New Aspects of the Mesolithic-Neolithic Cemeteries and Settlement at Zvejnieki, Northern Latvia

Larsson, Lars; Stutz, Liv Nilsson; Zagorska, Ilga; Bērziņš, Valdis; Ceriņa, Aija

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0390.2017.12177.x

Cited by 17 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The grave was located much deeper (0.80m) than the other burials at the site, and it was not cut by any of the surrounding graves. Burial 316-317, however, had cut through several earlier burials, and material from these was present in its fill, which consisted of very dark humic soil containing artefacts and human and animal bones (Nilsson Stutz et al 2013;Larsson et al 2017).…”

Section: The Burialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The female had two amber rings on her chest and 113 amber pendants placed in rows between the pelvic area and the knees. While she had a few tubular bone beads beneath her knees, most of the beads and bone pendants were associated with the male's lower legs (Larsson 2010;Nilsson Stutz et al 2013;Larsson et al 2017). Other grave goods included a bone awl or a dagger, a flint knife and an elk-tooth pendant (previously identified as the tooth of an aurochs; Larsson et al 2017: 75).…”

Section: The Burialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…New excavations at the site were conducted between 2005 and 2009 as part of a collaborative project between Lund University (Sweden) and the Latvian History Institute. These excavations yielded 27 burials, including a double burial, numbered 316-317 (Larsson 2010;Nilsson Stutz et al 2013;Nilsson Stutz & Larsson 2016;Larsson et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Petrified animals: fossil beads from a Neolithic hunter-gatherer double burial at Zvejnieki in Latvia

Macāne

2020

Antiquity

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Section: The Burialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Burialmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Petrified animals: fossil beads from a Neolithic hunter-gatherer double burial at Zvejnieki in Latvia

Macāne

2020

Antiquity

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“…A couple of finds with zigzag engravings are known on Danish leister points probably dating from the early part of the Mesolithic [8]. Among later single finds, such as a number of points from a bog in central Scania, there are no ornamented pieces [9]. Just a couple of finds from about the same age as Strandvägen have certain parallels in Southern Scandinavia.…”

Section: Figure 1 -The Location Of the Strandvägen Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The problem is that none of these finds have been radiocarbon-dated. Most can be included in the Kunda type, belonging to the Early Mesolithic, of which only a few have been dated and shown to belong to the Early Mesolithic [9]. Leister points with similar ornaments are known from other sites in western Russia [17; 18].…”

Section: Figure 1 -The Location Of the Strandvägen Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Decoration of bone and antler artefacts as an indication of Mesolithic networks (finds from a central Swedish Late Mesolithic site)

Larsson¹,

Molin

2017

Samara Journal of Science

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Our knowledge of Mesolithic decorated bone and antler tools from Scandinavia has mainly been based on finds from sites and single finds from Southern Scandinavia. However, recent excavations at a Late Mesolithic site at Strandvgen in Motala, south-central Sweden, have changed the state of research and revealed a large number of bone and antler tools, some of them with decorations. The site is located on the eastern shore of Lake Vttern, the second largest lake in the south of Sweden and at the only large outlet of the lake. The site was used during a number of centuries, with a concentration of radiocarbon dates around 7500-7000 cal. BP. The settlement at Strandvgen is the only site in this part of Scandinavia with a large number of finds of bone and antler. The location of the site was exceptional as it was easily available by contact links to the south and north as well as east and west. This is well manifested in the find material. Leister points are the single largest group of tools, with a total of more than 400 examples. A number of these are furnished with decoration in the form of small notches on the barbs more or less in systematic order, as well as cross-hatched motifs. A small number of other tools such as slotted daggers and antler objects with shaft holes are also decorated. In comparison with southern Sweden and Denmark, similarities are obvious concerning both the choice of motifs and the variety of their execution. The only other area in the Baltic region with a number of decorated objects is the East Baltic. However the chronological relevance is uncertain. For example one can find leister points with similarities to the finds at Strandvgen among the finds from Lake Lubāna in south-eastern Latvia. The question of how many of the motifs, and how they are executed is a pan-Mesolithic phenomenon within Northern Europe and how much can be related to specific regional markings.

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The Mesolithic inhumation at Brunstad – A two-step multidisciplinary excavation method enables rare insights into hunter-gatherer mortuary practice in Norway

Schülke

Eriksen

Gummesson

et al. 2019

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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The Mesolithic burial from Brunstad, Vestfold, Eastern Norway, dating to c. 5900 cal BC, represents rare evidence of Mesolithic mortuary practice in Norway. While Mesolithic settlement finds are abundant in the region, evidence of mortuary ritual is virtually absent in the record. In this article we present the method and the results of the multidisciplinary excavation, on-site and in the laboratory. The challenging Brunstad find was excavated in two steps, and later reconstructed, involving osteology, 3D photogrammetry and conservation. Moreover, the burial is discussed in its local, regional and supra-regional context. While the inhumation of an adult individual in a flexed body position is rare in its regional context, it exhibits typical features known from Mesolithic graves in Scandinavia as well as from other parts of Europe. These include the shore-based island location and proximity to a settlement site, the body position, as well as certain features of mortuary ritual. In the light of Mesolithic mortuary practices in Scandinavia and the Baltic region, from where many Mesolithic graves are known, we suggest that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Eastern Norway and the Skagerrak region handled and disposed of their dead in various ways, some of which might not have left archaeological traces. We conclude that the Brunstad grave represents a distinct mode of burial at the time. Highlights-Rare inhumation sheds light on Mesolithic mortuary practice in Norway-Interdisciplinary two-step excavation allows reconstruction of flexed body position-Burial exhibits traits of hunter-gatherer graves across Europe-Site context gives insight into hunter-gatherer ritual and mobility-A distinct burial at its time

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New Aspects of the Mesolithic-Neolithic Cemeteries and Settlement at Zvejnieki, Northern Latvia

Cited by 17 publications

References 11 publications

Petrified animals: fossil beads from a Neolithic hunter-gatherer double burial at Zvejnieki in Latvia

Petrified animals: fossil beads from a Neolithic hunter-gatherer double burial at Zvejnieki in Latvia

Decoration of bone and antler artefacts as an indication of Mesolithic networks (finds from a central Swedish Late Mesolithic site)

The Mesolithic inhumation at Brunstad – A two-step multidisciplinary excavation method enables rare insights into hunter-gatherer mortuary practice in Norway

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