Mesolithic Cultures

Technological Criteria

The most striking features of the Mesolithic flint industry were as follows:

• Extreme microlithization of tools, blades, flakes, nuclei, and debitage
• Substantial decrease of percentage of artifacts with traces of secondary processing (e.g., retouch, truncation, chipping) and intensive use of chips (mostly prismatic microblades and blades) without further processing
• Absolute domination of the insert-based tool pro duction technique that actively applied inserts of geometric forms(e.g., trapezes, triangles, segments), opening the possibility of reuse and interchange ability of artifacts in different sorts of activity (e.g., hunting, butchering, gathering, tool making, clothes making, house building, household activities)
• Macrolithic forms (e.g., axes, tranchetes, adres, bits) in wide distribution in boreal territories all over the world

Climatic Criteria

Traditionally, the Mesolithic is correlated with transition from the glacial period (Pleistocene) to the postglacial period(Holocene). Climate global changes were accompanied by transformation of fauna (replacement of big gregarious animals by small nongregarious species) and flora that resulted in formation of contemporary kinds and types of geographic landscapes and zones. Such transformation of natural habitat had caused reformation of the human mode of life and way of cultural adaptation.

Economic Criteria

Differential development of various spheres of a hunter-gatherers economy in direct connection with peculiarities of a local environment was displayed strikingly during the Mesolithic times. At the same [Page 1581]time, it was not only an epoch of nonspecialized hunting of nongregarious animals but also a period when the necessary background for the transition to a productive economy had been formed. In some regions, one can trace the existence of its first developed forms (mainly Fertile Crescent mainly). In others, only specific forms of animal juveniles treating known as “live food supply” and/or simple harvesting were practiced (e.g., Black and Mediterranean Sea region).

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