Mediterranean Resilience - Collapse and Adaptation in Antique Maritime Societies - Assaf Yasur-Landau

Mediterranean Resilience - Collapse and Adaptation in Antique Maritime Societies - Assaf Yasur-Landau

The Maritime Neolithic: An Evaluation of Marine Adaptation in Eastern Mediterranean Prehistory

Mediterranean Resilience - Collapse and Adaptation in Antique Maritime Societies - Assaf Yasur-Landau

Chelsea Wiseman [+-]
Flinders University and the University of Haifa
Chelsea Wiseman is a Bolaffi Postdoctoral Research Associate (Maritime Archaeology) at Flinders University in South Australia. In her PhD, which Weisman completed under a cotutelle agreement between Flinders University and the University of Haifa, she presented a comparison of methodological approaches for locating submerged landscape archaeology. Weisman's current research focuses on geophysical and 3D recording techniques for maritime archaeology.

Description

In eastern Mediterranean prehistory the earliest known exploitation of marine resources dates to the Paleolithic, while the emergence of distinct maritime adaptation and intensified use of marine resources corresponds with the development of sedentary lifeways and agricultural economies in the Neolithic. However, the extent of maritime adaptation and its role throughout the Neolithic requires further investigation. The aim of this paper is to address this issue by presenting a synthesis of published archaeological sites ranging from the Epipaleolithic to the Late Neolithic to analyze variation in prehistoric marine adaptation from across the eastern Mediterranean, including the southern and northern Levant, Cyprus, and Anatolia. This allows us to conceptualize the “maritime Neolithic” on a regional scale. Through analysis of the material cultural indicators of maritime adaptation identified in prehistoric contexts, it is possible to move toward the characterization of the use of marine resources at different sites, ranging from limited use of aquatic resources to intensive fishing economies. The analysis of these sites in a broader context indicates variation in the role of marine resources in subsistence economies on a regional scale and highlights the potential for further investigation.

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Citation

Wiseman, Chelsea. The Maritime Neolithic: An Evaluation of Marine Adaptation in Eastern Mediterranean Prehistory. Mediterranean Resilience - Collapse and Adaptation in Antique Maritime Societies. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 53-65 Feb 2024. ISBN 9781800503694. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=41499. Date accessed: 09 Dec 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.41499. Feb 2024

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