Osseous industries in southern Scandinavia before and after Neolithisation (5400–2600 BC): Traditions, ruptures, & interactions

Friday lecture by Solveig Chaudesaigues-Clausen, PhD student (University of Bergen) and archaeologist (Museum West Zealand).

Based on aDNA and material culture, the last decade of research into Neolitihisation in southern Scandinavia suggests that local hunter-gatherers continued living by lakeshores and coastal zones after migrants from western-central Europe introduced farming. However, objects made from worked bone, antler, and teeth (osseous industries), which form a major component of the material culture of these groups, have rarely been incorporated into these discussions.

This talk presents the threefold results of a recent PhD thesis. First, I characterise the osseous industries of the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle (5400–4000 BC) and Neolithic Funnel Beaker (4000–2800/2600 BC) culture, focusing on typology, raw material selection, technology, and temporal/geographical variations. Second, I examine whether certain hunter-gatherer osseous traditions persisted during the Early Neolithic, became hybridised, or disappeared. Finally, I investigate the origins of Funnel Beaker osseous industries, asking if they were shaped by local Ertebølle practices, continued western-central European traditions, or resulted from more complex processes.

No registration required, everyone is welcome. Questions? Contact Henriette Lyngstrøm at lyngst@hum.ku.dk.

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