Rebooting the Study of Forager Plant Economies
The Potential of Submerged Archaeological Sites
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12654091 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Signe S Termansen (0009-0007-7986-1784, Aarhus University, corresponding author), PETER MOE ASTRUP (0000-0002-7538-7014, Department of Archaeology, Moesgaard Museum, Højbjerg, Denmark), Welmoed A Out (0000-0001-7262-5358, Moesgaard Museum), Niels N Johannsen (0000-0003-3550-2548, Aarhus University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Pages | 1-12 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4103 • E-ISSN: 1749-6314 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14614103.2024.2393015 |
| OpenAlex | W4401975740 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
The contribution of plants to the diets and wider economies of most prehistoric foragers is inadequately studied and poorly understood, also in comparison with other aspects of their economies and with prehistoric plant economies from the Neolithic onwards. This situation even applies to the Mesolithic of southern Scandinavia, which is a particularly intensely studied prehistoric forager sequence. In this paper we consider taphonomic, methodological and ideological reasons for the relative lack of research focus, after which we discuss the potential of strategic bulk sampling for plant macroremains at submerged sites. We then briefly present a pilot study of such macroremains obtained from the submerged site Hjarnø Sund, Denmark, and discuss next steps, including methodological initiatives to improve the distinction between anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic material. We conclude that the potential of this type of site in the effort to understand the dietary and wider economic roles of plants in the Mesolithic far exceeds the general level of attention that they have received so far. Accordingly, we argue for increased focus, strategic sampling and a sustained, longer-term research effort in order to improve our understanding of this central aspect of prehistoric forager life and culture
Archaeology · Biology · Economic geography · Economics · Economy · Geography · Mesolithic · Prehistory · Taphonomy · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology
Perishable Material Culture in Prehistory
C evidence for dietary habits of prehistoric man in Denmark
Toward an anthropology of women.
Møllegabet II: A submerged Mesolithic settlement in southern Denmark
Hjarnø Sund – all year, all inclusive. A submerged Late Mesolithic coastal site with organic remains
Ringkloster
Wild plant gathering in Stone Age Finland
The search for a needle in a haystack – New studies on plant use during the Mesolithic in southwest Central Europe
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Gathered fruits and cultivated plants at Bercy (Paris), a Neolithic village in a fluvial context
Neolithisation at the site Brandwijk-Kerkhof, the Netherlands
New evidence for the use of root foods in pre-agrarian subsistence recovered from the late Mesolithic site at Halsskov, Denmark
Plant subsistence and environment at the Mesolithic site Tågerup, southern Sweden
The Early Neolithic site at Hoge Vaart, Almere, the Netherlands, with particular reference to non-diffusion of crop plants, and the significance of site function and sample location
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From Oysters to Cockles at Hjarnø Sund
Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche
| Highly cited | No |
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