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 d The Sardinian dhole lineage diverged from the Asian dholes around 885 ka d Post-divergence gene flow between the dhole lineages ended between 560 and 310 ka d Our sample also showed a reduced genome-wide diversity d The gene flow between Lycaon and the dholes' ancestor ended around 1.05-0.83 Ma
Starting four decades ago, studies have examined the ecology and evolutionary dynamics of populations and species using short mitochondrial DNA fragments and stable isotopes. Through technological and analytical advances, the methods and biomolecules at our disposal have increased significantly to now include lipids, whole genomes, proteomes, and even epigenomes. At an unprecedented resolution, the study of ancient biomolecules has made it possible for us to disentangle the complex processes that shaped the ancient faunal diversity across millennia, with the potential to aid in implicating probable causes of species extinction and how humans impacted the genetics and ecology of wild and domestic species. However, even now, few studies explore interdisciplinary biomolecular approaches to reveal ancient faunal diversity dynamics in relation to environmental and anthropogenic impact. This review will approach how biomolecules have been implemented in a broad variety of topics and species, from the extinct Pleistocene megafauna to ancient wild and domestic stocks, as well as how their future use has the potential to offer an enhanced understanding of drivers of past faunal diversity on Earth.
Most of the Swedish subfossil finds of terrestrial mammals have been recovered from Scania. The contributing factors may be that the locally more abundant Late Weichselian sediment basins have been exposed through the extensive practice of peat cutting during the 19 th century, and that the public awareness of the significance of the bones and antlers found, prior to the birth of the modern archaeological science, led to them being acquired to research collections. They came to form the basis for the discovery and reconstruction of the postglacial re-colonisation history of the terrestrial fauna. Here, some of these spectacular finds of faunal remains are presented. Today we know that Scania, through the recurrent establishment of a land bridge connecting it to the European mainland, represented one of the major immigration routes into Scandinavia. Already in the Late Glacial the inhabitants of the disintegrating mammoth steppe colonised the newly deglaciated land. It was, however, mainly between c. 12,400 and 9500 cal. years BP, in part due to the existence of a more long lasting land bridge and the continuing amelioration of the climate, that the postglacial fauna in Sweden was formed.
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