Boreal (age)

The Boreal is in Earth 's second oldest period of the Holocene in northwestern Europe. It was 8690-7270 BC

• 3.1 Baltic Sea Region

Definition and stratigraphic position

The Boreal forms part of the Blytt - Sernander classification, a classification of the last 14,000 years based on Torfmoorablagerungen by the Norwegian Axel Blytt and Sweden Rutger Sernander. Blytt had in 1876 the term Boreal defined, which is the Greek god of the north wind Βορέας - derived boreas.

The Boreal precedes the Preboreal, it follows the Atlantic period.

The Boreal corresponds to the pollen zones II by WH Zagwijn and by Litt et al., 2001., Or the pollen zone V of Franz Firbas (1949 ).

Based on the research in bogs Northwest Russia the Boreal may be divided into three parts ( from young to old):

• BO -3 8500-8000 radiocarbon years BP or 7531-6903 BC
• BO -2 9000-8500 radiocarbon years BP or 8141-7531 BC
• BO -1 9300-9000 radiocarbon years BP or 8541-8141 BC

The Boreal together with the Preboreal the Alt- Holocene.

Culture History corresponds to the Boreal the Frühmesolithikum.

Temporal classification

Note: Only the fields marked with a black dividing line boundaries are more or less exactly; they are based on annual layers in lake sediments in north-central Europe and are, strictly speaking, only for air levels. The other boundaries are determined unsafe and not rigid. In particular, the boundary between Central and Jungholozän is highly variable. In the stages of culture the different regional development is observed.

Climatic Development

The Boreal falls within the Holocene warm period in the phase before the first temperature maximum, the early Atlantic period. The onset of the Preboreal rapid warming continued through the Boreal continued. Towards the end of the Boreal BC today's temperatures have been reached to 7300.

Sea ​​level

The sea level rose as a result of the global meltdown of the ice to slow: the Boreal was the last period of the Holocene, in which England was still connected to mainland Europe. The North Sea is increasingly enhanced. Overall, the sea level rose during the Boreal of 54 meters below sea level to nearly 30 meters below sea level; this corresponds to a fairly high rate of around 17 mm / year.

Baltic Sea Region

During the Boreal, the brackish sea Yoldia developed in the area of ​​present-day Baltic Sea from 8300 BC. It had emerged from the former Baltic Ice Lake by a connection from the North Sea marine incursion in central Sweden ( BC about the Orebro Road salt water intrusion 8000-7800 ). It was then detached to 7500 BC stock and was due to isostatic uplift by Aussüßung from the Ancylus Lake. The mirror height in the Baltic Sea basin was only at the beginning of Yoldia sea still below 40 meters below sea level, towards the end of the Boreal but at 20 meters below sea level.

Plant and animal world

During the Boreal increasingly grew more heat- loving plants in Northern Europe. Examples are the Common Ivy and the Mistletoe, which spread at this time to Denmark. Within the pollen zone V, the pioneer plants of Preboreal were increasingly replaced by pine forest, together with stocks of Commons, hazel (Corylus avellana ), an association that is called by Palynologen pine - hazel woods. Towards the end of the Boreal, the composition of vegetation changed by the increasing emergence of various oak species, so that the mixed oak forest to forest form was determined. Pine, birch and hazel were replaced by oak, elm, lime and alder. In the mires species were growing as the Broad-leaved cattail ( Typha latifolia ).

The forests were inhabited by deer (Cervus elaphus ), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), moose (Alces alces), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and aurochs (Bos primigenius ), who had immigrated from refuges in Italy, Spain and the Balkans. Heat-loving species such as the European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis) were now found even in Denmark. The golden plover ( Pluvialis apricaria ) penetrated to Norway. Among the predators are mentioned Wolf ( Canis lupus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), lynx (Lynx lynx) and wild cat (Felis silvestris ). Hare ( Lepus europaeus) were widespread. In wetlands and rivers lived beaver (Castor fiber) and otter (Lutra lutra ), fish species such as pike (Esox lucius) and catfish (eg Siluris glanis ) occurred in large numbers.

The man in the Boreal

The Boreal falls into the Frühmesolithikum in which the people of Central and Northern Europe more often and longer the same settlements inhabited, and from there as hunters and gatherers procured their food. Although in the Middle East and southern Europe, agriculture was already spread on a larger scale, this change in northern Europe should not take place until thousands of years later. This is attributed to the fact that the forest food offered in sufficient quantity so that it only came to slash and burn small areas here.

Among other things, by the space located at the Vychegda archaeological place I Vis some details about the lives of people during the Boreal have become known. The inhabitants of the settlement were able to produce baskets and nets made of plant fibers, and findings of paddles can be regularly undertaken boat tours close. In winter sledges were used as means of transportation. Weapons such as bows, arrows and spears were found and everyday objects were decorated with motifs like snakes, humans and animals.

Cultural institution of the Early Mesolithic are the Maglemosian culture in Denmark and the Creswellien ( to 8000 BC) in England. The stage in Haltern, North Rhine -Westphalia continued until the end of the Boreal one (from 7400 BC). In the Levant, there was already the Neolithic, as its carrier culture, the Preceramic Neolithic B ( 8800-7000 BC) acted.

In North America, BC before the beginning of the Boreal Folsom culture ( ended around 8200 BC) had been established from 8900. By 8500 BC the Mittelpaläoindianische period had ended. It was replaced by the Spätpaläoindianischen period, which lasted until 8000 BC. This was followed by the Early Archean, which should stand up to the Atlantic period (6000 BC). The San Dieguito Complex spätpaläoindianische in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico dates back to 8200 BC. He was succeeded from 6000 BC, the La Jolla Complex.

The Paleo-Indian and Archaic cultures of North America may be responsible for the extinction of the American mastodon Mammut americanum 10000-7000 BC.