To browse Academia. The article discusses archaeological excavations at the Mesolithic settlement of Beg-er-Vil in Quiberon, France, focusing on the lifestyles and economic practices of maritime hunter-gatherers. It situates these findings within broader comparative contexts of historical hunter-gatherer communities from various regions, detailing their social structures and resource management strategies.
Furthermore, it presents an appendices section documenting historical artifacts related to fisheries and prehistoric shell-mound explorations, highlighting the significance of these finds in understanding the cultural and economic behaviors of past coastal societies.
The reopening of excavations from on the Mesolithic settlement of Beg-er-Vil situated on the commune of Quiberon, in Brittany France , can be placed within the framework of wider questions concerning the last hunter-gatherers. Their way of life originated from the specific ecological conditions of the coastal zone, which favoured a wide range of social and economic organisation.
This is partly a result of Holocene marine transgressions that prevent easy access to earlier coastal settlements. Nevertheless, the dependence on the sea seen in the Late Mesolithic seems to be a consequence of a long-established exploitation system.
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures in human bone reflect a dominance of marine protein, while the zooarchaeological components of shell middens show a high species richness of exploited marine resources.
