INTERPRETATION OF HUMAN RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IN NORTH-WESTERN BLACK SEA REGION ON THE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE BOUNDARY: FROM LINEAR APPROACH TOWARDS THEORETICAL DIVERSITY

Conceptualization of human response to the global climate change in the Caspian – Black Sea – Mediterranean region after the Last Glacial Maximum appears in the center of scientific discussion since the ‘Great Black Sea Flood’ theory was put forward in the late 1990-ies by W. Ryan and W. Pitman who have suggested that rapid and drastic Black Sea level rise on the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary had catastrophic consequences for human life and culture in the region. In the result of further hectic discussions set of rivaling scenarios of the Black Sea basin development during last 30 kyr was proposed (e.g., in frames of IGCP 521-INQUA 501 and IGCP 610 projects). These scenarios differ considerably in respect to scale and consequences of environmental and climatic events in the region on the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, nevertheless all them by default base on the theory of cultural adaptation as the universal instrument of modeling of human response to the global climate change.

More detailed analysis of archaeological data allows substantial diversification of theoretical background of studies of past human behavior in North-Western Black Sea region in connection with the global climate change. The aim of current contribution is to verify possibility of application of broad spectrum of contemporary theories and concepts adopted from environmental, social and anthropological sciences (such as environmental stress theory, concepts of resilience and adjustment, vulnerability and mitigation, sustainable development and others) for interpretation of basic changes of human settlement system and living space use, subsistence strategy, tool production technique, ritual practice and livelihood which took place in North-Western Black Sea region since the Last Glacial retreat till the climatic optimum of Holocene. Basic innovation (such as process of Mesolithization, transition to productive economy, transformation of flint industries etc.) would be examined in this context.