Archaeological records | Postglacial adaptations

Throughout the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the retreat of the continental ice sheets resulted in a series of environmental changes from as early as 13 radiocarbon ka BP and a concomitant series of human responses to these changes. In Europe these changes are associated with the Mesolithic period, but similar changes occurred elsewhere. Environmental changes included sea-level rise with far-reaching modifications of paleogeography and water tables, climate amelioration, and consequent changes in the biogeographical distributions of flora and fauna. These changes were still working their way through the ecosystem as late as 5 radiocarbon ka BP, and thus present a continuously changing environmental context for human adaptations over a period of at least 8,000 radiocarbon years. Human responses include the expansion of settlement into new territory exposed by glacial retreat, the development or at any rate greater visibility of maritime activities based on intensive use of marine resources, a diversification of subsistence activities on land, and the development of a wide range of new tools and facilities made from stone, bone and wood, including construction of permanent dwelling structures and boats. This period also witnessed major reconfigurations of social geography, with permanent settlements established on coastlines and inland lakes, and new centers of social aggregation in northern Scandinavia, eastern Europe and on Mediterranean coastlines, often associated with elaborations of funerary ritual and rock art.