UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Neolithic population crash in northwest Europe associated with agricultural crisis

Colledge, S; Conolly, J; Crema, E; Shennan, S; (2019) Neolithic population crash in northwest Europe associated with agricultural crisis. Quaternary Research , 92 (3) pp. 687-707. 10.1017/qua.2019.42. Green open access

[thumbnail of Colledge_et_al_QR_accepted-version.pdf]
Preview
Text
Colledge_et_al_QR_accepted-version.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (6MB) | Preview

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the Neolithic of northwest Europe, where a rapid growth in population between ~5950 and ~5550 cal yr BP, is followed by a decline that lasted until ~4950 cal yr BP. The timing of the increase in population density correlates with the local appearance of farming and is attributed to the advantageous effects of agriculture. However, the subsequent population decline has yet to be satisfactorily explained. One possible explanation is the reduction in yields in Neolithic cereal-based agriculture due to worsening climatic conditions. The suggestion of a correlation between Neolithic climate deterioration, agricultural productivity and a decrease in population requires testing for northwestern Europe. Data for our analyses were collected during the Cultural Evolution of Neolithic Europe project. We assess the correlation between agricultural productivity and population densities in the Neolithic of northwest Europe by examining the changing frequencies of crop and weed taxa before, during and after the population ‘boom and bust’. We show that the period of population decline is coincidental with a decrease in cereal production linked to a shift towards less fertile soils.

Type: Article
Title: Neolithic population crash in northwest Europe associated with agricultural crisis
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1017/qua.2019.42
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2019.42
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Neolithic Europe; population change; farming systems; agricultural productivity; sustainability
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10076948
Downloads since deposit
657Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item