The Pitted Ware Culture site Åloppe, Norrskog in Eastern Middle Sweden, is one of few Neolithic settlements in the region where unburnt osteological remains have been recovered. The geology of this area of Sweden with mainly acidic soils does not generally preserve unburned bones well but the osteological material from the site is well preserved in comparison to many other sites in the region. Thus, Åloppe, Norrskog offers an exceptional opportunity to study the deposition of osteoarchaeological material and to investigate spatial practices. This is evident in the faunal remains which comprise bones of seals and fish, and in addition, bones of terrestrial mammals such as boar and moose, that were handled differently on the site. The spatial distribution of mammal remains revealed depositional patterns associated with specific areas, archaeological features and, thus, human activities. One inhumation burial was excavated at the site and several isolated human bones were recovered among the faunal remains. Taphonomic observations and spatial distribution suggest intentional handling and deposition of human remains within a more restricted area of the site. Despite the low spatial resolution offered by the material patterns do emerge and the site may be understood as an arena for human action.

This paper describes identified workspaces and the manufacture of slotted bone points at the Late Mesolithic settlement Strandvägen in Motala, in eastern central Sweden. Several dwellings were documented, Dwelling 1 being typically round-oval in shape 9 × 5.5 meters, with a floor area covering 49.5 m². Radiocarbon dates fall between approximately 5600-5200 cal BC. A combined archaeological record, with lithics and bone artefacts as well as analyses of the osteological assemblage has shown that slotted bone tools with mounted lithic inserts have been produced adjacent of the dwelling. The spatial distribution of bone flakes, microblades, processed resin and slotted artefacts testify to a clearly and delimited craft area near the shoreline of the river Motala Ström. Analyses of the finds, e.g. birch bark resin and prepared bone preforms by direct percussion, also help in reconstructing the stages of manufacturing composite projectile points in this part of Eurasia.

Cet article décrit des espaces de travail identifiés, ainsi que la fabrication de pointes rainurées en os sur le site de Strandvägen, datant du Mésolithique récent, à Motala, dans le centre-est de la Suède. Plusieurs habitations ont été étudiées. L’habitation 1 présente typiquement une forme ronde-ovale, de dimensions 9 m × 5.5 m et une surface au sol de 49.5 m². La datation radiocarbone s’échelonne entre 5600 et 5200 cal BC. Le matériel archéologique constitué d’artefacts lithiques et osseux, ainsi que les analyses de l’assemblage ostéologique indiquent que les outils rainurés en os à inserts lithiques ont été produits à proximité de l’habitation. La répartition spatiale d’éclats d’os, de microlames, de résine traitée et d’artefacts à rainures témoigne de la présence d’une zone d’artisanat clairement délimitée à proximité de la rivière Motala Ström. L’analyse des découvertes permet également de reconstituer les étapes de production de pointes de projectiles composites dans cette partie de l’Eurasie, par exemple la préparation de résine d’écorce de bouleau et la percussion directe de préformes osseuses préparées.

The Mesolithic hunting on red deer (Cervus elaphus) has been examined by analysis of prey choice through theage and sex distributions based on dentition and morphometry of zooarchaeological remains from fiveMesolithic settlements in Sweden dating to 9000–6000 cal BP. The results indicate a general selection of individualsaged 2–5 years at most sites, while the sex distribution was skewed toward either stags or hinds. Thehunting was directed towards animals that provided high immediate and short-term returns of meat. Few observationspoint to hunting patterns that would have been associated to conservational perspectives of the reddeer populations. A comparison indicates that local and site-specific differences in hunting practise can bediscerned which probably was related to local conditions linked to environment, function of sites and huntingtraditions, but no distinct correlation of hunting pattern to chronology or different regions. The study shows thepotential to evaluate kill-off patterns in relation to optimal foraging perspectives restricted to one prey species.

This paper presents the results from the investigation of two Mesolithic sites, lok. 24 and lok. 25, at Brunstad in Stokke, south of Tønsberg in Vestfold, Southeast Norway. At their time of use the two sites, separated only by a rocky outcrop, were situated by a cove on a small island in the archipelago of the Oslo Fjord. A total of c. 16,000 artefacts, predominantly of flint, were recorded, as well as c. 60 hearths. Radiocarbon dates witness to repeated stays on this island between c. 6400 and 5600 cal. BC. Towards the south lok. 24 was delimited by a small marsh, which also existed at the time when the Brunstad sites were inhabited. Four complete and two fragmented stone adzes found directly in the wetland, may indicate deliberate (ritual) depositions. The find of a decorated, broken sandstone plate from the northern edge of the wetland might strengthen such an interpretation. On lok. 25 an inhumation was uncovered. In a carefully stone-lined grave-pit, an adult individual had been deposited with flexed hip and knees. The grave, dated to c. 5900 BC, is the first recorded Mesolithic grave in East Norway, and one of very few Mesolithic graves from Norway overall. The grave and traces of other ritual actions are discussed in relation to the settlement site as well as in a wider Scandinavian context.  

We analysed microfossil remains in human dental calculus sampled from an individual of the Mesolithic burials at Strandvägen, Motala, central Sweden. The analysis was targeted on phytoliths, diatoms and fungal spores. The composition of the phytolith assemblage suggests that plant micro-fossils found in the dental calculus partially stem from reeds of Phragmites. This suggests that the studied individual was consuming and/or manipulating reeds with his teeth. Spherical fungal spores were abundant in the calculus, possibly indicating weak health status, although it cannot be excluded that they originate from natural long-term accumulations. The diatom composition in the dental calculus was dominated by Cyclotella distinguenda, a species which is strongly linked to waters of the nearby Lake Vättern. This suggests that the studied individual primarily used water, and/or aquatic flora/fauna, from Lake Vättern.

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.

Recent excavations at the sites of Strandvägen and Kanaljorden in Motala, Eastern Central Sweden, have unearthed complex and varied funerary remains from the Mesolithic. The two sites are situated on opposite banks of the river Motala Ström. While geographically close and roughly covering the same time span (c. 8000–7000 cal. BP), the funerary remains reveal differences and similarities in the treatment of the dead between the two localities. While at Strandvägen human bones were mostly found either scattered along the river bed or in inhumation graves, Kanaljorden contains wetland depositions of disarticulated skulls. We have conducted multi-isotope analyses of δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ³⁴S and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of human and animal remains with the aim of reconstructing the dietary patterns, geographic provenance and mobility of the interred. A series of faunal reference samples and, in the case of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, soil samples have been analysed in order to establish relevant isotopic baselines. The results show a protein intake dominated by aquatic resources, probably consisting of both freshwater and marine fish in varied proportions. The strontium isotope data indicate an interesting distinction between the individuals buried on either side of the river Motala Ström. Five out of six sampled individuals from Strandvägen have isotope ratios consistent with a local provenance, whereas ratios from seven out of eight Kanaljorden individuals indicate a non-local origin. The δ³⁴S analysis proved problematic as a majority of the samples appear to be affected by diagenesis. This is probably the result of contamination by exogenous sulphur from surrounding fluvial and lacustrine sediments, as has previously been reported from other waterlogged sites.

The socio-cultural behaviour of Scandina-vian Mesolithic hunter-gatherers has been difficult to understand due to the dearth of sites thus far investigated. Recent excavations at Kanaljorden in Sweden, however, have revealed disarticulated human crania intentionally placed at the bottom of a former lake. The adult crania exhibited antemortem blunt force trauma patterns differentiated by sex that were probably the result of interpersonal violence; the remains of wooden stakes were recovered inside two crania, indicating that they had been mounted. Taphonomic factors suggest that the human bodies were manipulated prior to deposition. This unique site challenges our understanding of the handling of the dead during the European Mesolithic.

Osteoarchaeological materials are influenced by many consecutive factors, from human hunting strategies, consumption patterns and waste disposal to mechanical and chemical changes in bone structure and shape. Here Mesolithic osteoarchaeological patterns have been examined in relation to the production of bone and antler artefacts. The osseous production in Sweden of the period c. 7000–4500 cal BC shows both similarities and differences between six investigated sites, representing two different geographical regions. These may be seen in both manufacturing techniques and raw material use and may be linked to different traditions, but also to different utilization of different taskscapes. The production is also linked to lithic craft and the theme of e.g. raw material acquisition is also relevant in relation to the production of osseous artefacts. Spatial studies clearly show how different taphonomic processes affect the accumulation of bone material on site, but also how practitioners’ choices associated with the osseous craft affect these patterns. On several of the investigated sites, deposits of raw material have been found in the waters outside the settlements. In the settlement debitage from the production and forming of the artefacts, bone knapping floors have been identified. These are located centrally, in relation to other archaeological structures such as lithic knapping floors and dwellings. The osteoarchaeological record is biased in part due to debitage from osseous production but also from active human selection, transport and deposition of raw materials. These activities and the human choices of production affect the patterns, and through careful taphonomic analyses various accumulative processes may be highlighted.

The foundation of this paper is lithic economy with a focus on the actual use of different lithic raw materials for tasks at hand. Our specific focus is on the production of bone tools during the Mesolithic. The lithic and osseous assemblages from Strandvägen, Motala, in east-central Sweden provide the archaeological background for the study. Based on a series of experiments we evaluate the efficiency and durability of different tool edges of five lithic raw materials: Cambrian flint, Cretaceous flint, mylonitic quartz, quartz, and porphyry, each used to whittle bone. The results show that flint is the most efficient of the raw materials assessed. Thus, a non-local raw material offers complements of functional characteristics for bone working compared to locally available quartz and mylonitic quartz. This finding provides a new insight into lithic raw material distribution in the region, specifically for bone tool production on site.