6.5 Late Mesolithic: conclusions

Combining Table 14, the segment diagrams (Fig. 49) and the MDS-analysis (6.4) yields a useful (graphic) insight into the site typology for the late Mesolithic as well. For the late Mesolithic we would like to distinguish two types of settlement:

• large and intermediate sites with a wide range of artefact types and a predominance of production debris. It seems reasonable to interpret these as base camps. The two large sites (52B-7 and 52E-67) may be exceptional in this group because of their size, but a repeated use of these sites may explain the higher numbers of finds as well.
• a group of small sites, consisting of one or several arrowheads and some debris. It is unclear whether these indicate the existence of hunting camps. The distribution of these camps exclusively in the area bordering the peat area (called the Peel) is remarkable.

For the late Mesolithic this analysis results in a model where the 'domestic' base camps play a prominent part. The settlement system seems to consist of sites demonstrating a wide range of activities over a limited period. Among the various sites these activities will not have been very different. The almost complete absence of sites used for a specific purpose is remarkable. A settlement system in line with Binford's model for residential logistics is therefore highly likely (Binford 1980). The relatively homogeneous distribution of the vegetation and fauna in this Atlantic forest environment and the small scale landscape with small patches of peat and valleys occurring everywhere, may support this idea of mobility.