Reading Practice 16

[1] The Mesolithic period occurred around 10,000 years BC, at the end of the ice age. During this era, Britain was still part of the European continent. The sea levels rose as the ice melted, forests began to cover the land mass and animals and humans began to inhabit the area.

 

[2] It is believed that nomadic hunters and gatherers inhabited this land. In order to survive, it is thought that they hunted animals for food and skins and lived also on berries and nuts. It is also thought that these people lived in portable, light structures. Because these homes were portable and easy to disassemble, there is very little evidence of the existence of these people. Apart from some exceptions in Britain and Scandinavia, the only evidence of their existence is usually a scattering of distinct and finely worked stone tools.

 

[3] Two archaeologists in Britain noticed examples of such tools in a sandy cliff near a village called Howick in Northumberland, in the United Kingdom. Upon excavation, these tools soon revealed something deeper underneath – a Mesolithic house that could have dated back 10,000 years. This incredible discovery led to some exciting questions about and understanding of the Mesolithic Age.

 

[4] Once fully excavated, the structure appeared to be a shallow, circular hollow cut into the sand, some of which had disappeared over the cliff edge. Inside, archaeologists discovered a circle of substantial holes with charcoal stains in their bases and a number of smaller stake holes. Even more surprisingly, shallow depressions filled with burned nutshells and charcoal were revealed, indicating ancient meals made in small fireplaces. Hazelnuts shells were the main evidence and the conclusion drawn by scientists was that these abodes were probably used as permanent food storage places and residences.

 

[5] There was a second method which the hazel nutshells indicated further information about the house. Radiocarbon dating depends on measuring the radioactive carbon absorbed during their lifetime by all living things. A tree, for example, will absorb its carbon throughout its life, with the result that the inner ring of a large tree may be hundreds of years older in radiocarbon terms than the outermost ring that grew the year the tree died. Nuts, in comparison, grew and fell or were gathered in one season, so they only contain one year’s radioactive carbon. This is why hazelnuts make them perfect samples for accurate radiocarbon dating. Using radiocarbon dating, a British scientist was able to confirm that the house was constructed around 7,600 BC and that it had been lived in for perhaps as long as 100 years.

 

[6] Natural resources at this time in Europe and Britain would also have allowed more permanent occupation of a site such as Howick, as it is situated in a coastal area with combined resources such as wood for fuel and construction, animals, flint for tools and marine life – fish, seals, seabirds and their eggs – to provide food. Investigators have also discovered and proved that sources of fresh water and food would have made Howick an ideal place to reside for Mesolithic people. It is also being proved that Mesolithic people were prepared to modify the natural environment – through the burning of woodland – to improve hunting grounds. Scientists have investigated a submerged Mesolithic forest, where many burned tree trunks were discovered – evidence of the deliberate burning of woodland. The burning of woodland created an open clearing for the cultivation of hazel trees and grazing animals. Small flints, indicating the use of bows and arrows were also discovered. Carved animals, deer skulls, and engravings on bones have also been found, thought to have had magical significance.

 

[7] However, even with all this evidence of Mesolithic communities existing in Howick, it is still impossible to say whether or not these ancient people settled permanently, 4000 years later. Archaeologists conclude that the Mesolithic Age was not simply a nomadic period although there is not sufficient evidence to prove otherwise.