An integrated analysis of Maglemose bone points reframes the Early Mesolithic of Southern Scandinavia

Theis Zetner Trolle Jensen,Jesper Olsen,Nicky Milner,Lasse Sørensen,Kristine Korzow Richter,Arne Sjöström,Mikkel Sørensen,Meaghan Mackie,Hannes Schroeder,Morten Fischer Mortensen,Kurt Joseph Gron,Anders Fischer,Matthew James Collins,Alberto John Taurozzi,Erika Rosengren,Liam Thomas Lanigan,Ole Bennike,Katrine Højholt Iversen,David Chivall

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-74258-8

Abstract

The extensive peat bogs of Southern Scandinavia have yielded rich Mesolithic archaeological assemblages, with one of the most iconic artefacts being the bone point. Although great in number they remain understudied. Here we present a combined investigation of the typology, protein-based species composition, and absolute chronology of Maglemosian bone points. The majority of the bone points are made from cervids and bovines. However, changes both in species composition and barb morphology can be directly linked to a paucity of finds lasting nearly 600 years in Southern Scandinavia around 10,300 cal BP. We hypothesize that this hiatus was climate-driven and forced hunter-gatherers to abandon the lakes. Furthermore, the marked change in bone points coincides with a change in lithic technology. We, therefore, propose that the Maglemose culture in Southern Scandinavia is fundamentally divided into an Early Complex and a Late Complex.

Highlights

The extensive peat bogs of Southern Scandinavia have yielded rich Mesolithic archaeological assemblages, with one of the most iconic artefacts being the bone point
The Early Holocene landscape was characterized by numerous shallow lakes and ponds in a relatively open birch and pine-dominated woodland[2]
Species identification of bone points has previously been based on such evidence as bone debitage from habitation sites, or the absence of specific skeletal elements in a given faunal a ssemblage[3,10], p. 278,11, which makes the identification of each artefact circumstantial. Based on these types of analyses, the majority of the Maglemosian bone points were thought to have been made from both ribs and long bones of “large ungulates”, translating to aurochs, elk, red- and roe deer (Bos primigenius, Alces alces, Cervus elaphus, and Capreolus capreolus)[12]

Summary

Introduction

The extensive peat bogs of Southern Scandinavia have yielded rich Mesolithic archaeological assemblages, with one of the most iconic artefacts being the bone point. The majority of the bone points are made from cervids and bovines Changes both in species composition and barb morphology can be directly linked to a paucity of finds lasting nearly 600 years in Southern Scandinavia around 10,300 cal BP. We hypothesize that this hiatus was climate-driven and forced hunter-gatherers to abandon the lakes. The Early Holocene landscape was characterized by numerous shallow lakes and ponds in a relatively open birch and pine-dominated woodland[2] These formed crucial hunting and fishing grounds for the first Maglemosian people living in Southern Scandinavia. Our integrated analyses provide a robust new framework for Maglemose chronology, that extends to changes in lithic manufacture

Methods

Results

Conclusion