Compare_and_Contrast_the_Way_in_Which_the_Mesolithic_and_Neolithic_Periods_Are_Discussed_in_the

The Mesolithic and Neolithic periods are generally regarded as the most important phases in the human development primarily within both a social and technological perspective. The periods also define the majority of the landscapes and sea shores we see today, with the end of the last Ice Age dating back to 10,000BC and the transition from Paleolithic into Mesolithic. However, what are the key aspects of Mesolithic & Neolithic that maintain these periods as distinct events in time' This short paper will compare and contrast Stephen J. Mithen’s “The Mesolithic Age” with that of Alasdair Whittle’s “The first Farmers” with primary focus on what topics are discussed for each period. Both of these papers are published in The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe. Mithen’s opens the discussion of the Mesolithic period as a time of great environmental change as a result of the end of the last Ice Age. As temperatures increased and the ice a glaciers retreated, Europe experienced changes in its land and sea boundaries as a result of rising seas and land rebound. In parallel with the changing physical landscape, there were also changes to the distribution of vegetation and of animals. Trees became a dominating aspect of the landscape with massive thick forests forming across most of Europe. Cold tolerant species like birch, aspen and willow were soon replaced with pine, hazel and lime as temperatures increased. Wildlife impacts were also dramatic with large animals like wooly rhino, mammoth and giant deer disappearing and replaced with a rich diverse of animals such as red deer, wild pig and elk. In terms of technology and artifacts that exist in the archaeological record, stone tools take centre stage as the dominant footprint of early Mesolithic people. As with earlier periods, Flint is a primary resource that enabled the early people to hunt and prepare food. Mithen also suggests that the Mesolithic period brought us the introduction of the microlith as a major advancement in hunting tools, particularly with arrowheads and spears. Other resources such as bone, wood and other organic material were also used although preservation would be limited. Mithen provides examples of artifacts such as wooden hand held tools and traps made from wicker that have been found in bogs suggesting that these diverse implements would have been used in many regions. Pottery also makes an appearance in the later side of the Mesolithic in Scandinavia which Mithen describes as an indicator that ‘communities has established a semi- or wholly sedentary lifestyle’ (Cunliffe, 1997 p101-102). Human subsistence activity must have had varied routines as hunter-gatherers adapted to different terrains with mixed fauna assemblages. There is evidence of different techniques and hunting strategies with evidence of domesticates, primarily dogs, used for their tracking abilities. While it is impossible to prove the use of plant food as a part of the diet, it is almost likely that edible plant was a major source of food. There is an abundance of evidence that hazel nuts were a major source food and there is also a suggestion that these were also stored. Evidence of burning of large areas in Northern Europe, while not fully proven, may be as a result of the hunter gathers aiming to promote new growth of young plants for food or to attract wildlife for hunting. While Mithen describes the Mesolithic as a mixed series of complex threads Whittle touches on similar aspects during the Neolithic citing different advancements from a very diverse set of peoples. Whittle also opens his story on the environmental changes throughout Europe and, while not as drastic as the events leading up to the end of the last Ice Age, does highlight the major impact of changes on the flora and fauna and the varying degrees of people densities throughout the land. The transition of hunter gatherers to farming communities was not a uniform process and Whittle outlines that there is evidence that complex hunter gatherers carried on into the Neolithic period using similar techniques as Mithen describes for the Mesolithic. But because this transition process was not uniform, Whittle breaks up the story based on 3 geographical regions in Europe; Greece and the Balkans, Central and West Mediterranean and Central and Western Europe. With each region, different levels of human advancement are achieved with new farming techniques and technology spreading from the Balkans right thru the most part of Europe. New resource materials begin to appear during the Neolithic period, items such as advancements in pottery (Although it must be pointed out that Pottery was in evidence during the Mesolithic) and Copper which was used in small scale primarily for trinkets and jewelry. Art also seems to take a major and important advancement with finer items such as figurines, clay tablets and highly decorated pots. Evidence of permanent settlement begins to appear with rectangular houses clustered together to form basic villages such as Olszanica in Poland and settlement expansion is also evident in Western parts of Europe Both authors subscribe to the fact that the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic (Hunter Gatherers to Farmers) was far more complex than we imagine. There are far more contrasting aspects of the early farmers that suggest that the spread of agriculture was not a uniform process and probably not best described by the traditional view and timelines for the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. One could also argue that complex Mesolithic hunter gatherers were a type of early farmers as there is evidence of possible farming techniques as described by Mithen. Bibliography: Cunliffe, Barry. 1997, The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe, Oxford