Rethinking human responses to sea-level rise : the Mesolithic occupation of the Channel Islands
Abstract
This work provides new insights into human responses to and perceptions of sea-level rise at a time when the landscapes of north-west Europe were radically changing. These issues are investigated through a case study focused on the Channel Islands. We report on the excavation of two sites, Canal du Squez in Jersey and Lihou (GU582) in Guernsey, and the study of museum collections across the Channel Islands. We argue that people were drawn to this area as a result of the dynamic environmental processes occurring and the opportunities these created. The evidence suggests that the area was a particular focus during the Middle Mesolithic, when Guernsey and Alderney were already islands and while Jersey was a peninsula of northern France. Insularisation does not appear to have created a barrier to occupation during either the Middle or Final Mesolithic, indicating the appearance of lifeways increasingly focused on maritime voyaging and marine resources from the second half of the 9th millennium BC onwards.
Citation
Conneller , C , Bates , M , Bates , R , Schadla-Hall , T , Blinkhorn , E , Cole , J , Pope , M , Scott , B , Shaw , A & Underhill , D 2016 , ' Rethinking human responses to sea-level rise : the Mesolithic occupation of the Channel Islands ' , Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , vol. 82 , pp. 27-71 . https://doi.org/10.1017/ppr.2016.1
Publication
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0079-497XType
Journal article
Rights
© The Prehistoric Society 2016. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ppr.2016.1
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