A long hard road… Reviewing the evidence for environmental change and population history in the eastern Adriatic and western Balkans during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene

摘要: The eastern Adriatic and western Balkans are key areas for assessing the environmental population history of Europe during Late Pleistocene early Holocene. It has been argued that Balkan region served as a Glacial refugium humans, animals, plants, much like Iberia Italian Peninsula in contrast to harsh conditions Eastern Central Europe. As post-glacial amelioration occurred sea level rose, these regions north west Mountains became forested were populated by Mesolithic forager-fishers. Meanwhile, south, domestication plants animals Near East began cause large-scale well lifestyle changes. Even was likely crossroads on route spread agriculture herding from Southwest Asia into Europe, issues such pre-Neolithic settlement, discussion human-environment interactions, role climate events 11.4, 9.3, 8.2 ka cal BP this critical landscape often overlooked. Efforts counter challenge have hampered an apparent lack data, so hardly occurs distribution maps. In part is due patchy research complicated political history, which contributed fragmented archaeological paleoecological record. Yet, we show here, there fact plenty evidence available review. We present survey different proxies environment settlement throughout Early Holocene, combining radiocarbon data with zooarchaeological, lithic, palynological records. By mapping evidence, able discuss impact change Pleistocene/Holocene transition consider human at place time.