Mesolithic ornamentation shows changing visual complexity over time

What the study found: South Scandinavian Mesolithic portable art showed non-linear changes over time. The study reports a notable Middle Mesolithic peak in visual complexity and a slight, gradual increase in information content.

Why the authors say this matters: The authors conclude that these patterns may index the emergence of fundamentally different societal functions of the decorations. The study suggests these shifts are broadly correlated with, and likely driven by, environmental and demographic changes.

What the researchers tested: The researchers analyzed anthropogenic ornamentation on archaeological artefacts from Mesolithic South Scandinavia. They used Shannon information entropy, which measures information content, and perimetric complexity, which measures visual complexity, to map changes in motif morphology through time, within a cognitive affordance framework.

What worked and what didn't: The combination of entropy and complexity measures was used successfully to quantify decorative richness and motif variability. The results suggested a Middle Mesolithic peak in visual complexity and a gradual rise in information content, while also indicating a Late Mesolithic specialization of motif usage.

What to keep in mind: The abstract does not describe specific limitations of the study. The conclusions are based on the available portable art corpus and on interpretations made within the stated cognitive affordance framework.

Key points

• The study reports non-linear changes in South Scandinavian Mesolithic portable art over time.
• A Middle Mesolithic peak in visual complexity was found.
• Information content increased slightly and gradually over time.
• The authors interpret the patterns as possibly reflecting changing societal functions of decoration.
• The abstract links the shifts broadly to environmental and demographic changes.