TY - JOUR
T1 - The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in southern Iberia
AU - Cortés Sánchez, Miguel
AU - Jiménez Espejo, Francisco J.
AU - Simón Vallejo, María D.
AU - Gibaja Bao, Juan F.
AU - Carvalho, António Faustino
AU - Martinez-Ruiz, Francisca
AU - Gamiz, Marta Rodrigo
AU - Flores, José Abel
AU - Paytan, Adina
AU - López Sáez, José A.
AU - Peña-Chocarro, Leonor
AU - Carrión, José S.
AU - Morales Muñiz, Arturo
AU - Roselló Izquierdo, Eufrasia
AU - Riquelme Cantal, José A.
AU - Dean, Rebecca M.
AU - Salgueiro, Emília
AU - Martínez Sánchez, Rafael M.
AU - De la Rubia de Gracia, Juan J.
AU - Lozano Francisco, María C.
AU - Vera Peláez, José L.
AU - Rodríguez, Laura Llorente
AU - Bicho, Nuno F.
PY - 2012/3/1
Y1 - 2012/3/1
N2 - New data and a review of historiographic information from Neolithic sites of the Malaga and Algarve coasts (southern Iberian Peninsula) and from the Maghreb (North Africa) reveal the existence of a Neolithic settlement at least from 7.5. cal. ka BP. The agricultural and pastoralist food producing economy of that population rapidly replaced the coastal economies of the Mesolithic populations. The timing of this population and economic turnover coincided with major changes in the continental and marine ecosystems, including upwelling intensity, sea-level changes and increased aridity in the Sahara and along the Iberian coast. These changes likely impacted the subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic populations along the Iberian seascapes and resulted in abandonments manifested as sedimentary hiatuses in some areas during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. The rapid expansion and area of dispersal of the early Neolithic traits suggest the use of marine technology. Different evidences for a Maghrebian origin for the first colonists have been summarized. The recognition of an early North-African Neolithic influence in Southern Iberia and the Maghreb is vital for understanding the appearance and development of the Neolithic in Western Europe. Our review suggests links between climate change, resource allocation, and population turnover.
AB - New data and a review of historiographic information from Neolithic sites of the Malaga and Algarve coasts (southern Iberian Peninsula) and from the Maghreb (North Africa) reveal the existence of a Neolithic settlement at least from 7.5. cal. ka BP. The agricultural and pastoralist food producing economy of that population rapidly replaced the coastal economies of the Mesolithic populations. The timing of this population and economic turnover coincided with major changes in the continental and marine ecosystems, including upwelling intensity, sea-level changes and increased aridity in the Sahara and along the Iberian coast. These changes likely impacted the subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic populations along the Iberian seascapes and resulted in abandonments manifested as sedimentary hiatuses in some areas during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. The rapid expansion and area of dispersal of the early Neolithic traits suggest the use of marine technology. Different evidences for a Maghrebian origin for the first colonists have been summarized. The recognition of an early North-African Neolithic influence in Southern Iberia and the Maghreb is vital for understanding the appearance and development of the Neolithic in Western Europe. Our review suggests links between climate change, resource allocation, and population turnover.
KW - Abrupt climate change
KW - Holocene
KW - Hunter-fisher-gatherers
KW - Mesolithic-Neolithic transition
KW - Migration
KW - Paleoceanography
KW - South Iberia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84857791309&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.yqres.2011.12.003
DO - 10.1016/j.yqres.2011.12.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84857791309
SN - 0033-5894
VL - 77
SP - 221
EP - 234
JO - Quaternary Research
JF - Quaternary Research
IS - 2
ER -
