The Atlantic coast (Western France, Northern Spain, and Portugal)
In: Oxford Handbooks. Oxford University Press: New York. , more
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| Author keywords |
Atlantic coast, Portugal, northern Spain, western France, Mesolithic, hunter-gatherers, shell middens |
| Authors | | Top |
- Araújo, A.C.
- Marchand, G.
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| Abstract |
The archaeological record accumulated during the time-span that separates the last hunter-gatherer societies of the final Upper Palaeolithic and the first agro pastoral communities of the early Neolithic on the Atlantic coast of Europe is characterized by shell middens scattered along the coasts of Portugal, northern Spain, and western France. The large-scale exploitation of marine resources, especially mollusks, is one of the most distinctive traits of the Mesolithic. These hunter-gatherer-fisher societies also exploited the inland landscapes and resources, creating sheltered and open-air sites, some with dwellings. Hunting was the main activity developed at these locations. During the nearly five millennia of Mesolithic lifestyle, important changes occur, although with specificities according to the geographical areas: human groups become less itinerant, more gregarious and the first cemeteries appear in the same places occupied by the living, explaining the emergence of long-term settlements. The Mesolithic technology carries forward know-how and skills from their Upper Palaeolithic ancestors, but it is also innovative, creating less time-consuming lithic solutions. The production of small and standardized geometric shapes (triangles, trapezes, and crescents) is a further defining feature of the Mesolithic technology. These microliths were embedded in wooden or bone/antler handles, forming different composite-tools used for multiple tasks, from hunting weapons to knives. These ways of life established on the maritime coast from France to Portugal offered enough resilience to provide an alternative to agro-pastoral economies from the middle of the sixth millennium until the beginning of the fourth millennium, with long-term coexistences between these societies. |
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