That reminds me of a Time Team I watched earlier today, set on Barra in the Outer Hebrides. At the end, one of the archaeologists said he expected to arrive to find the inhabitants had been clinging on to dear life in this rugged landscape. Instead, he conceded that not only did they make a comfortable living for themselves, they were living well.
People make the most of what they have - and sometimes could be very inventive about it. That is a point too easily forgotten in historical literature of every kind.