MESOLITHIC: ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS, ART, ECONOMY, TOOLS - HISTORY - 2024

The Mesolithic is the prehistoric period located between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The name comes from the Greek words mesos (middle) and lithos (stone), so it can be translated as Middle Age of the stone. This periodization, created by John Lubbock in 1865, has been the subject of controversy and some historians prefer to use the term Epipaleolithic.

Although there are chronological differences according to the development of each area of ​​the planet, it is considered that the Mesolithic began about 12,000 years ago and ended around 4,000 BC. This period is located in the transition between the Pleistocene and the Holocene, after the end of the Ice Age.

Tomb of Théviec: two skeletons of women between 25 and 35 years old, dated to the Mesolithic (6740 to 5680 BC) - Source: Toulouse Museum / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa / 4.0)

That climate change was responsible for many of the social changes that occurred. The human being was able to leave the caves in which he took refuge due to the cold and, little by little, he built small settlements in the open air. Although nomadism still prevailed at this stage, the time spent in each camp increased.

Together with the above, this period also meant an increase in harvesting, with the first examples of agriculture. Fishing was another of the activities that experienced a great evolution, with new inventions to obtain more catches.

Origin

The Mesolithic began in the transition between the Pleistocene and the Holocene, around 12,000 years ago. Its end was marked by the appearance of new ways of life based on agriculture, something that did not happen at the same time on the entire planet.

In this way, in the Middle East the following period, the Neolithic, began to take shape as early as 9,000 BC. C., while in Atlantic Europe or Scandinavia this did not happen until 4,000 BC. C.

Terminology

The term Mesolithic was created by the British John Lubbock in 1865, when it appeared in his Prehistoric Times. In this work, the author established the division of the Stone Age into three different periods: Neolithic (new stone), Mesolithic (middle stone) and Neolithic (new stone).

John lubbock

For a long time, the Mesolithic was considered only as a transition period between the other two stages. This consideration began to change at the beginning of the 20th century, when researchers discovered that there was a clear cultural continuity between the different periods.

This caused that a new term was created to denominate the Mesolithic: Epipaleolithic (above Paleolithic). The term, however, had uneven acceptance among scientists, something that persists today.

Climate improvement

The change in the global climate that began around 12,000 years ago was the fundamental factor for the human beings of the time to adopt new forms of life.

At the end of the Ice Age, it made the climate more temperate and allowed flora and fauna to multiply. Some of the species adapted to the cold, such as the mammoth, became extinct, something in which the hunting action of man contributed significantly. Other species better adapted to the new climate began to spread.

Human beings were able to get out of the caves that had served as a refuge from the cold that previously reigned. During the Mesolithic, open-air camps increased, located in areas that allowed food and raw materials to be obtained.

Mesolithic characteristics

Reconstruction of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherer camp. Irish National Heritage Park. Source: David Hawgood / Hunter gatherer's camp at Irish National Heritage Park

The Mesolithic has been divided by historians into two stages. The first, called Epipaleolithic, covers approximately its first half, while the second, the Protoneolithic, was the one that gave way to the next period, the Neolithic.

Mesolithic flora and fauna

The end of the Ice Age meant that vegetation grew all over the world. Steppes appeared first, then lush forests. Thanks to this, humans were able to include new ingredients in their diet.

The fauna, for its part, also underwent several changes. Animals accustomed to cold and that did not become extinct migrated northward, as was the case with the bison and the reindeer. Other species, however, proliferated. Among these were the deer, small mammals, geese, wild boar or elk.

Less nomadism

The previous climatic conditions caused that the human being had to take refuge in caves. With the improvement of the climate, already in the Mesolithic, the open-air settlements began to grow. This does not mean that nomadism was abandoned, but that when they found a place rich in resources, they set up camps and stayed there longer.

These temporary settlements were usually located in the vicinity of rivers or in areas where hunting, fishing and products to gather were abundant.

This change in the way of life caused the first families to appear. Over time, these gave rise to clans and, ultimately, to tribes.

On the other hand, the human beings of this period began to practice a rudimentary agriculture. Likewise, fishing activities increased.

Religion

Mesolithic humans practiced polytheistic religions and cultivated magical thinking. Animism was the most frequent belief among the societies of that period.

The archaeological remains found have offered evidence that Mesolithic men believed in the existence of supernatural beings related to fishing and hunting, in addition to natural phenomena.

In this historical stage the first cemeteries appeared. The cult of death and ancestors began to develop.

Architecture

Recreation of a Mesolithic hut. Source: RachelAM / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

As noted, the change in the global climate allowed the first open-air settlements to be erected and thus the first houses to begin to be built. These were very simple and were built using only wood and tree branches.

These early houses only had one room. To make them more resistant, they were built semi-excavated.

Feeding

Many of the animals that were part of the human diet during the Paleolithic became extinct or migrated due to the warmer temperatures. In addition, vegetation increased, giving humans more options to eat.

Both factors caused a change in eating habits. Thus, humans began to hunt smaller mammals, and fishing boomed.

Mesolithic revolution

Although historians have traditionally spoken of the Neolithic revolution to describe the great changes produced by the appearance of agriculture, many authors point out that, in reality, this transformation began during the Mesolithic.

It was in this period when sedentary lifestyle began to appear and some animals were domesticated. In addition, the first demographic expansion occurred, favored by the invention of new tools that increased food production.

Mesolithic art

Painting of the cave of the Moors, exhibition of the Gavá Museum. Source: Enric / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

The end of the Upper Paleolithic also supposed the disappearance of its artistic manifestations and the appearance of new themes and styles. Experts point out that it is difficult to date Mesolithic art, which is why there are various periodizations.

The main changes in art occurred in parietal art, that which was made on the walls of caves, and in movable art, that of personal objects. In addition, the first ceramic items also appeared.

Mesolithic wild boar figure. Berlin Museum of Prehistory. Source: Einsamer Schütze / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Change in representations

Mesolithic art had a rationalistic and conceptual style and was based on the abstract and the geometric.

Some of the best examples of this stylistic transformation are due to the Azilian culture, located in the French Pyrenees and on the Spanish Cantabrian coast. The archaeological finds show boulders decorated with bands, ramiform series or dots, all of an abstract nature and with magical symbolism.

Rock art

Archer combat painted in dark red. Morella la Vella, province of Castellón. Source: Eduardo Hernández Pacheco / Public domain

The theme in rock art evolved to represent hunting scenes, daily life and rituals. Similarly, representations of ancestors have also been found.

In Spain, in the Levant area, Mesolithic artists left scenes with more schematic models that represented movement. Inside the caves, very complex hunting, dance and ritual scenes were painted. Some of these paintings reflect military confrontations.

Economy

The economy in the Mesolithic was purely subsistence. The main activities remained the same as during the Paleolithic: gathering and hunting, to which fishing was strongly linked.

However, other activities began to appear that, later on, caused the so-called Neolithic revolution: agriculture and livestock.

Lithic industry

Another of the economic transformations that took place during the Mesolithic period had to do with the lithic or stone industry. Humans of the time developed a microlithic industry, with smaller parts.

These new tools were intended for hunting and fishing. Among them were arrowheads, scrapers, hooks or burins.

Tools and inventions

Mesolithic mortar. Source: Gary Todd / CC0

Mesolithic humans were able to count on more natural resources to make their tools. This led to an improvement in its quality and quantity, with the invention of new utensils to process food, such as sickles, hand mills or mortars.

The vast majority of these tools were made of stone, as during the Paleolithic. The main difference was, as noted, the increase in quality.

Technology

Mesolithic spearhead. Wandlitz Museum, Brandenburg, Germany. Source: Anagoria / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

The human being had to adapt to the disappearance of large and normally slow animal species and to their replacement by smaller and faster ones.

In order to hunt down these elusive new prey, they had to make new types of weapons. Thanks to microlitics, tools could be reduced in size and more manageable. On the other hand, the lighter bone began to gain importance as a raw material.

One of the most important improvements was the development of arrowheads made of bone and wood. This allowed them to hunt their prey without damaging the skins so that they could be used.

Rowing boat

Among the inventions that allowed the boom in fishing, the rowing boat stood out. These first boats were very simple and were built with logs that were joined to form a boat. Another technique was to empty a log to turn it into a canoe.

Spinning wheel

The spinning wheel was a tool that made it possible to sew leathers more efficiently. For this, a mechanism was incorporated that was activated by pressing a lower pedal.

Sledges

During the Mesolithic, some of the first means of transportation in history were invented, which facilitated some economic activities and the transfer of hunting and fishing.

One of these transports, in addition to the aforementioned ships, were sleds. At first they were pulled by people, but then animals began to be used.

Irrigation by ditches

As noted, the Mesolithic did not develop at the same speed in all areas of the planet. In particular, advances came much faster in the Middle East.

In Sumer, for example, they began to use irrigation by ditches around 5,000 BC. This system allowed water to be brought to the fields in a much more efficient way, which caused a great improvement in productivity.

References

1. EcuRed. Mesolithic. Obtained from ecured.cu
2. Carreton, Adrian. What was the Mesolithic ?. Obtained from patrimoniointeligente.com
3. Ambientum. Climate changes of the Mesolithic. Retrieved from ambientum.com
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mesolithic. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Anwar, Shakeel. The Mesolithic Age. Retrieved from jagranjosh.com
6. Short History. Mesolithic - Middle Stone Age. Retrieved from shorthistory.org
7. Hirst, K. Kris. Mesolithic Period, Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers in Europe. Retrieved from thoughtco.com