Maglemosian culture

Maglemosian culture

Geographical range	Europe
Period	Mesolithic Europe
Dates	c. 9,000 BC – c. 6,000 BC
Preceded by	Ahrensburgian, Swiderian culture
Followed by	Kongemose culture

The Mesolithic The Epipaleolithic
↑ Paleolithic
Mesolithic Europe Epipaleolithic Europe Fosna-Hensbacka culture Komsa culture Maglemosian culture Lepenski vir culture Kunda culture Narva culture Komornica culture Swiderian culture Epipaleolithic Transylvania Mesolithic Transylvania Tardenoisian Schela Cladovei culture Mesolithic Southeastern Europe Levant Levantine corridor Natufian Khiamian Trialetian Zarzian
↓ Neolithic ↓ Stone Age

Maglemosian (c. 9000 BC – 6000 BC) is the name given to a culture of the early Mesolithic period in North Europe. In Scandinavia, the culture was succeeded by the Kongemose culture.

The actual name originates from the Danish archeological site Maglemose, situated near Gørlev and Høng on western Zealand, southwest of lake Tissø. Here the first settlement of the culture was excavated in 1900, by George Sarauw. During the following century a long series of similar settlements were excavated from England to Poland July and from Skåne in Sweden to northern France.

The Maglemosian people lived in forest and wetland environments, using fishing and hunting tools made from wood, bone, and flint microliths. It appears that they had domesticated the dog. Some may have lived settled lives, but most were nomadic.

Huts made of bark have been preserved, and the tools were made of flint, bone, and horn. A characteristic of the culture are the sharply edged microliths of flintstone, used for spear and arrow heads. Another notable feature is the "leister", a characteristic type of fishing spear, used for gigging.

When the Maglemosian culture reigned, sea levels were much lower than now and Europe and Scandinavia were landlocked with Britain. The cultural period overlaps the end of the last ice age, when the ice retreated and the glaciers melted. It was a long process and sea levels in Northern Europe, did not reach current levels until almost 6000 BC, by which time they had inundated large territories previously inhabited by Maglemosian people. Therefore, there is hope that the emerging discipline of underwater archaeology may reveal interesting finds related to the Maglemosian culture in the future.

Scandinavian data table

Era	Early Maglemosian culture	Middle Maglemosian culture	Late Maglemosian culture
Timespan	9,000 BC – 7,800 BC	7,800 BC – 7,000 BC	7,000 BC – 6,400 BC
Climatic period	Preboreal Epoch	Boreal Epoch	Atlantic Epoch
Plantgrowth	Birch-pine era	Hazel-pine era	Later linden era
Mammal game	aurochs, bison, elk, wild horse	aurochs, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, fox, polecat, badger, wildcat	aurochs, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, fox, polecat, badger, wildcat
Bird game	crane, lapwing	merganser, grebe, coot, heron, crane, lapwing	merganser, grebe, coot, heron, crane, lapwing
Locale type		Klosterlund

See also

• Doggerland
• Georg F.L. Sarauw
• Star Carr
• Deepcar
• Ahrensburg culture
• Thatcham
• Last glacial period

Sources

• Anders Fischer: "Submerged Stone Age – Danish Examples and North sea potential"; i: N.C.Flemming: Submarine Prehistory and Arhaeology of the North Sea: research priorities and collaboration with industry. CBA Research Report 141, 2004, s. 23ff

Danish-language texts

• Geoffrey Bibby: Spadens vidnedsbyrd; Wormanium 1980, ISBN 87-8516-071-7 s. 109f
• Gyldendal og Politikens Danmarkshistorie (red. af Olaf Olsen); Bind 1: I begyndelsen. Fra de ældste tider til ca. år 200 f.Kr. (ved Jørgen Jensen); 1988, s. 47ff
• Jørgen Jensen: Danmarks Oldtid. Stenalder, 13.000–2.000 f.Kr.; Gyldendal 2001, ISBN 87-00-49038-5 s. 86ff
• Anders Fischer: "En håndfuld flint", Skalk nr. 5, 1973, s. 8ff
• Anders Fischer: "Mennesket og havet i ældre stenalder"; i: Carin Bunte (red): Arkeologi och Naturvetenskab, Lund 2005, s. 276ff
• Kim Aaris-Sørensen: "Uroksejagt", Skalk nr. 6, 1984, s. 10ff
• Ole Grøn: "Teltning", Skalk nr. 1, 1988, s. 13f
• Søren A. Sørensen: "Hytte ved sø", Skalk nr. 3, 1988, s. 25ff
• Peter Vang Petersen: "Bjørnejagt", Skalk nr. 5, 1991, s. 3ff
• Poul og Kristian Krabbe: "Vest for Valhal", Skalk nr. 6, 1995, s. 11ff
• Axel Degn Johansen: "Ikke en sky og ikke en vind!", Skalk nr 2, 2008, s. 8ff