Maglemosian ( 9000 – 6000 BC) is the name given to a culture of the early Mesolithic period in Northern Europe. In Scandinavia, the culture was succeeded by the Kongemose culture.
Environment and location
The name originates from the
Denmark archeological site
Maglemose, situated near Gørlev and Høng on western Zealand, southwest of lake Tissø. Here the first settlement of the culture was excavated in 1900, by George Sarauw.
[ A German language translation appeared in Prähistorische Zeitschrift in 1911] During the following century a long series of similar settlements were excavated from
England to
Poland and from Skåne in
Sweden to northern
France.
When the Maglemosian culture flourished, sea levels were much lower than now and what is now mainland Europe and Scandinavia were linked with Britain. The cultural period overlaps the end of the last ice age,
Characteristics
The Maglemosian people lived in forest and wetland environments, using fishing and hunting tools made from wood, bone, and flint
. It appears that they had domesticated the
dog.
Some may have lived settled lives, but most were nomadic.
Huts made of bark have been preserved, in addition to tools made of flint, bone, and horn. A characteristic feature of the culture is the sharply edged of flintstone, used for spear and arrow heads.[ Med bue, pil og fiskespyd Gyldendals Open Encyclopedia . Pictures of some Maglemosian tools.] Another notable feature is the leister, a characteristic type of fishing spear, used for gigging.
Scandinavian data table
|
|
| Early Maglemosian culture | 9,000 BC – 7,800 BC | Preboreal | Birch-pine era | aurochs, wisent, Eurasian elk, wild horse | Grus grus, Northern lapwing | |
| Middle Maglemosian culture | 7,800 BC – 7,000 BC | Boreal Epoch | Hazel-pine era | aurochs, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx lynx, vulpes vulpes, European polecat, European badger, European wildcat | Mergus, grebe, Eurasian coot, heron, crane, lapwing | Klosterlund |
| Late Maglemosian culture | 7,000 BC – 6,400 BC | Atlantic Epoch | Later Tilia era | aurochs, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, fox, polecat, badger, wildcat | merganser, grebe, coot, heron, crane, lapwing | |
Genetics
See also
Sources
-
Anders Fischer: "Submerged Stone Age – Danish Examples and North sea potential"; i: N.C.Flemming: Submarine Prehistory and Archaeology of the North Sea: research priorities and collaboration with industry. CBA Research Report 141, 2004, s. 23ff
Danish-language texts
-
Geoffrey Bibby: Spadens vidnedsbyrd; Wormanium 1980, s. 109f
-
Gyldendal og Politikens Danmarkshistorie (red. af Olaf Olsen); Bind 1: I begyndelsen. Fra de ældste tider til ca. år 200 f.Kr. (ved Jørgen Jensen); 1988, s. 47ff
-
Jørgen Jensen: Danmarks Oldtid. Stenalder, 13.000–2.000 f.Kr.; Gyldendal 2001, s. 86ff
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Anders Fischer: "En håndfuld flint", Skalk nr. 5, 1973, s. 8ff
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Anders Fischer: "Mennesket og havet i ældre stenalder"; i: Carin Bunte (red): Arkeologi och Naturvetenskab, Lund 2005, s. 276ff
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Kim Aaris-Sørensen: "Uroksejagt", Skalk nr. 6, 1984, s. 10ff
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Ole Grøn: "Teltning", Skalk nr. 1, 1988, s. 13f
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Søren A. Sørensen: "Hytte ved sø", Skalk nr. 3, 1988, s. 25ff
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Peter Vang Petersen: "Bjørnejagt", Skalk nr. 5, 1991, s. 3ff
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Poul og Kristian Krabbe: "Vest for Valhal", Skalk nr. 6, 1995, s. 11ff
-
Axel Degn Johansen: "Ikke en sky og ikke en vind!", Skalk nr 2, 2008, s. 8ff
