Human skeletal material from the Mesolithic site of Ageröd I:HC

Human skeletal material from the Mesolithic site of Ageröd I:HC, Scania,Southern SwedenLarsson, LarsFornvännen 76, 161-168http://kulturarvsdata.se/raa/fornvannen/html/1981_161Ingår i: samla.raa.se

Human Skeletal Material from the Mesolithic Site of Ageröd I:HC, Scania, Southern Sweden

By Lars Larsson, Christopher Meiklejohn and Raymond R. Newell

Larsson, L., Meiklejohn, C. & Newell, R. R. Human Skeletal Material from the Mesolithic Site of Ageröd I:HC, Scania, Southern Sweden. (Skelettdelar av människa från den mesolitiska boplatsen Ageröd I:HC, Skåne.) Fornvännen 76. Stockholm.

At the site Ageröd I:HC, dated to the Late Maglemose Culture, five human bones have been found. Their position in relation to the stratigraphy as well as to other remains is presented. The bones, which all probably come from a late adolescent or adult, are described and compared to other human bones from Mesolithic settlements in Seandinavia.

Lars Larsson, Lunds Universitets Historiska Museum, Krafts torg 1, S-223 50 Lund, Sweden. Christopher Meiklejohn, Department of Anthropology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada Raymond R. Newell, Biologisch-Archaeologisch Instituut, Rijksuniversiteit, Poststraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, The Netherlands.

The present note is concemed with the description of the few human bones recovered from the site of Ageröd I :HC, a bog site in Scania, southern Sweden. Their being reported at this time stems from work involved in a critical inventory of human skeletal material from Mesolithic sites in Western Europé (Newell et al., 1979).

The site was discovered in 1938. It was subsequently excavated between 1946 and 1949, during which time four previously un-reported human bones were recovered (Althin, 1947, 1954). Excavations were continued on this site between 1972 and 1974. and yielded a further human bone (Larsson. 1978, pp. 144 ff.). The associated remains clearly identify the site as a series of summer camp occupations from the Maglemose culture. The human bones recovered were associated with cultural debris contained in or on top of a 15 cm thick white coloured layer

containing waterlain sand and gravel as well as sandstone house floorings. Except for one, the bones are all in association with the loca-lized White Layer, which is sealed and un-disturbed and appears to delimit the area of probably three huts. One of the bones, bone A, lies in the Upper Peat overlaying the White Layer and is sealed from above by 30 cm of peat deposit.

The site has been dated by two means. Pollen analysis of the White Layer has indicated that it dates to a late phase of the Late Boreal Period (c. 8000-8500 B. P.; Nilsson, 1967, pp. 17 ff.). This age has been confirmed by C-14 determinations ranging from 5960 ± 80 Lu-753 to 5270 ± 70 B.C. Lu-872 (regular halflife of 5570 years). The Upper Peat could not be pollen analysed because of the serious destruetion of the pollen. C-14 dates from this layer ranges from 5860 ± 80 B.C. Lu-1006 to 5520 ± 80 B.C.

Fornvännen 76 (1981)

162 Larsson, Meiklejohn & Newell

AGERÖD f-HC WL

| 2 | 2 | 2

LTLT] ffl a:

I I

AGERÖD hHC UP

1 3 4

' J i

6 1 2 2

2TTTT1

m

TT n

Fig. 1. Plans showing the distribution of the human bones in the White Layer (above) and the Upper Peat (below). The figures mark the number of narrow microliths per square meter. A dark frame of the square meter marks one find of human bone while a filled square marks two bone finds. - Plan över fördelningen av människoben i Vita Lagret och Övre Torven. Siffrorna markerar antalet fynd av smala mikroliter per kvadratmeter. Svart inramning av en kvadratmeter markerar ett fynd av människoben medan en helsvart kvadratmeter markerar tvä benfynd.

Lu-915 (Larsson, 1978, p. 150). With some exceptions, the finds from the White Layer and Upper Peat agree with related materials from Zealand in Denmark (Brinch Petersen, 1973; Larsson, 1978. pp. 154 ff.).

The human skeletal material The distribution of the human bones is shown in Fig. 1. The excavated areas of the White Layer and the Upper Peat are just smaller parts of the settlement having a size of ca. 6 5 x 7 m. In the excavated areas concrde evidence as well as indications of the exi-stence of several hut construetions is docu-mented. In one case, in the westernmost part of the Upper Peat, it is established by a stone-setting with post-holes close to the con

tour (Larsson, 1975, pp. 12 ff.). The number of microliths per square meter is also shown in Fig. 1. In connection with the stone pave-ment, as in other parts of the layers, there are concentrations of narrow microliths. The human bones of both layers seem to be connected to such concentrations of microliths and thereby can be demonstrated to be associated with a former hut construction. Special interest must be shown to the distribution of the human bones in the eastern part of the White Layer. Here two bones, B and D, were found in the same square meter while bone E can also be connected with the same plausible hut construction. Because of their distribution, the three bones might have belonged to the same person. To make any


H u m a n skeletal ma te r i a l 163

Fig. 2. Human bones found at the site Ageröd I. -Människobenen frän Ageröd I.



Fig. 3. X-ray photograph of the diaphysis of bone A. Note especially the dark-ened area lateral to the draining sinus, indicating secondary reactive bone growth. - Röntgenfotografi av diaphysdelen av ben A. Observera det mörka området runt fördjupningen som indikerar sekundär tillväxt av benvävnad.

condusion about their relation to a plausible burial is too uncertain considering the restric-ted find material, although disturbed Mesolithic burials have been documented on sites further afield.

None of the bones can be identified as being from children's skeletons. Two of the piéces may be male on the basis of robusticity. Accurate assessment of age is not possible. All appear to be indeterminate late adole-scent or adult.

Bone A was recovered from the Upper Peat, in contact with the underlying White Layer. It is composed of three reconstruct-able piéces, which together make up the distal half of a right humerus. (Fig 2 A ) . Total length of the reconstructed fragment is 25.3 cm. In general, the bone is in good condition, though with slight destruetion of the distal epiphysis, especially the trochlea. The central diaphysis of this bone shows evidence of an apparent draining sore with secondary reactive bone growth around the borders of the draining sinus. Away from the secondary growth, the bone shows evidence of osteopo-rosis, i.e. porosity due to bone destruetion. This pattern is clearly visible in the radio-graph of the bone (Fig. 3) . Examination of the bone suggests that the infeded area was related to the point of insertion of musculus deltoideus, as result of injury. Apparently the injury had not healed at the time of death, assuming that the arm had not been amputated.

Bone B from the Wite Layer consists of the proximal threequartcrs of a left ulna. The length of the fragment is 24.8 cm (Fig. 2 B). In the course of preservation there has been

slight localized destruetion. The proximal epiphysis shows slight arthritic lipping. The quite robust nature of the bone suggests that the piece was from an adult male individual.

Bone C from the White Layer is the proximal half of a left radius showing slight post-mortem destruetion of the proximal head. Length of the fragment is 15.8 cm (Fig. 2 C ) . The bone is also quite robust, though not as noticeably as bone B. An adult male is also suggested.

Bone D from the White Layer is a fragment of the central diaphyseal shaft of the right femur. Length of the fragment is 24.1 cm (Fig 2 D ) . The fragmentary nature of the piece makes it difficult to diagnosc whether a discontinuity in the line of the shaft is the result of fraduring or of other causes.

Bone E from the White Layer is a tarsal bone. The length of the bone is 3.7 cm.

Discussion The skeletal material reported here has little intrinsic anthropological value. However, in the light of the survey of human skeletal material in Mesolithic contexts in Western Europé mentioned in the introduction, these piéces fit into a gradually emerging picture of the disposal of the dead, other than in the form of ritual burial.

The site of Ageröd I :HC joins a considcrable list of Mesolithic sites in Seandinavia which have yielded scattered human bones within the context of occupation deposits. In Sweden these include Arlöv I, Segebro and Rotekärrslid. The full list of those that are considered to be reliably dated to the Meso-


Human skeletal material 165

Table I. Human skeletal material recovered from Mesolithic sites in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, other than obviously intentional burials. — Skelettdelar från människa vilka påträffats pä mesolitiska boplatser i Sverige, Norge och Danmark och som inte tillhör gravar.

Site

SWEDEN Ari öv I

Rotekärrslid Segebro

NORWAY Skipshelleren

DENMARK Bergmansdal

Bloksbjerg Brabrand

Brovst Flynderhage

Henriksholm Holmegaard-Jutland Kolind

Lundby I Meilgaard

Mullerup I Syd

Nivaagaard

Norsminde Solager Svaerdborg I 1917 Svaerdborg I 1921

Tybrind Vig

Vinde Helsinge

Bone(s) recovered

calotte frag. phalanx cranial frags. carpal, astragalus

carpal. metatarsal

calotte, scapula, humerus, ulna, femora, tibia, fibula, mandible calotte, mandible calotte, radius, ulna + ? 2 cranial frags. rib, calotte, femur, ulna, talus calvarium + ? scattered bones tibia, radius

calotte frontal, femur, radius metacarpal, femur, mandible ulnae, fibula, metacarpals, meta-tarsals, cranial frags. cranial frags. mandible cranium calotte, base, face, mandible, vertebrae, sternum, ribs, humeri, ulnae, radii, metacarpals, femora, tibiae, metatarsal, phalanges

cranial frags, mandible ulna, phalanx

Period

Late Kongemose

Late Mesolithic Kongemose

Late Mesolithic 4000/4300 B.C.

Dyrholm I - I I

Dyrholm 11 Dyrholm II

Dyrholm 11 Dyrholm II

Dyrholm I Dyrholm II Dyrholm I

Maglemose Dyrholm II

Maglemose

Kongemose or Ertebölle

Dyrholm II Dyrholm II Maglemose Maglemose

Dyrholm II

Maglemose

Source"

Unpubl.

Alin, 1935 Larsson, 1982

Indrelid, 1978

Unpubl.

Unpubl. Unpubl.

Unpubl. Unpubl.

Unpubl. Unpubl. Mathiassen ct al., 1942 Unpubl. Unpubl.

Arnborg, 1925 Nielsen, 1921

Unpubl.

Unpubl. Unpubl. Unpubl. Unpubl. Nielsen, 1921

Unpubl.

Mathiassen et al., 1943

Sources given are those with reference to the human remains. Complete archaeological references can be found in Newell et al., 1979.



lithic is given in Table I. Sites with dental elements only are not given, nor are isolated dental elements themselves, since their presence in archaeological sites can be interpreted in ways not propriate to bones from the rest of the skeleton. The following brief comments are made in anticipation of a more complete analysis of Mesolithic burial prac-tices by two of the authors (Newell et al., in prep.) .

The accompanying Table I lists 22 sites with scattered human remains in addition to the site of Ageröd. In another study an exhaustive list of Mesolithic sites containing faunal remains has been colleded (Newell & Andersen, n.d.) . Of fifty-nine Scandinavian sites with faunal remains twenty-two are included in the list with scattered human remains, a figure of 37.3 percent. Thus, a significant proportion of sites within which faunal remains are preserved also contains human bones. From this it may be suggested that such scattered remains are not simply a remnant of disturbed primary burials. At this point it seems unsafe to ascribe these remains to cannibalism. We can simply suggest that either certain individuals were not accorded primary ritual burial such as is well documented at a few Scandinavian sites, e.g. Bogebakken and Skateholm (Albrdhsen & Brinch Petersen, 1976; Larsson, 1980, 1981), or that some unknown burial pradices may have involved sufficient destruetion of the body prior to burial that piéces were löst. There is no evidence that these piéces were themselves accorded any special treatment. Further examination of Table I indicates that there is an amount of body parts represented in the finds listed. Both cranial and postcranial remains are present, and in the latter category bones from both the upper and lower extremities. It is significant, however, that there is no evidence of bones representing the trunk or either shoulder or pelvic girdle. This would appear to add weight to our argument that the remains are not simply the result of the disturbance of already interred burials.

However, it is also true that these same missing skeletal elements are the least massive

and the weakest strudurally so that they are the most prone to destruetion by the same taphonomic processes which account for the fragmentary nature of the extant sample.

Finally, there is a prima facie case for suggesting that such remains are more common in Ertebölle culture than in earlier con-texts. However, there is a very heavy bias in site number representation, in all likdihood related to the process of postglacial eustatic sea level change (Newell & Andersen, n .d.) .

In condusion, the scattered human remains from Ageröd I :HC are representative of a pattern of distribution of such bones found to be relatively frequent during the Mesolithic period. Preliminary analysis suggests that the pattern is not accidental.

This short paper stems from a visit by two of us ( C M . , R.R.N) to Lunds Universitets Historiska Museum as part of the foremen-tioned project on Mesolithic human skeletal remains. One of us ( C M . ) would like to acknowledge the receipt of a Canada Council Leave Fellowship that permitted extensive work in Europé during the académie year 1977—78.

References Albrethsen, S. E. & Brinch Petersen, E. 1976. Ex

eavation of a Mesolithic Cemetery at Vedback, Denmark. Acta Archaeologica 47.

Alin, J. 1935. En bohusländsk kökkenmödding på Roteskärrslid, Dragsmark. Göteborgs och Bohusläns Fornminnesförenings Tidskrift 1935.

Althin, C.-A. 1947. Agerödsutgrävningarna. Undersökningar av mesolitiska boplatser i Skäne: 1946—47. Fornvännen 42.

— 1954. The Chronology of the Stone Age Settlement of Scania, Sweden. I. The Mesolithic Settlement. Acta Archaeologica Lundensia Ser. 4°, 1. Lund.

Arnborg, J. 1925. Underkäksfragment och lösa tänder av människor från Danmarks äldsta stenålder. Videnskabs Meddelelser Dansk Naturhistorisk Förening 80.

Brinch Petersen, E. 1973. A Survey of the Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic of Denmark. In Kozlowski, S. K., ed., The Mesolithic in Europé. Warsaw.


H u m a n skeletal m a t e r i a l 167

Indrelid, S. 1978. Mesolithic economy and settlement in Norway. In Mellars, P. A., ed., The Mesolithic Settlement of Northern Europé. London.

Larsson, L. 1975. A Contribulion to the Knowledge of Mesolithic Huts in Southern Seandinavia. Meddelanden från Lunds universitets historiska museum 1973—1974.

— 1978. Ageröd I:B-Ageröd I:D. A Study of Early Atlantic Settlement in Scania. Acta Archaelogica Lundensia Ser. in 4° , 12. Lund.

— 1980. Stenåldersjägarnas boplats och gravar vid Skateholm. Limhamniana 1980.

— 1981. En 7000-årig sydkustboplats. Nytt om gammalt från Skateholm. Limhamniana 1981.

— 1982. Segebro. En tidigatlantisk boplats vid Sege ås mynning. Malmöfynd 4.

Mathiassen, T., Degerbol, M. & Troels-Smith, J. 1942. Dyrholmen en stenalderboplads på Djursland. Det Kongl. Danske Videnskabernes Sel-skab. Arkaologisk-Kunsthistoriske Skrifter, Bind I, Nr. 1.

Mathiassen, T. 1943. Stenaldersbopladser i Aamosen. Nordiske Fortidsminder I I I , 3.

Newell, R. R. & Andersen, S. H. (n.d.). A Mesolithic Fish Story.

Newell, R. R., Constandse-Westermann, T. S. & Meiklejohn, C. 1979. The Skeletal Remains of Mesolithic Man in Western Europé: an Eva-luative Catalogue. Journal of Human Evolution, Vol. 8, No. 1.

Newell, R. R., Constandse-Westermann, T. S. & Meiklejohn, C , in prep. The mortuary Prac-lices of the Mesolithic Societies of Western Europé.

Nielsen, H. A. 1921. Fund i Svaerdborg og Mullerup Moser af skcletdele af mennesker fra den aeldste stenålder. Aarbeger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie.

Nilsson, T. 1967. Pollenanalytische Datierungen mesolithischer Siedlungen im Randgebiet des Ageröds Mosse im mittleren Schonen. Acta Universitatis Lundensis See. I I , 16.



Skelettdelar av människa från den mesolitiska boplatsen Ageröd I: HC, Skåne

Vid arkeologiska undersökningar under slutet av 1940-talet och början av 1970-talet påträffades ben från människa i boplatsen Ageröd I :HC som tillhör den senare delen av Maglemosekulturen. Benen härrör från två fyndlager — Vita Lagret och öv re Torven — vilka utgör de översta fyndhorisontema inom boplatsen. Fyra ben framkom i Vita Lagret och ett i ö v r e Torven. En jämförelse mellan fördelningen av smala mikroliter och människoben i respektive lager visar att benen påträffats invid eller i partier där mikroli-terna är som talrikast. Dessa partier har tolkats som hyddbottnar efter små säsongsbosättningar. Tre av människobenen framkom inom samma hyddområde. Benen, därav två från män, tillhör personer i övre tonåren eller vuxna. Fyndet från öv re Torven utgöres av ungefär halva distala partiet av ett höger överarmsben. Invid den fragmentariska änden finns en skada med spår efter en läkningsprocess som inte hade avslutats då individen avled. Fynden från Vita Lagret utgö

res av ett vänster armbågsben, ett vänster strålben, ett höger lårben och ett vristben samtliga i fragmentariskt tillstånd.

Fynden från Ageröd ger tillsammans med liknande fynd från andra boplatser viktig kunskap om behandlingen av de döda som inte begravdes. I tjugotvå mesolitiska boplatser i Sverige (3) , Norge (1) och Danmark (18) har ben av människa påträffats. Dessa boplatser utgör drygt en tredjedel av samtliga mesolitiska boplatser i Skandinavien med osteologiskt material bevarat. Dessa människoben härrör sannolikt inte från förstörda gravar och några säkra spår av kannibalism har inte heller konstaterats. Genom fördelningen av skelettdelar framgår dock att skulderpartiet, bålen och bäckenpartiet saknas bland människobenen i boplatslagren.

Flertalet människoben har påträffats i boplatser från Erteböllekulturen men detta kan bero på att fyndplatser från denna tid är överrepresenterade bland boplatser med bevarat organiskt material.


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Human skeletal material from the Mesolithic site of Ageröd I:HC