Mesolithic mobility and contacts on areas of the Baltic Sea watershed, the Sudety, and Carpathian Mountains

Mesolithic mobility across the region including the Sudety and Carpathian Mountains is explored through several lines of evidence, including site seasonality as recorded primarily from sites in peat deposits, limited numbers of documented dwelling structures, mortuary behavior, and the regional distribution of lithic raw materials. These data not only reveal information about basic subsistence strategies and the need to supplement resource shortages, but also demonstrate the intention of both providing and procuring non-utilitarian, exotic goods. The question is: How does mobility influence the type and intensity of regional contact, including the possibility of gifts or exchange, and the potential for group specialization as part of these activities. Information synthesized from hundreds of sites indicates that regional contacts, ranging from tens to several hundreds of kilometers, extended far beyond the everyday local level social activities of Mesolithic systems.