Re-evaluating late Mesolithic economies

Investigating prey choice and prestige in some Danish Ertebølle contexts: Winner, undergraduate thesis prize

Bibliographic Data

ID2969738
AuthorsSofie F Hellerøe (0000-0001-9854-1312, University of Groningen, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume9
Issue1-2
Pages1-58
Publication date2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHunter Gatherer Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1476-4253 • E-ISSN: 2056-3264
PublisherLiverpool University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3828/hgr.2024.15
OpenAlexW4401454278
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited96

The late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of what is now Denmark have long captivated archaeologists, who have meticulously studied the archaeological remains of their foraging economy since the mid-twentieth century. However, these studies - predominantly focused on subsistence - have often overlooked how individual decisions based on social and environmental settings can greatly structure foraging behaviours and, subsequently, the patterns observed in the zooarchaeological record. Perceiving hunting not just as an activity, but as a cultural practice shaping identities and social bonds, underscores the importance of considering social, symbolic and economic dimensions in Mesolithic hunting research. This study bridges this gap by integrating theoretical frameworks from human behavioural ecology (HBE), such as optimal foraging theory (OFT), costly signalling theory (CST) and notions of prestige. By doing so, it aims to elucidate the complex motivations underlying prey selection among the Ertebølle hunters. Through analysis of five sites from the Danish Ertebølle period (5400-3950 BC) using a simplified prey choice model (PCM), this research seeks to shed light on the interplay of ecological and social factors shaping hunting practices. The findings are discussed through the lens of optimal choice and prestige to examine patterns of prey selection at these archaeological sites

Archaeology · Business · Economic geography · Economics · Economy · Geography · Mesolithic · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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