Early Holocene socio-ecological dynamics in the Iberian Peninsula: a network approach

Summary

Late Glacial and Early Holocene environmental changes affected different domains of human demography, settlement and subsistence patterns. The variable spatial patterning produced by the prehistoric hunter-gatherers archaeological record, from local bands to larger regional groups, demands new approaches for analysing the multi-scalar nature of human-environmental interactions.

In this paper, we present the preliminary results of a long-term research program aimed to decipher the relationship between demographic dynamics and cultural transmission in the Iberian Peninsula from the Late Magdalenian to the end of the Late Mesolithic. In particular, we will study the effect of the 8.2 cal BP cold event over the macro-regional structure of Mesolithic Iberian populations.

We will follow a two-steps methodology. First, we will compare spatial networks of archaeological sites before and after that climatic event, addressing global structural features, local indicators and mesoscopic configuration. Second, we will evaluate the interplay between the observed structural changes and the evolution of cultural and demographic dynamics in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Human-Environmental Interactions in the Mediterranean Basin

Keywords

Spatial Coverage