Palaeolithic/Mesolithic stratigraphic sequences at Údolí samoty and Janova zátoka rock shelters (Northern Bohemia)

Abstract

Palaeolithic/Mesolithic stratigraphic sequences at Údolí samoty and Janova zátoka rock shelters (Northern Bohemia)

This paper adds to a series of previous publications discussing the Mesolithic discoveries in the sandstone areas of Northern Bohemia (Czech Republic). During the 2007-2011 investigation, Palaeolithic occupation layers were discovered below the Mesolithic. At the Údolí samoty rock shelter we documented a thick and complex stratigraphy while at the Janova zátoka rock shelter we recorded just a thin sedimentary sequence. Although both sites provided for the first time a continuous stratigraphic and environmental record from the Late Glacial to the Holocene, no significant changes in settlement and resource exploitation strategies could be observed. These foragers were optimally adapted to the versatile landscape of sandstone plateaus and canyons throughout the climatic change, and able to exploit its changing vegetational and faunal resources.