DOI chapter:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI chapter:Heumüller, Marion; Briel, Mirjam; Klimscha, Florian; Kotula, Andreas; Leuschner, Hanns Hubert; Schoon, Reinhold; Zerl, Tanja: Wetlands settlements and a wooden trackway: Swifterbant sites in the Dümmer basin
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0033
32
Wetlands settlements and a wooden trackway: Swifterbant sites in the Dummer basin
Taxon
NISP
n
%
Cattle. Bos primigenius f. taurus*
30
28.3
Sheep/Goat. Ovis ammon f. aries/Capra aegagrus f.
hircus
9
8.5
Pig. Sus scrofa f. domestica
8
7.5
Domestic mammals
47
44.3
Wild horse. Equus ferus
11
10.4
Aurochs. Bos primigenius
5
4.7
Elk. Aloes aloes
3
2.8
Red deer. Cervus elaphus
10
9.4
Roh deer. Capreolus capreolus
1
0.9
Wild boar. Sus scrofa
5
4.7
Brown bear. Ursus arctos
1
0.9
Pine marten?. Martes martes
1
0.9
Beaver. Castor fiber
1
0.9
Wild mammals
38
35.9
Elk. Aloes aloes, or Cattle. Bos primigenius f. taurus
1
0.9
Aurochs. Bos primigenius or Cattle. Bos primigenius
f. taurus
5
4.7
Wild boar. Sus scrofa or Pig. Sus scrofa f. domestica
5
4.7
Fox. Vulpes vulpes or Dog. Canis lupus f. familiaris
1
0.9
Wild- or domestic mammals
12
11.3
Fish. Pisces
8
7.5
Birds. Aves
1
0.9
Other Taxa
9
8.5
Total
106
100
Table 1 Hunte 3. Identified animal remains (vertebrates). NISP =
Number of Identified Specimens; * incl. taxonomically uncertain
fragments (n = 4).
with slightly convex platform remnants, typical of the
middle and late Mesolithic in northern Germany.
These characteristics indicate production in punch
technique as well as direct (hard) knapping.
The flint materials consist of Baltic flints, which
are typical of the North German Plain, of moderate
quality. Even the smaller nodule debris was used for
blade manufacturing which suggests the scant avail-
ability of raw materials.
The flint inventory together with the knapping
techniques are typical features of the Atlantic Meso-
lithic in northern Germany. Burins and thumbnail
scrapers tend to point towards an earlier period of
the Mesolithic, the association with micro points and
trapezes in the inventory suggests rather a later phase.
Observations suggest that the site Hunte 3 represents
a rather older period between the Mesolithic and the
Neolithic, but the association of simple point and
trapeze in one layer points toward a younger period.
All in all, the flint inventory indicates a transitional
period between the late Mesolithic und early Neo-
lithic. Typical elements of this transitional period are,
for example, the blades with shaft retouch. The soft
knapping techniques can also often be observed in
the early Funnel Beaker culture (cf. Hartz / Lubke
2012, 641).
Animal remains
During the 2016 and 2017 excavation campaigns,
mostly bones of vertebrates were recovered from sec-
tions 1 and 2 (n = 975), as well as mollusc shells
(n = 41) and human bones (n = 5). Of the available
archaeozoological remains of vertebrates, 106 pieces
(11 %) were able to be determined by species or tax-
onomy, 869 fragments (89 °/o) could not be classified.2
The low level of determination reflects on the poor
state of preservation of the bone remains. However,
clear signs of fragmentation usually clearly identify the
bones as the remains of domestic and wild animals
used by the inhabitants for food purposes.3
The results of archaezoological analysis suggest
the people living in Hunte 3 kept cattle, small ru-
minants (sheep or goats) and pigs in the household
(Table 1). Hunting in the vicinity must have been an
important sourse of meat as shown by the relatively
broad spectrum of wild animal species. Hunting activ-
ities were directed particularly towards wild horse,
aurochs, red deer and wild boar, while roe deer, brown
bear and beaver were hunted to a lesser degree. Addi-
tionally, fish and game birds supplemented the diet.
Due to their unclear taxonomic status, all bones
of domestic or wild animals (n = 12) were excluded
from the livestock/wild animal ratio of the mammalia;
furthermore, the antler pieces of red deer (n = 5) were
not taken into account, as they could have come from
shed antlers. On the basis of the remaining 80 skeletal
remains there is a ratio of 59 :41 % (n = 47/33) in
favour of livestock animals, which suggests a slightly
higher food-economic value of slaughter products
compared to the yields from hunting.
This relation clearly deviates from the results
of the archaeozoological investigations on the ma-
terial of the Swifterbant and Funnel Beaker culture
from Hiide I. Of the 6,510 mammal remains in ques-
tion (excluding antler pieces and bones of Bos sp./
Sus sp.), only 4.1 % (n = 264) could be assigned to
slaughter or domestic animals (Hubner et al. 1988,
2 Apart from 20 larger bone fragments, in which flint artefacts
were embedded, all bone fragments were analysed by Reinhold
Schoon (cf. also Heumuller et al. 2017, 25-28).
3 In addition to the taxonomic determination of the material,
the degree of fragmentation of the bones, age characteristics,
special features and bone measurements were documented
(Von den Driesch 1976; Habermehl 1975; Heinrich et al.
1991; Zietschmann / Krolling 1955).
Wetlands settlements and a wooden trackway: Swifterbant sites in the Dummer basin
Taxon
NISP
n
%
Cattle. Bos primigenius f. taurus*
30
28.3
Sheep/Goat. Ovis ammon f. aries/Capra aegagrus f.
hircus
9
8.5
Pig. Sus scrofa f. domestica
8
7.5
Domestic mammals
47
44.3
Wild horse. Equus ferus
11
10.4
Aurochs. Bos primigenius
5
4.7
Elk. Aloes aloes
3
2.8
Red deer. Cervus elaphus
10
9.4
Roh deer. Capreolus capreolus
1
0.9
Wild boar. Sus scrofa
5
4.7
Brown bear. Ursus arctos
1
0.9
Pine marten?. Martes martes
1
0.9
Beaver. Castor fiber
1
0.9
Wild mammals
38
35.9
Elk. Aloes aloes, or Cattle. Bos primigenius f. taurus
1
0.9
Aurochs. Bos primigenius or Cattle. Bos primigenius
f. taurus
5
4.7
Wild boar. Sus scrofa or Pig. Sus scrofa f. domestica
5
4.7
Fox. Vulpes vulpes or Dog. Canis lupus f. familiaris
1
0.9
Wild- or domestic mammals
12
11.3
Fish. Pisces
8
7.5
Birds. Aves
1
0.9
Other Taxa
9
8.5
Total
106
100
Table 1 Hunte 3. Identified animal remains (vertebrates). NISP =
Number of Identified Specimens; * incl. taxonomically uncertain
fragments (n = 4).
with slightly convex platform remnants, typical of the
middle and late Mesolithic in northern Germany.
These characteristics indicate production in punch
technique as well as direct (hard) knapping.
The flint materials consist of Baltic flints, which
are typical of the North German Plain, of moderate
quality. Even the smaller nodule debris was used for
blade manufacturing which suggests the scant avail-
ability of raw materials.
The flint inventory together with the knapping
techniques are typical features of the Atlantic Meso-
lithic in northern Germany. Burins and thumbnail
scrapers tend to point towards an earlier period of
the Mesolithic, the association with micro points and
trapezes in the inventory suggests rather a later phase.
Observations suggest that the site Hunte 3 represents
a rather older period between the Mesolithic and the
Neolithic, but the association of simple point and
trapeze in one layer points toward a younger period.
All in all, the flint inventory indicates a transitional
period between the late Mesolithic und early Neo-
lithic. Typical elements of this transitional period are,
for example, the blades with shaft retouch. The soft
knapping techniques can also often be observed in
the early Funnel Beaker culture (cf. Hartz / Lubke
2012, 641).
Animal remains
During the 2016 and 2017 excavation campaigns,
mostly bones of vertebrates were recovered from sec-
tions 1 and 2 (n = 975), as well as mollusc shells
(n = 41) and human bones (n = 5). Of the available
archaeozoological remains of vertebrates, 106 pieces
(11 %) were able to be determined by species or tax-
onomy, 869 fragments (89 °/o) could not be classified.2
The low level of determination reflects on the poor
state of preservation of the bone remains. However,
clear signs of fragmentation usually clearly identify the
bones as the remains of domestic and wild animals
used by the inhabitants for food purposes.3
The results of archaezoological analysis suggest
the people living in Hunte 3 kept cattle, small ru-
minants (sheep or goats) and pigs in the household
(Table 1). Hunting in the vicinity must have been an
important sourse of meat as shown by the relatively
broad spectrum of wild animal species. Hunting activ-
ities were directed particularly towards wild horse,
aurochs, red deer and wild boar, while roe deer, brown
bear and beaver were hunted to a lesser degree. Addi-
tionally, fish and game birds supplemented the diet.
Due to their unclear taxonomic status, all bones
of domestic or wild animals (n = 12) were excluded
from the livestock/wild animal ratio of the mammalia;
furthermore, the antler pieces of red deer (n = 5) were
not taken into account, as they could have come from
shed antlers. On the basis of the remaining 80 skeletal
remains there is a ratio of 59 :41 % (n = 47/33) in
favour of livestock animals, which suggests a slightly
higher food-economic value of slaughter products
compared to the yields from hunting.
This relation clearly deviates from the results
of the archaeozoological investigations on the ma-
terial of the Swifterbant and Funnel Beaker culture
from Hiide I. Of the 6,510 mammal remains in ques-
tion (excluding antler pieces and bones of Bos sp./
Sus sp.), only 4.1 % (n = 264) could be assigned to
slaughter or domestic animals (Hubner et al. 1988,
2 Apart from 20 larger bone fragments, in which flint artefacts
were embedded, all bone fragments were analysed by Reinhold
Schoon (cf. also Heumuller et al. 2017, 25-28).
3 In addition to the taxonomic determination of the material,
the degree of fragmentation of the bones, age characteristics,
special features and bone measurements were documented
(Von den Driesch 1976; Habermehl 1975; Heinrich et al.
1991; Zietschmann / Krolling 1955).