How did a Stone Age settlement cope with the climate crisis?

Experts on Israel’s Carmel Coast Archaeology An ancient village has been discovered by underwater excavations by 6,200 years BC Environmental crisis During the period, it not only remained stable but also flourished.

According to the researchers, the discovery may shed more light on the resilience of people living in the coastal areas of the Levant and Ister around the Mediterranean during the Stone Age climate crisis.

Scientists previously believed that a sudden change in global climate during the same period led to mass migration from settlements along the Mediterranean coast.

But new research shows that at least one village, which was previously thought to have been abandoned, was not only inhabited but also flourished throughout this period.

Study co-author Tomas Levy, of the University of California San Diego, said: ‘It’s about human resilience.’

The ancient village, called Hibonim North, was first discovered in the mid-2010s near Israel’s Carmel coast. Early surveys showed little evidence of human settlements along the Mediterranean coast during the Paleoclimatic Crisis. This climatic crisis is known as the 8.2ka event, which spanned 8,200 years.

Then, during the Corona lockdown, the researchers conducted more and more thorough excavations at the site.

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Archaeologists have discovered traces of construction, pottery, stone tools, simple weapons and fishing net weights, as well as plant and animal remains.

The researchers also discovered bones of wild and domesticated animals, charred seeds of wild plants, fossils of crops like wheat and lentils, and weeds that grew alongside these crops.

This organic material dates back to the ‘Early Pottery Neolithic’ period, when the invention of pottery and the 8.2ka climate crisis also occurred.

Interestingly, scientists also refer to the activity at the site as ‘Late Pottery Neolithic’, while it was previously believed that the village was abandoned due to climate change.

Antiquities found at the site, such as tools made of basalt (a black stone not found naturally on this part of the Mediterranean coast) and a ritual scepter, suggest that people may have They used to trade overseas.

The findings of the research indicate a diverse economy of the village that was not solely dependent on agriculture and was thriving with a distinct cultural identity from maritime activities and trade during this climate crisis period.

Asif Yasir Lindau, senior author of the study, said: ‘This (study) shows that Hibonium North was a settlement in the ‘Early Pottery Neolithic’ society that faced the 8.2ka climate crisis with multi-level resilience. .’

Scientists hypothesize that this climate crisis was triggered by the end of the Laurentide Ice Age, which formed much of the North American landscape.

They believe that the melting of this ice sheet likely changed the flow of ocean currents around the world, affecting heat transport and lowering global temperatures.

The discovery of a sustainable and evolving society during this period of climatic instability indicates a resilience never seen before in early Stone Age societies.

As Roy Nickelsberg, another author of the study, said: ‘Many archaeologists had previously seen only the collapse of civilizations. Maybe it’s time they start looking at the development of human culture instead of destruction and abandoned settlements.’