Sonja B. Grimm

Resilience and Reorganisation of Social Systems during the Weichselian Lateglacial in North-West Europe

An evaluation of the archaeological, climatic, and environmental record

At the end of the Pleistocene, hunters and gatherers had to adapt themselves and their social systems in North-West Europe to abrupt climate and significant environmental changes. This adaptation process is reconstructed in detail based on 25 archaeological sites and in connection with high-resolution climate and environmental archives.

Based on this rigorous correlation, a chronological relation between climatic, environmental, and cultural change is established that for the first time allows founded statements about cause and effect. This study reveals that the Pleistocene social systems could cope with the significant climate changes but that they were stretched beyond their limits by quickly changing environmental conditions.