Flora Unveiled

12 i Flora Unveiled

The term “Ice Age” in Europe conjures up visions of subzero temperatures and bleak
landscapes of glaciers and snow— hardly the conditions likely to foster a thriving, prosper-
ous human community. Yet, despite the hardships, the last Ice Age was a period of unprec-
edented abundance for early European Homo sapiens. The solution to the apparent paradox
lies in our flawed image of the Ice Age. Even at the peak of glaciation, only the northern-
most regions of Europe— England and Scandinavia— and mountainous regions, such as
the Alps and Pyrenees, were actually glaciated. The nonglaciated regions of central and
southern Europe were characterized by low- lying vegetation, with fringes of forest along
the coasts.^2 In fact, the summer temperatures in the nonglaciated regions were only slightly
lower than they are today. On the other hand, winter temperatures were significantly lower,

Table 2.1

Archaeological periods of Western Europea

Lower Paleolithicb (Homo habilis and Homo

erectus)

c. 2,500,000– 200,000 bp

Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian— period of

Neantherthals)

c. 350,000– 45/ 35,000 bp

Châtelperronianc c. 37,000– 35,000 bp

Upper Paleolithic (Cro- Magnons)

Aurignacian c. 35,000– 29,000 bp

Gravettian c. 29,000– 22,000 bp

Solutrean c. 22,000– 17,000 bp

Magdalenian c. 18,000– 11,000 bp

Epi- Paleolithic in North Africa & Levant c. 20,000– 11,500 bp

Mesolithic in Europe c. 11,500– 8,000 bp

Early Neolithic c. 11,500 – 6,500 bp (9,500– 4500 bcE)

Late Neolithic or Chalcolithic (From The

Greek chalkos meaning copper.)

c. 4,500– 3,000 bce

The Bronze Age c. 3,000– 1,000 bce

The Iron Age c. 1,200 BC– 100 bce

a The dates given are very approximate. The ranges within periods, and the overlapping between consecutive

periods, reflect variability in cultural development between Europe and the Near East. Dates reported in years

“before present” (bp = “years ago”) are based only on uncalibrated radiocarbon measurements. Calibration is

needed to obtain a calendar date because the level of atmospheric^14 C has not been constant over time and must be

corroborated by independent methods, such as the annual growth rings of trees. Dates reported in calendar years

(bce) are based on calibrated radiocarbon measurements.

b The names of the periods are associated with specific stages of cultural development. These periods overlap

because the progression from one stage to another varies with location. The Upper Paleolithic has been further

subdivided into periods corresponding to different cultures of the Franco- Cantabrian school of Paleolithic art,

which flourished in Cantabria, Spain (exemplified by Altamira cave) and in the Dordogne region of France—

Lascaux cave being the most famous example of the latter. Each of the names is based on a specific archaeological

site in France.

c The Châtelperronian, which temporally overlaps with the Upper Paleolithic, represents a Mousterian

(Neanderthal) culture.