The Pioneer Experience

Abstract

This chapter is an attempt to outline the current research status of the pioneer time in Norway (9,500–8,000 cal bc), with an emphasis on the settlement phases of the site complex at Pauler in the Oslofjord region. The nine sites of this complex are used as illustrative examples as they form the outset for descriptions of the wider context. Pauler is representative of the stability in settlement pattern, economy, and technology during the Early Mesolithic 2 and Early Mesolithic 3 sub-phases. This stability stands in contrast to a highly changing environment. Thus, the most intriguing feature of the Early Mesolithic lifeway is its seemingly unchanged character over several centuries. Against the background of this setting, I briefly discuss what could be the contents of ‘pioneer experiences’.