Coastal Landscapes of the Mesolithic: Human Engagement with the Coast from the Atlantic to the Baltic Sea explores the character and significance of coastal landscapes in the Mesolithic - on different scales and with various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches.

Mesolithic people were strongly connected to the sea, with coastal areas vital for subsistence and communication across the water. This anthology includes case studies from Scandinavia, western Europe and the Baltic area, presented by key international researchers. Topics addressed include large-scale analyses of the archaeological and geological development of coastal areas, the exploration of coastal environments with interdisciplinary methods, the discussion of the character of coastal settlements and of their possible networks, social and economic practices along the coast, as well as perceptions and cosmological aspects of coastal areas. Together, these topics and approaches contribute in an innovative way to the understanding of the complexity of topographically changing coastal areas as both border zones between land and sea and as connecting landscapes.

Providing novel insights into the study of the Mesolithic as well as coastal areas and landscapes in general, the book is an important resource for researchers of the Mesolithic and coastal archaeology.

About the Author

Almut Schulke is Associate Professor for Nordic Archaeology (Mesolithic and Neolithic periods) at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Norway. Her research interests include the study of social space and mobility in coastal and other environments, ritual and depositional practices and burial archaeology.

Reviews

"Coastal Landscapes of the Mesolithic is a valuable resource for understanding the lifestyle of Mesolithic societies within a dynamic coastal landscape. Densely filled with large quantities of archaeological data and statistics, as well as some basic terminology from the environmental sciences, it is suitable for a mature academic readership with an understanding of Northern European archaeological and paleo-environmental research."

- Katarina Jerbic, Journal of Maritime Archaeology

Book Information
ISBN 9781032173788
Author Almut Schulke
Format Paperback
Page Count 456
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 625g