Open AccessHinterland discoveries: Middle Mesolithic woodland utilization and the case of the site Eidsberg, eastern Norway
Author(s) -
Axel Mjærum
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
current swedish archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.256
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2002-3901
pISSN - 1102-7355
DOI - 10.37718/csa.2018.11
Subject(s) - mesolithic , woodland , archaeology , geography , shore , excavation , human settlement , geology , oceanography , ecology , biology
Research on the Middle Mesolithic (c. 8300−6350 cal. BC) of Scandinavia north of the Skagerrak Strait has mainly been based on data from the thousands of settlements found along the former sea, lake, and river shores. Far fewer sites have been located or investigated further away from the former waters.
The excavation of three Middle Mesolithic pit houses at Eidsberg in eastern Norway has therefore provided an unprecedented opportunity to gain detailed knowledge of Mesolithic activities in the hitherto under-explored forested inland. In this article, the newly discovered site and a range of other data are discussed in an ethnographical framework to understand the utilization of this hinterland as part of a semi-sedentary lifestyle.