Re: Mesolithic agriculture in and around central Europe?

prd <X_header@xxxxxxxxxxx > wrote:
"Peter Alaca" . . . :

Karl-Ernst Behre
"Evidence for Mesolithic agriculture in and around central Europe?"
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 16(2-3)
January 2007

Abstract
"A critical assessment of the data recently put forward
in favour of a 'Mesolithic agriculture' for Central and
Northern Europe is presented. The archaeobotanical
record is quite clear: hundreds of excavations of early
Neolithic sites, whether from Linearbandkeramik or
Trichterbecher (funnel beaker) settlements have
produced remains of cultivated plants in large numbers.
In contrast to this, all Mesolithic sites excavated so far
have not revealed even one macroscopic find of crop
plants.

The 'Mesolithic agriculture' as assumed by several
authors, is based solely on single pre-Neolithic pollen
grains of the Cerealia-type that occur in pollen diagrams.
It is shown that absolute distinction of pollen from wild
grasses and cereals is impossible. There is a certain
overlapping of both types that must not be neglected.

Because of the large pollen sums in modern pollen
diagrams, even very scarce grains of Cerealia-type
pollen are encountered. Most of these single pre-
Neolithic grains must derive from native wild grasses,
while others come by long-distance transport etc.

Another important feature is the scattered occurrence
of Cerealia-type pollen grains from the early Holocene
(or even Pleistocene) to the start of the Neolithic. They
do not occur in synchronous phases and even in
neighbouring sites they do not agree in age. As long as
there are no well-dated macro-remains of crop plants of
pre-Neolithic age, there is no evidence of Mesolithic
agriculture."

The bigger question is whether there was pastoralism in
the Western European Mesolithic.

Yes, of course. The problem is to find evidence for it.

I was a bit surprised by that "Because of the large pollen sums
in modern pollen diagrams" in the abstract. That implies that
in the past much smaller samples were used. Afaik preparing,
identifying and counting of pollen is not automated. This means
that much more 'manpower' is used today.

--
p.a.

.

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