; France). These 70 pits date between 8.000 and 5.500 cal. BC. Their various functions — i.e. graves, faunal hoards, pit-hearths, post-holes, extraction, storage, rubbish dumps — evocate long duration settlements. A European survey links to record more than 100 sites With such features, sometimes very numerous. These new data provide an original pattern, quite different from the traditional models of very mobile hunter-gatherer and short time encampment. Two kinds of features seem to be especially significant: food storage pits (similar to silos) may have allowed a delayed consumption of nuts (hazelnut or acorn) providing the bulk of food during the season of scarcity; rubbish pits indicate waste management linked to long term dwellings. From our point of view new subsistence strategies related with rich post-glacial environmental resources may allow some storing hunter-gatherer groups to adopt a sedentary way of life Since the middle Mesolithic — i.e. several millennia before the first interactions with Neolithic populations. The emergence of actual cemeteries in Euro e at the same period reveals also decreasing mobility evidence likewise some anthropogenic impacts on the environment and various equipment such as heavy lithic tools, basketry, pirogue, fishery, and so on.

Investigating the archaeology of submerged landscapes beneath many metres of sea and buried under modern sands requires an understanding of the terrestrial surface as it may have been prior to the inundation. To do this, environmental evidence is required from contextualised in-situ locations and the best material evidence for preservation of archaeology, organic remains, dating proxies, pollen, diatoms, microfossils, coleoptera etc. is peat. This research supports the search for peat in submarine environments by interpreting seismic surveys of the sub-sea floor and analysing reflective signals for distinctive organic responses. By means of sedimental analysis and ground observation, the research sets out to differentiate between organic signals, to allow for the identification and location of shallow peat beds within features of a palaeolandscape. Using these results should provide an opportunity to target such peat beds in an archaeologically focused coring programme. The research also examines ways in which organic responses may be mapped over larger areas in order to integrate the results into a wider scale landscape model identifying potential peatland, marsh, valley fen and lowland areas. Finally, the research introduces an artificial intelligence neural networking technology for the identification of organic interfaces in seismic surveys, examining three different ways in which this could be accomplished using specialist computer tools and software.

No description available.

Depåfynd och anledningarna bakom deras nedläggelser har länge varit forskningsfrågor. Begreppet har definierats olika utav diverse författare. Flera forskare har utvecklat kriterier för vad som utgör ett depåfynd, samt om det har nedlagts i sakralt eller profant syfte. Gemensamt för en rituell tolkning är att depåplatsen har extraordinära naturliga egenskaper, något vattenmiljöer uppfattas besitta. Med området Östra Ljungby i Trolle-Ljungby socken, Skåne som undersökningsområde kommer uppsatsen ställa fyndmaterialet mot dessa kriterier. Fyndmaterialet har påträffats i både fast- och våtmark samt består till stor del av olika typer av yxor, verktyg och dolkar som typologiskt dateras till tidsperioder från mesolitikum till äldre bronsålder. Utifrån en hypotes om vattens personskap utforskas även en möjlig koppling mellan vattendepåfynden och folktrossägen. Tidsmässiga likheter och skillnader analyseras samt diskuteras i syfte att förstå deponeringsplatsernas kontinuitet. Det kan slutledas att flera sakrala depåer har nedlagts i Östra Ljungby, där vissa har gjorts på samma plats över långa tidsspann. Alltså finns det tecken som hänvisar till att undersökningsområdet haft en kontinuerlig deponeringstradition. Vidare finns en koppling till seder som gjorts för att skydda sig mot näcken. Däremot bör det belysas att en sådan koppling är svår att fastställa på grund av svårigheterna att rekonstruera forntida ritualer och ideologier. / Hoards and the reason behind their depositions have long been research questions. The term has been defined differently by various authors. Several researchers have developed criteria for what constitutes a hoard, as well as whether it has been deposited for a sacred or profane purpose. Common for a ritual interpretation is that the deposition place has natural properties that are extraordinary, something watery environments are believed to possess. With the area of Östra Ljungby in the parish of Trolle-Ljungby, Skåne as the research area, the essay will compare the finds against these criteria. The material found have been discovered in both solid ground and wetlands, and consists largely of various types of axes, tools and daggers that are typologically dated to time periods from the Mesolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Based on a hypothesis concerning the personhood of water, a possible connection between the wetland hoards and folklore is explored. Temporal similarities and differences are analysed and discussed in order to further understand the continuity of the deposition sites. It can be concluded that several sacral depositions have been made in Östra Ljungby, where some have been made in the same place over long periods of time. Thus, there are signs that point to the study area having a continuous depositional tradition. Furthermore, there is a connection to customs made in order to protect oneself against näcken. However, such a connection is difficult to establish due to the difficulties in reconstructing prehistoric rituals and ideologies.

This thesis has illustrated the importance of the identification of tooth marks between humans and carnivores within an archaeological context and has provided further potential for advancement to future research. Stone Age sites from Europe have acted as case studies where the bones from both experimental and archaeological research have been analysed and discussed through an is taphonomic theoretical perspective. For the osteological analysis analysed experimental bones with a microscope to see identifications of tooth marks. In a comparative analysis, the experimental bones have been compared to archaeological assemblages from the Stone Age and one site from the Bronze Age.  The result shows that the experimental material contained every tooth mark in the human-chewed material, whilst the dog-chewed material only contained the back teeth. The bones showed that the human chewing had mainly been processed with the incisors, canine and premolar. In contrast, the dog bones showed that dog chewing had mainly been processed with the premolars and molars. / Denna uppsats har illustrerat vikten av identifiering av tandmärken mellan människor och köttätare i ett arkeologiskt sammanhang och har gett ytterligare potential för avancemang till framtida forskning. Stenåldersplatser från Europa har fungerat som fallstudier där benen från både experimentell och arkeologisk forskning har analyserats och diskuterats genom ett tafonomiskt teoretiskt perspektiv. För osteologisk analys analyserade experimentella ben med ett mikroskop för att se identifieringar av tandmärken. I en jämförande analys har de experimentella benen jämförts med arkeologiska samlingar från stenåldern och en plats från bronsåldern. Resultatet visar att det experimentella materialet innehöll varje tandmärke i det mänskliga tuggade materialet, medan det hundtuggade materialet endast innehöll de bakre tänderna. Benen visade att det mänskliga tuggandet huvudsakligen hade bearbetats med framtänder, hörntand och premolar. Däremot visade hundbenen att hundtuggandet huvudsakligen hade bearbetats med premolarerna och molarerna.