ABSTRACT
Until now, little attention has been paid to the central questions concerning the potential role of Mesolithic men in shaping their environment. Chapter 13 takes a step in this direction, evaluating the human impact on the landscape of the coastal hinterland during the Mesolithic by using a high-resolution multi-proxy record (pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, micro-charcoal, geochemistry and loss-on-ignition) from sediments of Lake Skogstjern, Bamble municipality, Telemark county, southeastern Norway. The data sets indicate that marine foragers repeatedly used the forested landscape immediately behind the coast, as there are signs of both unintentional impact and deliberate human manipulation of the woodlands throughout the Mesolithic. This suggests the potential importance of the coastal hinterland as a complementary foodstuff supply zone or temporary dwelling area. Nevertheless, compared to the Middle Mesolithic, a general decrease in human impact is recorded in the Late Mesolithic, which seems to be linked to changing environmental conditions, in particular, since c. 6100 cal bc.
