Interaction between hunter - gatherers and the environment in the Lake Lubāns basin, eastern Latvia

Sammanfattning: The largest Stone Age micro region in Latvia, has been discovered and extensively investigated during the 1960s -1980s in the Lake Lubāns basin. This master thesis discuss the interaction between hunter-gatherers and the environment in the developing stages of the Lake Lubāns. The literature studies have been carried out in attempt to find out whether people adapted to the environment and ecological circumstances versus more dominant people role in the landscape exploitation. The factors that attracted hunter-gatherers to the Lake Lubāns, settlement location, specialisation, seasonality aspects have been discussed and comparative studies carried out. The results from this study show an active hunter-gatherer participation in the environment exploitation. Beneficial river network, shallow lake, rich in different sorts of fish, various flora and fauna have been advantageous aspects for hunter-gatherer subsistence in the Lake Lubāns basin. Settlements have been situated in ecologically or strategically favourable places that were suitable for people activities. Specialised and long duration settlements seems to appear in the Lake Lubāns basin since the Late Mesolithic. There are indications about highly developed bone and antler industry, specialisation in fishing, waterfowl hunt and pottery making during the Atlantic period. Lack of flint probably encouraged the Lake Lubāns basin inhabitants to specialise in amber working and to take a middleman role in the exchange network between the Baltic Sea coast and the Upper Volga regions.