Inland Mesolithic Settlement in Southern Scandinavia

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This project involves two years of excavation at an extraordinary, waterlogged late Mesolithic site in the interior of Denmark. The focus of these investigations is the study of inland settlement of hunter-gatherers and its role in the transition to farming around 4000 B.C. A good deal has been learned in recent years about coastal settlement and subsistence in this region On the other hand very little work has been done on inland settlements and their place in late Mesolithic adaptations. Several lines of evidence suggest that such sites may have been the initial locus for the adoption of farming. Excavations will be conducted at a site where organic preservation is exceptional and substantial quantities of plant and animal material are available for the characterization of subsistence change. In addition artifacts of stone, bone, wood, and other materials should be present in large numbers providing a more complete view of the technology of these inland groups The excavations should provide information on the subsistence focus, season and duration of inland settlement, as well as connections with the coast. The presence and age of Early Neolithic materials at the inland site may allow an assessment of the role and priority of farming activities in this region. The research will evaluate the role of climate and resource deterioration in the transition from hunting and gathering to farming in this region. Excavation analysis and conservation of materials from waterlogged Stone Age sites is expensive but the information gained from such well preserved contexts is well worth the cost Permission has been granted for this work to proceed. All materials recovered in the excavation will be the property of the Kalundborg og Omegns Museum, Kalundborg, Denmark.