| Title | Chapter 2. Cold or Culture? Effects of Mid-Holocene Temperatures on Forager and Early Farmer Demographics in Southern Norway |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Svein Vatsvåg Nielsen(author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.63308/63881023874820.ch02 |
| Landing page | https://www.whpress.co.uk/publications/2025/05/02/nordicclimatehistories/ |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en |
| Copyright | Svein Vatsvåg Nielsen |
| Publisher | The White Horse Press |
| Published on | 2025-08-15 |
| Long abstract | Climate has changed considerably throughout the Holocene and humans have continuously adapted to environmental change. However, research is not clear on how, to what extent and in relation to which environmental factors popula- tions have adapted. The mid-Holocene period c. 6200–2200 bce in Scandinavia involved the transition from purely forager-based (Mesolithic) economies to the establishment of farming-based (Neolithic) economies. In southern Norway there is evidence of a limited introduction of farming and husbandry in the Oslo fjord region in the early fourth millennium bce, and of foragers experimenting with farming during the Neolithic period. This paper hypothesises that short- term cold events (or Little Ice Age-like events) had negative impact on human demography in southern Norway also during the mid-Holocene. The current record of Little Ice Age-events is compared to a long-term population trajectory based on archaeological data, showing little or no negative impact on human demography during the mid-Holocene. |
| Page range | pp. 59–76 |
| Print length | 18 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Media | 4 illustrations |
Svein Vatsvåg Nielsen is an archaeologist at the Stavanger Maritime Museum in Norway. He has a Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of Oslo where his thesis focused on demographic transitions in northern Europe during the Late Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. Nielsen specialises in economic and demographic theories, and the use of quantitative and statistical methods in archaeological research. He is a frequent practitioner of research-driven field archaeology. During recent years he has focused on excavation and the sampling of wetland areas in southern Norway. He is also trained in underwater archaeology.