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. 2024 Aug 5;14(1):18074.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-68686-z.

Human response to the Younger Dryas along the southern North Sea basin, Northwest Europe

Philippe Crombé  1 , Camille Pironneau  2 , Prudence Robert  2 , Pierre van der Sloot  3 , Mathieu Boudin  4 , Isabelle De Groote  2 , Sophie Verheyden  5 , Hans Vandendriessche  6
Affiliations

Human response to the Younger Dryas along the southern North Sea basin, Northwest Europe

Philippe Crombé et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Currently in NW Europe little is known about the human response to the extensive cold reversal at the end of the Pleistocene, the Younger Dryas (ca. 12,850 till ca. 11,650 cal BP), mainly due to the poor chronological resolution of the archaeological sites belonging to the Ahrensburgian Culture. Here we present a series of 33 radiocarbon dates performed on the seminal cave site of Remouchamps, situated in the Belgian Meuse basin. Combined with a revision of the available radiocarbon evidence along the southern North Sea basin (Belgium, southern Netherlands, western Germany), it is suggested that the first half of the Younger Dryas, characterized as extremely cold and wet, faced a significant population reduction. Repopulation started around the middle of the Younger Dryas, from ca. 12,200 cal BP onward, probably in response to a slight climatic improvement leading to somewhat warmer summers. This might be considered a prelude to the subsequent population boost of the Early Holocene (Mesolithic).

Keywords: Ahrensburgian culture; Climate variability; NW Europe; Radiocarbon dating; Remouchamps; Younger Dryas.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Distribution map of the Ahrensburgian Culture; (B) The Belgian-Dutch Meuse basin with indication of Remouchamps (star) and Ahrensburgian Culture sites mentioned in the paper. 1. Coléoptère; 2. Zonhoven; 3. Eersel; 4. Geldrop; 5. Budel; 6. Kartstein.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Excavated sectors and stratigraphy within the cave of Remouchamps (based on,,). 1. Plan of the first part of the cave with upper and lower gallery; 2. Entrance hall with position of the Dewez’s excavation trenches (green) and profiles; area excavated by Rahir and Van den Broeck (purple) and disturbed areas by nineteenth and twentieth century activity in the cave (rastered); 3 & 4: stratigraphy consisting of (0) Disturbed top layer; (1) Homogenous clayish loam lens; (1') Clayish loam with angular limestone debris; (2 and 2') Discontinuous brown/black sandy loam layer or lens (= artefact-bearing horizon), charcoal rich and associated with a stalagmite crust; (3) "Rose" loam layer with small limestone blocks; (4) Large limestone block layer with limited interstitial sediment composed of sandy/loam sediments; (5) Similar to 4, but the limestone blocks are smaller and more numerous.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bayesian Phase model of the Remouchamps dates compared to the NGRIP climate curve.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Summed probabilities distribution (SPD) of the charcoal dates and bone dates from different Ahrensburgian Culture sites along the southern North Sea basin, compared with the SPD of charcoal dates from the Usselo soil (list of dates, cf. SI3).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Calibrated dates from the Ahrensburgian Culture site of Geldrop A2, ordered stratigraphically (list of dates, cf. SI4).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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