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The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age

Submitted by Seren Langley on Mon, 2009-07-06 11:17
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The Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age spans from 10,000 BC to 4300 BC, or some 12,000 years ago! Archaeologists have uncovered some interesting finds and discoveries which help us to understand the climate, landscape, shelters and methods of hunting and gathering.

Mesolithic Sites

There are many sites from the Mesolithic which are open to visitors. To explore some of these sites, visit our Mesolithic Sites page.

Important Facts about the Mesolithic

The Last Ice Age

The last Ice Age ended pretty quickly around 12000 years ago. Britain was still attached to the rest of Europe by a bridge of land across the North Sea, and the land was soon colonised by birch, pine and hazel trees, plants and animals. Groups of people moved in and out of Britain from the south and east as they followed herds of animals to hunt. People at this time lived by hunting animals for meat, skins, antler and bone to use for making tools, and gathered wild plant foods such as leaves, roots, fruits, nuts and berries. They moved over large territories following where the food was at different seasons. The houses they lived in were light shelters and so seldom leave behind much to find as archaeology. They also did not build large tombs or religious sites.

The Material Evidence Left Behind

Most of what we know about them comes from the finds of the stone tools they left behind. These were made of flint* or chert*, and took the form of blades* retouched* into various geometric shapes. These shapes were then inserted into antler, bone or wooden handles to make tools. Other tools would have been made out of materials like wood, birch bark, leather and wicker which very rarely survive for us to find.

Mesolithic Hut

The Climate and Landscape

The climate continued to get warmer throughout the Mesolithic, and was warmer than today between about 8000 and 6500 years ago. By this time, the landscape was covered in oak, alder and elm woodland. The most important event of this period was the rise in sea level as the ice in the Arctic continued to melt. This drowned the land bridge between Britain and the rest of Europe around 8500 years ago. Britain was then an island but people would still have sailed across the English Channel from time to time.

The Late Mesolithic

By the Late Mesolithic, there were more people living in Britain as their permanent home. They were moving over smaller areas of the landscape as they competed with other families for hunting land. They still made their tools from retouched blades, but the blades had become very small, and we call these ‘microliths’*. As well as hunting animals like deer and boar, it seems that seafood was a very important part of the diet for some communities.

Finding out about the Mesolithic with Archaeology

Some of the archaeological subjects which study the Mesolithic and professional Archaeologists who work with the Mesolithic include:

If you are interested in learning more about studying Archaeology please visit the CBA’s Studying Archaeology page.

Glossary

Flint
A smooth, very fine material found as lumps or layers in chalk. It breaks in a similar way to glass and can be shaped into tools quite easily.
Chert
Similar to flint but coarser, in a wider variety of colours and found in limestone.
Blade
A flake that is at least one and a half times longer than it is wide, with sides that are parallel, so shaped a bit like a long rectangle.
Retouch
The act of finely shaping a flake or blade into desired shape.
Microliths
Very small, geometrically shaped blades, made and used in the Late Mesolithic from around 9500 to 6200 years ago. The shapes are often triangles, rectangles and crescents.