Sweden: Submerged Landscapes of the Early Mesolithic

Björn Nilsson,Anton Hansson,Arne Sjöström

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-37367-2_4

Björn Nilsson, Anton Hansson + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37367-2_4

Copy DOI

Abstract

In the Swedish waters of the south-western Baltic Sea, large areas (3500 km2) of inundated land are present. Due to the complex patterns of past sea-level oscillations, combined with cold and brackish water, conditions for preserved Early Mesolithic sites (11,500–8000 cal BP) are good. So far, only 44 archaeological sites, or clusters of sites, have been found. Recent geoarchaeological and diving surveys have resulted in new information about now-submerged terrestrial remains of forests, river valleys, lakes and bogs and suggest that Swedish waters hide many unrevealed sites with a high scientific potential. From both an environmental and a cultural heritage perspective, these remains are important‚ but they have limited protection, since many are not defined as archaeological sites. Novel interdisciplinary research efforts combining ecological, environmental and archaeological perspectives are now being devoted to changing the way submerged landscapes are treated and protected.

Highlights

Marine archaeology is a thriving field of research in Sweden, and Swedish waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, are well known for their abundance of shipwrecks, not least because of the good preservation of organic materials
At Haväng, a key locality situated on the Scanian coast of Hanö Bay and described further below, remains of rooted tree stumps and lagoon sediments have been used to reconstruct the level of the Yoldia Sea lowstand and the timing of the subsequent Ancylus Lake transgression (Hansson 2018; Hansson et al 2018a), revealing 3500 years of submerged landscape history (Fig. 4.2)
In Swedish waters, the exact level of the postglacial lowstand is based on models of glacio-isostatic adjustment rather than empirical field data, and these indicate that the lowest shorelines in the southern part of Kattegat and the northern part of Öresund were formed around 11,000 cal BP and are found at 22–18 m bpsl

Summary

Introduction

Marine archaeology is a thriving field of research in Sweden, and Swedish waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, are well known for their abundance of shipwrecks, not least because of the good preservation of organic materials. It is a long-established scientific fact that large areas of the Swedish sea bed in the southern Baltic Sea—the areas of the Öresund (Øresu nd in Danish), Ystad and Hanö Bay—were dry land for long periods of time (e.g. Wilcke 1850; Bruzelius 1870; Isberg 1927). Archaeological investigations of Swedish submerged landscapes and their incorporation within governmental policies for management of the cultural heritage have been quite limited in comparison with other West European countries, such as Denmark, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands This is despite the favourable circumstances for the preservation of underwater material and the strong tradition of heritage management in Sweden. The aim of this chapter is to give an overview of some of the studies already made, highlight important findings and discuss future opportunities and strategies

Shoreline Displacement

Submerged Stone Age Landscapes and Archaeological Sites

The Öresund and Kattegat Area

Pilhaken A notable example is Pilhaken, a shallow bank north-west of

The Southern and Eastern Coasts of Scania

Swedish Submerged Prehistories

Management of the Underwater Cultural Heritage