Adam Boethius | Lund University (original) (raw)

Papers by Adam Boethius

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Strontium isotope ratios in human teeth from the three Swedish prehistoric Stone Age hunter-fishe... more Strontium isotope ratios in human teeth from the three Swedish prehistoric Stone Age hunter-fisher-gathering societies Norje Sunnansund (Maglemose), Skateholm (Ertebølle) and Västerbjers (Pitted Ware Culture) were analysed with laser ablation to produce data on both individual movement patterns and societal mobility trends. The analyses of teeth from both Skateholm and Västerbjers displayed homogeneous ratios and corresponding mobility patterns, while the data from Norje Sunnansund showed larger variances with heterogenous strontium ratios and varied inter-individual mobility patterns. Correlation with the bioavailable baseline suggests that the size of the geographical areas, where human strontium ratios could have originated, was roughly comparable for all three sites. The teeth measurements were reflected within a 50-km radius of the surrounding landscape and the 25–75% data quartile matched with distances between 3 and 30 km from the sites, suggesting limited mobility ranges amo...

Quaternary Science Reviews

Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility... more Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility is often difficult to identify in the archaeological record, our understanding is largely based on comparison with ethnographic communities. In recent years the application of 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis has, however, greatly broadened our knowledge of mobility in the past. Despite this, few studies have been undertaken on faunal remains to explore their mobility patterns and infer human exploitation patterns with more precision. In this contribution we sampled 28 mammal teeth from three different occupation phases at the Early to Mid-Holocene coastal site of Huseby Klev, Sweden. We first established the local baseline for seven geographical areas in the region surrounding Huseby Klev. Then, by applying laser ablation-multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to the selected teeth, we identified the likely origins of a range of terrestrial and marine fauna, and the possible human mobility patterns required in their exploitation. Overall, our results demonstrate that the prehistoric communities inhabiting Huseby Klev undertook both short- and long-distance forays for the exploitation of particular species. By relating inferences on hunting grounds, derived from strontium isotope data, to zooarchaeological evidence from the site and ethnographic human mobility patterns, we establish and discuss the prerequisites for landscape utilization. Lastly, we demonstrate that glacial meltwater may have temporally affected the local oceanic Sr ratios - suggesting significantly increased soil and bedrock weathering may influence the Sr values in aquatic ecosystems and, consequently, should be considered in such regions and at times of melting glaciers. By applying the method to additional sites and assemblages in the future, our understanding of prehistoric mobility will be greatly enhanced.

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Osteologisk analys av benmaterialet från område 12 förundersökning inför utbyggnad av E22 sträcka... more Osteologisk analys av benmaterialet från område 12 förundersökning inför utbyggnad av E22 sträckan Sölve-Stensnäs. Reports in osteology 2010:7

This thesis concerns the mesolithic relation towards animals and hunting habits among people in S... more This thesis concerns the mesolithic relation towards animals and hunting habits among people in Skateholm, Tågerup and Vedbaek-Bøgebakken. The aim is to look at the societies from a cultural point of view and demonstrate that the people living there identified themselves with animals and adapted their lives, their hunting and their burial customs according to rituals and believes concerning animals in their surroundings. The result is convincing and clearly shows that animals where treated differently in manors which can only be explained with specific cultural relations towards different kinds of animals.

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

To evaluate the possibility of obtaining detailed individual mobility data from archaeological te... more To evaluate the possibility of obtaining detailed individual mobility data from archaeological teeth, the strontium isotope ratios on 28 human teeth from three separate Early-Mid Holocene, Swedish, foraging contexts (Norje Sunnansund, Skateholm and Västerbjers) were analysed through laser ablation. The teeth/individuals have previously been analysed using traditional bulk sampled thermal ionisation mass spectrometry. To validate the conclusions regarding the archaeological teeth, a tooth from a modern man with a known background was also analysed. The result shows that all of the teeth display less than 0.4% discrepancy between the mean values of the laser ablation profiles and the previously published bulk data and 25 (89%) of the teeth display less than a 0.2% discrepancy. By calculating linear and polynomial trendlines for each ablated tooth, it was possible to illustrate a strong correlation for the transition pattern between the measurements when following a chronological seque...

Hunter-fisher-gatherers subsistence strategies are often related to optimal foraging theory. This... more Hunter-fisher-gatherers subsistence strategies are often related to optimal foraging theory. This often implies a close connection to mobility patterns where it is assumed that once a particular part of the landscape is beginning to run low on resources people use mobility, i.e. moving from the area, as a risk-reducing strategy. However, among societies that are largely depending on aquatic resources for sustenance, mobility is often less important. For these groups of people certain favourable spots in the landscape increase in importance, e.g. where fish is available all year round and where it is possible to exploit massively increasing numbers of fish during limited periods (i.e. during fish migrations or spawning activities). The ability to utilize increasing fish abundance during periods of agglomeration is often considered a mobility reducing factor and if it is also connected to large scale and longterm storage the prerequisites for sedentary foraging societies have been met...

The bone material from three archaeological occupation phases at Huseby Klev provides the best so... more The bone material from three archaeological occupation phases at Huseby Klev provides the best source of evidence currently available about the subsistence strategies of pioneer settlers in Northern Europe. The results from Huseby Klev indicate that the pioneer settlers initially relied heavily on marine mammals for their sustenance. This subsistence strategy changed during the second and third occupation phases of the site, during which fishing became the most important part of the diet. These changes in subsistence strategy are interpreted as arising from different factors. A highly nutritious ocean on the west coast of Scandinavia at the end of the last ice age resulted in large numbers of available marine mammals in the ocean, which supported a large human population able to base its economy on them. As the ocean became less nutritious withthe cessation of freshwater mixing, the marine mammals suffered a natural population decline, while humans still relied upon them heavily, re...

A long tradition in research on prehistoric southern Scandinavia recognizes full use of aquatic r... more A long tradition in research on prehistoric southern Scandinavia recognizes full use of aquatic resources in the Late Mesolithic Ertebolle Culture (5500–4000 cal BC): coastal sites are frequently found containing well-preserved fish bones, and isotope values from human collagen indicate a high dietary intake of marine resources. However, recent finds and new methodologies suggest that the view of a terrestrially focused diet in the Early Mesolithic period (9500–6800 cal BC) can be reinterpreted, and the use of freshwater resources is found to be more important than previously known. Aquatic resources can therefore be seen to be a major source of sustenance for foraging societies in Scandinavia much earlier than has been realized previously. At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Mesolithic site located in Blekinge, south-eastern Sweden, large amounts of fish bones have been found, and these have been used to estimate the amount of fish beingcaught at the site, by analyzing different rates of...

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene forage... more The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene foragers in southern Scandinavia. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, zooarchaeological data have been applied to the study of different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, in order to frame a discussion concerning our current understanding of culture and life in early north European societies. Three different sites/areas are the focus: Norje Sunnansund, Huseby Klev and Gotland/Gisslause. However, all available material from the chosen temporal and spatial frame have been incorporated to enable holistic discussions. The three focus areas combined comprise all available coastal settlements with well-preserved organic material from the Early Mesolithic period, which has led to discussions centred on the use of aquatic resources and the importance of fish.To address the different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, multiple approaches have been taken, whereby ...

PLOS ONE, 2020

Ancient organic remains are essential for the reconstruction of past human lifeways and environme... more Ancient organic remains are essential for the reconstruction of past human lifeways and environments but are only preserved under particular conditions. Recent findings indicate that such conditions are becoming rarer and that archaeological sites with previously good preservation, are deteriorating. To investigate this, we returned to the well-known Swedish Mesolithic site Agerö d I. Here we present the result of the re-excavation and the osteological analyses of the bone remains from the 1940s, 1970s and 2019 excavation campaigns of the site, to document and quantify changes in bone preservation and relate them to variations in soil conditions and on-site topography. The results indicate that the bone material has suffered from accelerated deterioration during the last 75 years. This has led to heavily degraded remains in some areas and complete destruction in others. We conclude that while Agerö d can still be considered an important site, it has lost much of the properties that made it unique. If no actions are taken to secure its future preservation, the site will soon lose the organic remains that before modern encroachment and climate change had been preserved for 9000 years. Finally, because Agerö d has not been subjected to more or heavier encroachment than most other archaeological sites, our results also raise questions of the state of organic preservation in other areas and call for a broad examination of our most vulnerable hidden archaeological remains.

PLOS ONE, 2021

At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Holocene settlement in southern Sweden, the world’s earliest eviden... more At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Holocene settlement in southern Sweden, the world’s earliest evidence of fermentation has been interpreted as a method of managing long-term and large-scale food surplus. While an advanced fishery is suggested by the number of recovered fish bones, until now it has not been possible to identify the origin of the fish, or whether and how their seasonal migration was exploited. We analysed strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in 16 cyprinid and 8 pike teeth, which were recovered at the site, both from within the fermentation pit and from different areas outside of it, by using laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our investigation indicates three different regions of origin for the fish at the site. We find that the most commonly fermented fish, cyprinids (roach), were caught in the autumn during their seasonal migration from the Baltic Sea to the sheltered stream and lake next to the site. This is in contrast to th...

PLOS ONE, 2020

Despite a growing body of evidence concerning accelerated organic degradation at archaeological s... more Despite a growing body of evidence concerning accelerated organic degradation at archaeological sites, there have been few follow-up investigations to examine the status of the remaining archaeological materials in the ground. To address the question of archaeoorganic preservation, we revisited the Swedish, Mesolithic key-site Agerö d and could show that the bone material had been subjected to an accelerated deterioration during the last 75 years, which had destroyed the bones in the areas where they had previously been best preserved. To understand why this has happened and to quantify and qualify the extent of the organic degradation, we here analyse the soil chemistry, bone histology, collagen preservation and palaeobotany at the site. Our results show that the soil at Agerö d is losing, or has already lost, its preservative and buffering qualities, and that pH-values in the still wet areas of the site have dropped to levels where no bone preservation is possible. Our results suggest that this acidification process is enhanced by the release of sulphuric acid as pyrite in the bones oxidizes. While we are still able to find well-preserved palaeobotanical remains, they are also starting to corrode through reintroduced oxygen into the archaeological layers. While some areas of the site have been more protected through redeposited soil on top of the archaeological layers, all areas of Agerö d are rapidly deteriorating. Lastly, while it is still possible to perform molecular analyses on the best-preserved bones from the most protected areas, this opportunity will likely be lost within a few decades. In conclusion, we find that if we, as a society, wish to keep this valuable climatic, environmental and cultural archive, both at Agerö d and elsewhere, the time to act is now and if we wait we will soon be in a situation where this record will be irretrievably lost forever.

SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES IN THE STONE AGE, DIRECT AND INDIRECT EVIDENCE OF FISHING AND GATHERING, 2018

Организация конференции и издание материалов осуществлены при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект №... more Организация конференции и издание материалов осуществлены при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект № 18-09-20015 г УДК 902/904 ББК 63.4 С 833 Стратегии жизнеобеспечения в каменном веке, прямые и косвенные свидетельства рыболовства и собирательства. Материалы международной конференции, посвященной 50-летию В.М. Лозовского. Под редакцией О.В. Лозовской, А.А. Выборнова и Е.В. Долбуновой.-СПб.: ИИМК РАН, 2018.-266 с. Сборник содержит материалы международной конференции, приуроченной к 50-летию яркого исследователя позднего каменного века Восточной Европы В.М. Лозовского. Представленные работы объединены проблематикой изучения взаимодействия человека и окружающей среды и разным моделям адаптации в рамках первобытного хозяйства. Основное внимание уделяется роли рыбной ловли и собирательства съедобных растений, важнейших видов деятельности, однако недостаточно освещенных в археологических источниках. Материалы поздних поселений с благоприятными условиями сохранности органических материалов, а также косвенные свидетельства производства и использования рыболовных инструментов и орудий собирательства, горелые макроостатки семян и растений, данные химического состава содержимого посуды и изотопные характеристики человеческих костей, должны помочь реально оценить роль этих видов пищевых ресурсов в диете первобытного человека. Издание предназначено для археологов, палеогеографов, палеоботаников и представителей смежных дисциплин.

The Holocene, 2020

Lately, evidence for early-Holocene emerging sedentism has been suggested among foragers in North... more Lately, evidence for early-Holocene emerging sedentism has been suggested among foragers in Northern Europe. The core of this suggested sedentism lies in the increasing dependency on large-scale fishing and mass consumption of fish and a territorial behaviour associated with access to the best fishing locations. This territoriality might also be associated with increasing numbers of people settling and living in Northern Europe at this time. In this article, we review the evidence for forager sedentism and territoriality and relate it to large-scale fishing, during a time of global warming, in early-Holocene Scandinavia. We explore the requisites of using the archaeological record to study the long-term effect of intense fishing on some of the best-preserved Stone Age sites in the area of study. We suggest that the archaeological record can enable a discussion of how aquatic life varies corresponding to human exploitation and climate change. In addition, we discuss how these changes...

Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, 2019

During the excavations at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia an extensive archaeo-environment... more During the excavations at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia an extensive archaeo-environmental programme was implemented, resulting in the collection and analysis of a wide range of animal remains. This paper presents the mammal and fish remains in detail and offers interpretations which take into account the archaeology of the site, other types of finds, as well as the discourse on animals in cult. The material is examined in terms of chronological phases and of particular features within them in an attempt, common in all types of analysis within the Kalaureia Excavation Program, to link the material remains to human actions, placing emphasis on the materiality of cult. The degree of analysis and interpretation detail varies among different occupational phases of the sanctuary, because of the greatly uneven preservation and quantity of animal remains. In certain cases of disturbed deposits and poor preservation, such as the bones from the Archaic and Classical strata, the anal...

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Strontium isotope ratios in human teeth from the three Swedish prehistoric Stone Age hunter-fishe... more Strontium isotope ratios in human teeth from the three Swedish prehistoric Stone Age hunter-fisher-gathering societies Norje Sunnansund (Maglemose), Skateholm (Ertebølle) and Västerbjers (Pitted Ware Culture) were analysed with laser ablation to produce data on both individual movement patterns and societal mobility trends. The analyses of teeth from both Skateholm and Västerbjers displayed homogeneous ratios and corresponding mobility patterns, while the data from Norje Sunnansund showed larger variances with heterogenous strontium ratios and varied inter-individual mobility patterns. Correlation with the bioavailable baseline suggests that the size of the geographical areas, where human strontium ratios could have originated, was roughly comparable for all three sites. The teeth measurements were reflected within a 50-km radius of the surrounding landscape and the 25–75% data quartile matched with distances between 3 and 30 km from the sites, suggesting limited mobility ranges amo...

Quaternary Science Reviews

Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility... more Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility is often difficult to identify in the archaeological record, our understanding is largely based on comparison with ethnographic communities. In recent years the application of 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis has, however, greatly broadened our knowledge of mobility in the past. Despite this, few studies have been undertaken on faunal remains to explore their mobility patterns and infer human exploitation patterns with more precision. In this contribution we sampled 28 mammal teeth from three different occupation phases at the Early to Mid-Holocene coastal site of Huseby Klev, Sweden. We first established the local baseline for seven geographical areas in the region surrounding Huseby Klev. Then, by applying laser ablation-multi collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to the selected teeth, we identified the likely origins of a range of terrestrial and marine fauna, and the possible human mobility patterns required in their exploitation. Overall, our results demonstrate that the prehistoric communities inhabiting Huseby Klev undertook both short- and long-distance forays for the exploitation of particular species. By relating inferences on hunting grounds, derived from strontium isotope data, to zooarchaeological evidence from the site and ethnographic human mobility patterns, we establish and discuss the prerequisites for landscape utilization. Lastly, we demonstrate that glacial meltwater may have temporally affected the local oceanic Sr ratios - suggesting significantly increased soil and bedrock weathering may influence the Sr values in aquatic ecosystems and, consequently, should be considered in such regions and at times of melting glaciers. By applying the method to additional sites and assemblages in the future, our understanding of prehistoric mobility will be greatly enhanced.

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Osteologisk analys av benmaterialet från område 12 förundersökning inför utbyggnad av E22 sträcka... more Osteologisk analys av benmaterialet från område 12 förundersökning inför utbyggnad av E22 sträckan Sölve-Stensnäs. Reports in osteology 2010:7

This thesis concerns the mesolithic relation towards animals and hunting habits among people in S... more This thesis concerns the mesolithic relation towards animals and hunting habits among people in Skateholm, Tågerup and Vedbaek-Bøgebakken. The aim is to look at the societies from a cultural point of view and demonstrate that the people living there identified themselves with animals and adapted their lives, their hunting and their burial customs according to rituals and believes concerning animals in their surroundings. The result is convincing and clearly shows that animals where treated differently in manors which can only be explained with specific cultural relations towards different kinds of animals.

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

To evaluate the possibility of obtaining detailed individual mobility data from archaeological te... more To evaluate the possibility of obtaining detailed individual mobility data from archaeological teeth, the strontium isotope ratios on 28 human teeth from three separate Early-Mid Holocene, Swedish, foraging contexts (Norje Sunnansund, Skateholm and Västerbjers) were analysed through laser ablation. The teeth/individuals have previously been analysed using traditional bulk sampled thermal ionisation mass spectrometry. To validate the conclusions regarding the archaeological teeth, a tooth from a modern man with a known background was also analysed. The result shows that all of the teeth display less than 0.4% discrepancy between the mean values of the laser ablation profiles and the previously published bulk data and 25 (89%) of the teeth display less than a 0.2% discrepancy. By calculating linear and polynomial trendlines for each ablated tooth, it was possible to illustrate a strong correlation for the transition pattern between the measurements when following a chronological seque...

Hunter-fisher-gatherers subsistence strategies are often related to optimal foraging theory. This... more Hunter-fisher-gatherers subsistence strategies are often related to optimal foraging theory. This often implies a close connection to mobility patterns where it is assumed that once a particular part of the landscape is beginning to run low on resources people use mobility, i.e. moving from the area, as a risk-reducing strategy. However, among societies that are largely depending on aquatic resources for sustenance, mobility is often less important. For these groups of people certain favourable spots in the landscape increase in importance, e.g. where fish is available all year round and where it is possible to exploit massively increasing numbers of fish during limited periods (i.e. during fish migrations or spawning activities). The ability to utilize increasing fish abundance during periods of agglomeration is often considered a mobility reducing factor and if it is also connected to large scale and longterm storage the prerequisites for sedentary foraging societies have been met...

The bone material from three archaeological occupation phases at Huseby Klev provides the best so... more The bone material from three archaeological occupation phases at Huseby Klev provides the best source of evidence currently available about the subsistence strategies of pioneer settlers in Northern Europe. The results from Huseby Klev indicate that the pioneer settlers initially relied heavily on marine mammals for their sustenance. This subsistence strategy changed during the second and third occupation phases of the site, during which fishing became the most important part of the diet. These changes in subsistence strategy are interpreted as arising from different factors. A highly nutritious ocean on the west coast of Scandinavia at the end of the last ice age resulted in large numbers of available marine mammals in the ocean, which supported a large human population able to base its economy on them. As the ocean became less nutritious withthe cessation of freshwater mixing, the marine mammals suffered a natural population decline, while humans still relied upon them heavily, re...

A long tradition in research on prehistoric southern Scandinavia recognizes full use of aquatic r... more A long tradition in research on prehistoric southern Scandinavia recognizes full use of aquatic resources in the Late Mesolithic Ertebolle Culture (5500–4000 cal BC): coastal sites are frequently found containing well-preserved fish bones, and isotope values from human collagen indicate a high dietary intake of marine resources. However, recent finds and new methodologies suggest that the view of a terrestrially focused diet in the Early Mesolithic period (9500–6800 cal BC) can be reinterpreted, and the use of freshwater resources is found to be more important than previously known. Aquatic resources can therefore be seen to be a major source of sustenance for foraging societies in Scandinavia much earlier than has been realized previously. At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Mesolithic site located in Blekinge, south-eastern Sweden, large amounts of fish bones have been found, and these have been used to estimate the amount of fish beingcaught at the site, by analyzing different rates of...

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene forage... more The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene foragers in southern Scandinavia. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, zooarchaeological data have been applied to the study of different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, in order to frame a discussion concerning our current understanding of culture and life in early north European societies. Three different sites/areas are the focus: Norje Sunnansund, Huseby Klev and Gotland/Gisslause. However, all available material from the chosen temporal and spatial frame have been incorporated to enable holistic discussions. The three focus areas combined comprise all available coastal settlements with well-preserved organic material from the Early Mesolithic period, which has led to discussions centred on the use of aquatic resources and the importance of fish.To address the different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, multiple approaches have been taken, whereby ...

PLOS ONE, 2020

Ancient organic remains are essential for the reconstruction of past human lifeways and environme... more Ancient organic remains are essential for the reconstruction of past human lifeways and environments but are only preserved under particular conditions. Recent findings indicate that such conditions are becoming rarer and that archaeological sites with previously good preservation, are deteriorating. To investigate this, we returned to the well-known Swedish Mesolithic site Agerö d I. Here we present the result of the re-excavation and the osteological analyses of the bone remains from the 1940s, 1970s and 2019 excavation campaigns of the site, to document and quantify changes in bone preservation and relate them to variations in soil conditions and on-site topography. The results indicate that the bone material has suffered from accelerated deterioration during the last 75 years. This has led to heavily degraded remains in some areas and complete destruction in others. We conclude that while Agerö d can still be considered an important site, it has lost much of the properties that made it unique. If no actions are taken to secure its future preservation, the site will soon lose the organic remains that before modern encroachment and climate change had been preserved for 9000 years. Finally, because Agerö d has not been subjected to more or heavier encroachment than most other archaeological sites, our results also raise questions of the state of organic preservation in other areas and call for a broad examination of our most vulnerable hidden archaeological remains.

PLOS ONE, 2021

At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Holocene settlement in southern Sweden, the world’s earliest eviden... more At Norje Sunnansund, an Early Holocene settlement in southern Sweden, the world’s earliest evidence of fermentation has been interpreted as a method of managing long-term and large-scale food surplus. While an advanced fishery is suggested by the number of recovered fish bones, until now it has not been possible to identify the origin of the fish, or whether and how their seasonal migration was exploited. We analysed strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in 16 cyprinid and 8 pike teeth, which were recovered at the site, both from within the fermentation pit and from different areas outside of it, by using laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our investigation indicates three different regions of origin for the fish at the site. We find that the most commonly fermented fish, cyprinids (roach), were caught in the autumn during their seasonal migration from the Baltic Sea to the sheltered stream and lake next to the site. This is in contrast to th...

PLOS ONE, 2020

Despite a growing body of evidence concerning accelerated organic degradation at archaeological s... more Despite a growing body of evidence concerning accelerated organic degradation at archaeological sites, there have been few follow-up investigations to examine the status of the remaining archaeological materials in the ground. To address the question of archaeoorganic preservation, we revisited the Swedish, Mesolithic key-site Agerö d and could show that the bone material had been subjected to an accelerated deterioration during the last 75 years, which had destroyed the bones in the areas where they had previously been best preserved. To understand why this has happened and to quantify and qualify the extent of the organic degradation, we here analyse the soil chemistry, bone histology, collagen preservation and palaeobotany at the site. Our results show that the soil at Agerö d is losing, or has already lost, its preservative and buffering qualities, and that pH-values in the still wet areas of the site have dropped to levels where no bone preservation is possible. Our results suggest that this acidification process is enhanced by the release of sulphuric acid as pyrite in the bones oxidizes. While we are still able to find well-preserved palaeobotanical remains, they are also starting to corrode through reintroduced oxygen into the archaeological layers. While some areas of the site have been more protected through redeposited soil on top of the archaeological layers, all areas of Agerö d are rapidly deteriorating. Lastly, while it is still possible to perform molecular analyses on the best-preserved bones from the most protected areas, this opportunity will likely be lost within a few decades. In conclusion, we find that if we, as a society, wish to keep this valuable climatic, environmental and cultural archive, both at Agerö d and elsewhere, the time to act is now and if we wait we will soon be in a situation where this record will be irretrievably lost forever.

SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES IN THE STONE AGE, DIRECT AND INDIRECT EVIDENCE OF FISHING AND GATHERING, 2018

Организация конференции и издание материалов осуществлены при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект №... more Организация конференции и издание материалов осуществлены при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект № 18-09-20015 г УДК 902/904 ББК 63.4 С 833 Стратегии жизнеобеспечения в каменном веке, прямые и косвенные свидетельства рыболовства и собирательства. Материалы международной конференции, посвященной 50-летию В.М. Лозовского. Под редакцией О.В. Лозовской, А.А. Выборнова и Е.В. Долбуновой.-СПб.: ИИМК РАН, 2018.-266 с. Сборник содержит материалы международной конференции, приуроченной к 50-летию яркого исследователя позднего каменного века Восточной Европы В.М. Лозовского. Представленные работы объединены проблематикой изучения взаимодействия человека и окружающей среды и разным моделям адаптации в рамках первобытного хозяйства. Основное внимание уделяется роли рыбной ловли и собирательства съедобных растений, важнейших видов деятельности, однако недостаточно освещенных в археологических источниках. Материалы поздних поселений с благоприятными условиями сохранности органических материалов, а также косвенные свидетельства производства и использования рыболовных инструментов и орудий собирательства, горелые макроостатки семян и растений, данные химического состава содержимого посуды и изотопные характеристики человеческих костей, должны помочь реально оценить роль этих видов пищевых ресурсов в диете первобытного человека. Издание предназначено для археологов, палеогеографов, палеоботаников и представителей смежных дисциплин.

The Holocene, 2020

Lately, evidence for early-Holocene emerging sedentism has been suggested among foragers in North... more Lately, evidence for early-Holocene emerging sedentism has been suggested among foragers in Northern Europe. The core of this suggested sedentism lies in the increasing dependency on large-scale fishing and mass consumption of fish and a territorial behaviour associated with access to the best fishing locations. This territoriality might also be associated with increasing numbers of people settling and living in Northern Europe at this time. In this article, we review the evidence for forager sedentism and territoriality and relate it to large-scale fishing, during a time of global warming, in early-Holocene Scandinavia. We explore the requisites of using the archaeological record to study the long-term effect of intense fishing on some of the best-preserved Stone Age sites in the area of study. We suggest that the archaeological record can enable a discussion of how aquatic life varies corresponding to human exploitation and climate change. In addition, we discuss how these changes...

Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, 2019

During the excavations at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia an extensive archaeo-environment... more During the excavations at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia an extensive archaeo-environmental programme was implemented, resulting in the collection and analysis of a wide range of animal remains. This paper presents the mammal and fish remains in detail and offers interpretations which take into account the archaeology of the site, other types of finds, as well as the discourse on animals in cult. The material is examined in terms of chronological phases and of particular features within them in an attempt, common in all types of analysis within the Kalaureia Excavation Program, to link the material remains to human actions, placing emphasis on the materiality of cult. The degree of analysis and interpretation detail varies among different occupational phases of the sanctuary, because of the greatly uneven preservation and quantity of animal remains. In certain cases of disturbed deposits and poor preservation, such as the bones from the Archaic and Classical strata, the anal...

Under 2019 och 2021 genomfördes två mindre forskningsundersökningar inom en stenåldersboplats vi... more Under 2019 och 2021 genomfördes två mindre forskningsundersökningar
inom en stenåldersboplats vid kanten av en mosse i Ageröd. Platsen har tidigare undersökts av Carl-Axel Althin under 1940-talet, samt av Lars Larsson under 1970-talet. Syftet med de nya undersökningarna var att granska hur väl det arkeologiska materialet på platsen har bevarats sedan de tidigare undersökningarna. Resultaten visade att nedbrytningen av det 8000-åriga benmaterialet på platsen har ökat kraftigt under de senaste 75 åren, och att mycket information därför har gått förlorat under denna period. Att vattennivån på platsen varierar efter utdikningar verkar vara en väsentlig orsak till den ökade nedbrytningstakten.

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene forage... more The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and deduce the varied lifeways of Early Holocene foragers in southern Scandinavia. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, zooarchaeological data have been applied to the study of different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, in order to frame a discussion concerning our current understanding of culture and life in early north European societies. Three different sites/areas are the focus: Norje Sunnansund, Huseby
Klev and Gotland/Gisslause. However, all available material from the chosen temporal and spatial frame have been incorporated to enable holistic discussions. The three focus areas combined comprise all available coastal settlements with well-preserved organic material from the Early Mesolithic period, which has led to discussions centred on the use of aquatic resources and the importance of fish.
To address the different aspects of Early and Middle Mesolithic subsistence, multiple approaches have been taken, whereby zooarchaeological methods have been combined with statistical, chemical, physical and ethnographical tools for analysis. The focus has varied between fish storage and conservation practice, by presenting evidence for delayed-return subsistence strategies through means of large-scale fish fermentation, and discussions concerning the evidence for a delayed-return lifestyle and sedentism, through the study of zooarchaeological assemblages. Furthermore, taphonomy is highlighted and discussed in order to address the many biases affecting the recovery of freshwater fish bones and the consequences for detecting a freshwater fish-based diet. Pioneer subsistence strategies are studied, and changes through time are highlighted in marine coastal regions. In addition, the reservoir effect in radiocarbon dating (14C) of human bones has been examined to evaluate the consequences of a freshwater reservoir effect stemming from a large dietary input of freshwater fish. Furthermore, stable isotopes values, δ13C and δ15N, in the collagen from all available Early and Middle Mesolithic humans have also been analysed and modelled, in order to evaluate the importance of each individual protein source in the diet.
The results from the different approaches taken indicate that humans relied on fish to a higher degree and from an earlier date than previously assumed. This has implications for how Early Holocene societies are interpreted; indicating the use of delayed-return subsistence strategies, diminishing mobility and emerging sedentism already existed during the Early Mesolithic period. Overall, the results of this thesis suggest a growing territoriality, which implies that the emergence of social stratification is conceivable at an early stage of Scandinavian prehistory and offers an insight into the lifestyle of Early Holocene foragers at latitudes around 55–59° N.