Human, Environment and Food: Human Productivity of the Environment in the Mesolithic and Neolithic Periods in the Southeast of the Caspian Sea.

Safari, Mojtaba; Nashli, Hassan Fazeli; Seresti, Rahmat Abbasnejad; Madihi, Mina

The Mesolithic and Neolithic periods mark pivotal junctures in the evolving relationship between humans and the environment. During these epochs, millennia-old hunter-gatherer lifestyles underwent a profound transformation, giving rise to new modes of existence. A cornerstone of this shift was the development of strategies to harness and optimize the diverse resources offered by the natural world. The Neolithic period, in particular, is often considered the dawn of the Anthropocene, as human activities began to exert a substantial and often irreversible impact on ecosystems. To explore the dynamics of this transformation in the southeastern Caspian Sea region, this article examines archaeological evidence from the Hotu, Kamarband, Komishan caves, and Komishani Tepe. Through the analysis of archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and lithic artifacts, we seek to reconstruct the multifaceted changes experienced by communities as they transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Our findings reveal a period of remarkable adaptability. Humans intelligently modified their environments to meet their needs and employed diverse strategies to mitigate the challenges posed by climatic fluctuations, such as cold and warm. These adaptations underscore the ingenuity and resilience of early human societies as they navigated the complexities of their changing world.

NEOLITHIC Period; MESOLITHIC Period; CLIMATE change; HUMAN ecology; HUNTER-gatherer societies

Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2024, Vol 14, Issue 1, p63

2251-743X

Academic Journal

10.22111/IJAS.2024.48612.1299