The Paleolithic-Mesolithic Transition

An historical approach to the study of Paleolithic cultural evolution considers it a long sequence linking universally relevant events that lead to change in human behavior. However, a more general approach reflects the role of human awareness—an ongoing and increasingly intensive factor for behavioral change—as shown, for example, by the independent invention of agriculture in different parts of the world. The most important of these ‘‘developmental phases’’ concerns what has been considered by some archaeologists to have been the ‘‘optimal’’ adaptation of hunter-gatherers to their environments (see Sahlins, 1972 and subsequent debate). In Europe, Asia, and North America, this is particularly evident during the Late Glacial period, but other examples exist elsewhere in the world and from both earlier prehistoric periods and modern huntergatherer groups (e.g., the Khoi San, Amazon, and Polynesian tribes) (Cziesla, 1992; Conte, 2000; Deacon and Deacon, 1999). In this developmental phase at the end of the Paleolithic, technological culture is characterized by the geometrization of microliths made on bladelet segments, and the generalized use of the bow and arrow. Yet, on a metaphysical plane, the transformation is much stronger: human representations show man in narrative scenes and in action, dominating animals and nature, well before domestication (e.g., in British Columbia). With respect to subsistence economy, the range of fauna hunted is much broader than during the Paleolithic, and plant food resources broaden as well, making it possible to lead to sedentism prior to the adoption of agriculture (e.g., Natufian, Capsian).