How fishy was the inland Mesolithic? New data from Friesack, Brandenburg, Germany

John Meadows; Harry Kenneth Robson; Daniel Groß; Charlotte  Hegge; Harald  Lübke; Ulrich  Schmölcke; Thomas  Terberger; Bernhard  Gramsch

doi:10.1017/RDC.2018.69

How fishy was the inland Mesolithic? New data from Friesack, Brandenburg, Germany

John Meadows, Harry Kenneth Robson, Daniel Groß, Charlotte Hegge , Harald Lübke, Ulrich Schmölcke, Thomas Terberger, Bernhard Gramsch

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary importance of aquatic species to hunter-gatherer-fishers, even at a societal level. For example, the function of bone points, as hunting weapons or fishing equipment, has long been debated. Moreover, traditional methods provide no indication of variable subsistence practices within a population. For these reasons, paleodietary studies using stable isotope analyses of human remains have become routine. We present radiocarbon (14C) and stable isotope data from nine prehistoric human bones from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4, and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.

Original language	English
Journal	Radiocarbon
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2018.69
Publication status	Published - 5 Nov 2018

Bibliographical note

© 2018 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.

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Cite this

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title = "How fishy was the inland Mesolithic? New data from Friesack, Brandenburg, Germany",

abstract = "Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary importance of aquatic species to hunter-gatherer-fishers, even at a societal level. For example, the function of bone points, as hunting weapons or fishing equipment, has long been debated. Moreover, traditional methods provide no indication of variable subsistence practices within a population. For these reasons, paleodietary studies using stable isotope analyses of human remains have become routine. We present radiocarbon (14C) and stable isotope data from nine prehistoric human bones from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4, and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.",

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AU - Robson, Harry Kenneth

AU - Groß, Daniel

AU - Hegge , Charlotte

AU - Lübke, Harald

AU - Schmölcke, Ulrich

AU - Terberger, Thomas

AU - Gramsch , Bernhard

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