The Egehøj Cereals: Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum s. l.) in the Danish Early Bronze Age

The Egehøj Cereals - Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum s. l.) in the Danish Early Bronze Ag

Meat, Furs and Skins: Mesolithic Animal Bones from Ringkloster, a Seasonal Hunting Camp in Jutland

Meat, Furs and Skins: Mesolithic Animal Bones from Ringkloster, a Seasonal Hunting Camp in Jutlan

Rye in Viking Age Denmark: New Information from Øster Aalum, North Jutland

Rye in Viking Age Denmark: New Information from Øster Aalum, North Jutlan

The Origin of Agriculture in Denmark: A Review of some Theories

The Origin of Agriculture in Denmark: A Review of some Theorie

The Single Grave (Corded Ware) Economy at Kalvø

The Single Grave (Corded Ware) Economy at Kalv

Hunter-Gatherer Variability: Developing Models for the Northern Coasts

Hunter-fisher-gatherer (HFG) variability has received a lot of attention. We review the key developments in the theories of variability, which have usually resulted in binary classifications. We argue that a range of variation based on the degree of territorial ownership is preferable to these classifications. Hunter-fisher-gatherers of the world’s northern coasts have only been partially explored in this way with regard to variability. A major reason for this is that such coastal groups use boats, so normative models of inland terrestrial foraging are not immediately applicable. We suggest that the Saxe-Goldstein hypothesis, the cautious linking of territoriality to funerary behaviour, may be a useful avenue to explore. Much work has been done by scholars of the northern coasts on boats and maritime transport, and some conclusions could be extrapolated to regions farther south.La variabilité caractérisant les chasseurs-pêcheurs-cueilleurs (CPC) reçoit beaucoup d’attention. Nous passons en revue les principaux développements en ce qui a trait aux théories de la variabilité, qui se traduisent habituellement par des classifications binaires. Nous soutenons qu’une plage de variations fondée sur le degré de propriété territoriale est préférable à ces classifications. La variabilité caractérisant les chasseurs-pêcheurs-cueilleurs des côtes nord de la planète n’a été étudiée qu’en partie. Cela s’explique majoritairement par le fait que ces groupes côtiers se servent d’embarcations, si bien que les modèles normatifs de recherche de nourriture à l’intérieur des terres ne sont pas immédiatement applicables. Nous suggérons que l’hypothèse de Saxe-Goldstein, soit le lien prudent entre la territorialité et le comportement funéraire, pourrait présenter une piste valant la peine d’être explorée. Les spécialistes des côtes nord ont beaucoup étudié le transport maritime et le transport au moyen d’embarcations, si bien qu’il pourrait être possible d’extrapoler certaines conclusions quant aux régions situées plus au sud

Reviews

Reviews:THORLEIF SjØVOLD ( ed.): Jntroduksjonen av jordbruk i Norden. Oslo Marek Zvelebil: From Forager to Farmer in the Boreal Zone. BAR International Ser. 115. Oxford 1981 (by Peter Rowley-Conwy) Ester Boserup: Population and Technological Change. Chicago 1981 (by Svend Nielsen

A Meeting In The Forest: Hunters And Farmers At The Coneybury ‘Anomaly’, Wiltshire

The Coneybury ‘Anomaly’ is an Early Neolithic pit located just south-east of Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Excavations recovered a faunal assemblage unique in its composition, consisting of both wild and domestic species, as well as large quantities of ceramics and stone tools, including a substantial proportion of blades/bladelets. We present a suite of new isotope analyses of the faunal material, together with ancient DNA sex determination, and reconsider the published faunal data to ask: What took place at Coneybury, and who was involved? We argue on the basis of multiple lines of evidence that Coneybury represents the material remains of a gathering organised by a regional community, with participants coming from different areas. One group of attendees provided deer instead of, or in addition to, cattle. We conclude that the most likely scenario is that this group comprised local hunter-gatherers who survived alongside local farmers

Neolithisation through bone : Stable isotope analysis of human and faunal remains from Syltholm II, Lolland, Denmark

Despite an increasing number of studies, the application of stable sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis to prehistoric bone collagen remains in its infancy. Conventionally, stable sulfur isotope compositions reflect coastal proximity and the interaction between humans and animals. Here, we undertook stable carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis of human and faunal bone collagen. To understand the local environmental conditions as well as the husbandry regime employed by the first farmers, and investigate where the animals were raised or hunted in non-specific terms, we sampled 50 faunal, including wild and domestic taxa, and human remains from the Late Mesolithic to Early-Middle Neolithic (c. 4860–2310 cal BC) site of Syltholm II on the island of Lolland, Denmark. We show that the wild animals were obtained from multiple locations surrounding the prehistoric Syltholm Fjord, including forested and open landscapes, areas impacted by sea spray and saltmarshes. In contrast, the domestic taxa, especially cattle, were tightly managed for the majority of their lives based on their δ13C and δ15N isotope compositions, though were likely raised in multiple locations, including sea spray-affected areas, saltmarshes and wetlands, based on their δ34S values. The domestic dogs had a broad range of δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values, reflecting the consumption of varying degrees of marine foodstuffs, including animals that were sulfide-derived. Overall, our results contribute to a growing body of evidence for possible cultural and animal husbandry duality during the earliest Neolithic in southern Scandinavia