Anderson / Maasch / Sandweiss Climate Change and Cultural Dynamics

A Global Perspective on Mid-Holocene Transitions
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-08-055455-6
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 602 Seiten

The Middle Holocene epoch (8,000 to 3,000 years ago) was a time of dramatic changes in the physical world and in human cultures. Across this span, climatic conditions changed rapidly, with cooling in the high to mid-latitudes and drying in the tropics. In many parts of the world, human groups became more complex, with early horticultural systems replaced by intensive agriculture and small-scale societies being replaced by larger, more hierarchial organizations. Climate Change and Cultural Dynamics explores the cause and effect relationship between climatic change and cultural transformations across the mid-Holocene (c. 4000 B.C.).
* Explores the role of climatic change on the development of society around the world
* Chapters detail diverse geographical regions
* Co-written by noted archaeologists and paleoclimatologists for non-specialists

Autoren/Hrsg.

Anderson, David G.

Maasch, Kirk

Sandweiss, Daniel H.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front cover;1
2;Climate Change and Cultural Dynamics;4
3;Copyrigh page;5
4;Contents;8
5;List of Contributors;10
6;List of Figures;14
7;List of Tables;20
8;Preface and Acknowledgments;22
9;Foreword;24
10;Chapter 1. Climate and culture change: exploring Holocene transitions;28
10.1;1. Introduction;28
10.2;2. Holocene climate change;30
10.3;3. Possible causes of Holocene climate change;34
10.4;4. Lessons from the past for the future;36
10.5;5. Linkages between climate and culture change;39
10.6;6. Conclusion;45
10.7;References ;45
11;Chapter 2. Mid-Holocene climate and culture change in coastal Peru;52
11.1;1. Introduction;52
11.2;2. The Peruvian archaeological record of Holocene El Niño frequency variation;53
11.3;3. Mid-Holocene climate from natural archives;57
11.4;4. Cultural records;64
11.5;5. Conclusions;69
11.6;References;72
12;Chapter 3. Mid-Holocene climate and culture change in the South Central Andes;78
12.1;1. Introduction;79
12.2;2. The physiogeographical setting;82
12.3;3. Habitats for human occupation in the Atacama Desert;85
12.4;4. Mid-Holocene aridity: Hostile conditions and scarce resources around 5000 cal yr BP;89
12.5;5. Archaic settlement patterns and paleoenvironmental variability;99
12.6;Acknowledgments;131
12.7;References;131
13;Chapter 4. Mid-Holocene climate and cultural dynamics in Brazil and the Guianas;144
13.1;1. Introduction;144
13.2;2. The coastal strip;146
13.3;3. Amazonia;155
13.4;4. Conclusion;171
13.5;References;173
14;Chapter 5. Culture and climate in Mesoamerica during the Middle Holocene;184
14.1;1. Introduction;184
14.2;2. Chronology;185
14.3;3. Paleoclimate;187
14.4;4. Prehistory;194
14.5;5. Conclusions;206
14.6;Acknowledgments;208
14.7;References;208
15;Chapter 6. Middle Holocene environments of north and east Africa, with special emphasis on the African Sahara;216
15.1;1. Introduction;216
15.2;2. Tropical Africa;218
15.3;3. The Sahara;221
15.4;4. Discussion;244
15.5;Acknowledgement;247
15.6;References;247
16;Chapter 7. Influence of Holocene marine transgression and climate change on cultural evolution in southern Mesopotamia›;256
16.1;1. Introduction;256
16.2;2. Postglacial environmental change in southern Mesopotamia;258
16.3;3. State development in southern Mesopotamia;269
16.4;4. Discussion;275
16.5;5. Conclusions;280
16.6;Acknowledgments;281
16.7;References;281
17;Chapter 8. Mid-Holocene cultural dynamics and climatic change in the Western Pacific;292
17.1;1. Introduction;292
17.2;2. Regional climatology;295
17.3;3. Climatic and environmental change in the mid-Holocene;299
17.4;4. Cultural change in mid- to late Holocene Australia;304
17.5;5. Highland New Guinea agriculture;309
17.6;6. Some conclusions;315
17.7;Acknowledgments;317
17.8;References;317
18;Chapter 9. Mid-Holocene climate and cultural dynamics in eastern Central China;324
18.1;1. Introduction;324
18.2;2. Paleoclimate of the mid-Holocene in eastern Central China;325
18.3;3. Cultural dynamics in eastern Central China;332
18.4;4. Discussion: paleoclimates, paleoenvironments and cultural dynamics in the mid-Holocene in eastern Central China;345
18.5;5. Conclusions;350
18.6;References;352
19;Chapter 10. Mid-Holocene climatic changes and cultural dynamics in the basin of the Sea of Japan and adjacent areas;358
19.1;1. Introduction;359
19.2;2. Climatic and environmental changes;362
19.3;3. Cultural dynamics in the mid-Holocene in the basin of the Sea of Japan;389
19.4;4. Discussion and conclusions;413
19.5;Acknowledgments;417
19.6;References;418
20;Chapter 11. Mid-Holocene climatic and cultural dynamics in Northern Europe;434
20.1;1. Introduction;434
20.2;2. Fluctuations in the Scandinavian climate;437
20.3;3. Mid-Holocene cultural dynamics in northern Europe;441
20.4;4. Summing up;454
20.5;5. Conclusions;454
20.6;References;455
21;Chapter 12. Mid-Holocene cultural adaptations to central Maine;462
21.1;1. Introduction;462
21.2;2. Previous environment/culture interpretations;464
21.3;3. The cultural record;465
21.4;4. Wetland adaptations;467
21.5;5. Paleoecology;468
21.6;6. Archaeology;471
21.7;7. Culture and environment linkages;475
21.8;8. Conclusions;477
21.9;Acknowledgments;478
21.10;References;478
22;Chapter 13. Mid-Holocene cultural dynamics in southeastern North America;484
22.1;1. Introduction;484
22.2;2. Emergent riverine economies and cultural complexity in the midcontinent;487
22.3;3. The initiation of mound building and other monumental construction;492
22.4;4. The persistence of interriverine forager adaptations;498
22.5;5. Pond, river, and coastal settlement in Florida and adjoining areas;500
22.6;6. Population distributions;503
22.7;7. Conclusions;504
22.8;Acknowledgments;506
22.9;References;506
23;Chapter 14. Mid-Holocene culture and climate on the Northwest Coast of North America;518
23.1;1. Introduction;518
23.2;2. Mid-Holocene paleoclimate;521
23.3;3. Archaeological models;527
23.4;4. The archaeological record;539
23.5;5. Mid-Holocene environmental change;542
23.6;6. Recent fluctuations in climate and resources;543
23.7;Acknowledgements;548
23.8;References;548
24;Chapter 15. Middle Holocene climate change and human population dispersal in western North America;558
24.1;1. Introduction;558
24.2;2. Climate records;560
24.3;3. Linguistic, genetic, and archeological records;567
24.4;4. Discussion;574
24.5;5. Conclusions;575
24.6;Acknowledgments;576
24.7;References;576
25;Subject Index;586