Intensification of Aquatic Resource Exploitation at the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Boundary?

Summary

Intensive and specialized exploitation of marine resources has traditionally been attributed to the Early Holocene in Europe, from c. 11,500 cal BP (e.g. Clark 1965, 1975; von Brandt 1984) as a response to changing climate, reduction in large mammal biomass, and consequent broadening of the resource base. However, the technical sophistication of fishing gear recovered from Early Holocene archaeological contexts is suggestive of a long history of development. This paper presents a synthesis of the evidence for marine exploitation in the Upper Palaeolithic of Europe. Widespread and diverse evidence for fishing in the Upper Palaeolithic suggests there was little change in the fishing activities practiced on either side of the Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene Boundary.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Human adaptations to environmental change during the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene - Part 1   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage