Global Processes, Regional Dynamics? Radiocarbon Data as a Proxy for Social Dynamics at the End of the Mesolithic and During the Early Neolithic in the NW of the Mediterranean and Switzerland (c. 6200-4600 cal BC)

The goal of this paper is to discuss the validity of radiocarbon dates as a source of knowledge for explaining social dynamics over a large region and a long period of time. We have carefully selected c. 1000 14C dates for the time interval 8000-4000 cal BC within the northwestern Mediterranean area (NE Iberian Peninsula, SE France, N Italy) and Switzerland. Using statistical analysis, we have modelled the summed probability distribution of those dates for each of the analysed ecoregion and discussed the rhythms of neolithisation in these regions and the probability of social contact between previous Mesolithic and new Neolithic populations.