DOI chapter:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI chapter:Mahlstedt, Svea; Karle, Martina; Kegler, Jan F.: Foraging in a changing landscape – the Late Mesolithic in the coastal area of Lower Saxony
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0190
Svea Mahlstedt, Martina Karie and Jan F. Kegler
189
site
material
lab.no.
age BP
+/-
age cal BC
probability
A13C in %o
A15N in %o
Baltrum
mandible
Poz-103000
4905
30
3761-3640
95.40
14,7
15,7
Spiekeroog
mandible
Poz-103001
6510
40
5546-5374
95.40
13,4
16,1
Juist
antler axe
MAMS-43969
3751
24
2278-2042
95.40
-
-
Osteel
charcoal
Hv-19605
6560
280
6025-4852
95.39
-
-
Coldinne
charcoal
Hv-12322
6605
55
5625-5480
95.40
-
-
Zwischenahn
T-Axe, new find
Poz-82825
4880
35
3759-3541
95.39
-
-
Zwischenahn
T-Axe, old find
Poz-73450
5570
40
4486-4342
95.40
-
-
Zwischenahn
base axe
Poz-73451
7300
50
6251-6050
95.40
-
-
Table 1 Radiocarbon dates of sites and finds mentioned in this paper.
dible dates to c. 5,400 calBC (Table 1), while the
Baltrum mandible dates to c. 3,700 calBC (Table 1).
Stable isotopes (13C and 15N) were also measured
(Table 1). In northwestern Europe there are no com-
parable values for the two stable isotope results as
yet. Nevertheless, according to increased 13C- and
15N-values it is obvious that both humans had a very
high proportion of marine food in their diet. On
this background, the dating may have been affected
by the marine reservoir effect (Fischer et al. 2007).
Typically, affected radiocarbon dates appear up to c.
400 14C years older than they would be if unaffected
(Ibid., 2142). According to the high grade of abrasion
of the teeth, both individuals must have consumed
terrestrial food as well.
In any case it seems justified to assume that the
Spiekeroog individual lived during the time when
the first farmers of the Linear Pottery culture ar-
rived at the northern fringe of the loess belt. By that
time the coastline was situated already close to its
modern position. The habitat of Mesolithic hunter-
gatherers would have been a heterogeneous landscape
with sandy, possibly wooded areas, bogs and salt-
marshes.
The Baltrum individual dated to 3700 calBC
lived in the transitional time period between the
late Swifterbant period in northwestern Europe and
the beginning of the Funnel Beaker culture or -
taking into account the influence of the reservoir ef-
fect - even in the fully Neolithic Funnelbeaker period
1cm
Fig. 2 Antler axe from Juist-Kalfamertgat
(photo: R. Kiepe)
189
site
material
lab.no.
age BP
+/-
age cal BC
probability
A13C in %o
A15N in %o
Baltrum
mandible
Poz-103000
4905
30
3761-3640
95.40
14,7
15,7
Spiekeroog
mandible
Poz-103001
6510
40
5546-5374
95.40
13,4
16,1
Juist
antler axe
MAMS-43969
3751
24
2278-2042
95.40
-
-
Osteel
charcoal
Hv-19605
6560
280
6025-4852
95.39
-
-
Coldinne
charcoal
Hv-12322
6605
55
5625-5480
95.40
-
-
Zwischenahn
T-Axe, new find
Poz-82825
4880
35
3759-3541
95.39
-
-
Zwischenahn
T-Axe, old find
Poz-73450
5570
40
4486-4342
95.40
-
-
Zwischenahn
base axe
Poz-73451
7300
50
6251-6050
95.40
-
-
Table 1 Radiocarbon dates of sites and finds mentioned in this paper.
dible dates to c. 5,400 calBC (Table 1), while the
Baltrum mandible dates to c. 3,700 calBC (Table 1).
Stable isotopes (13C and 15N) were also measured
(Table 1). In northwestern Europe there are no com-
parable values for the two stable isotope results as
yet. Nevertheless, according to increased 13C- and
15N-values it is obvious that both humans had a very
high proportion of marine food in their diet. On
this background, the dating may have been affected
by the marine reservoir effect (Fischer et al. 2007).
Typically, affected radiocarbon dates appear up to c.
400 14C years older than they would be if unaffected
(Ibid., 2142). According to the high grade of abrasion
of the teeth, both individuals must have consumed
terrestrial food as well.
In any case it seems justified to assume that the
Spiekeroog individual lived during the time when
the first farmers of the Linear Pottery culture ar-
rived at the northern fringe of the loess belt. By that
time the coastline was situated already close to its
modern position. The habitat of Mesolithic hunter-
gatherers would have been a heterogeneous landscape
with sandy, possibly wooded areas, bogs and salt-
marshes.
The Baltrum individual dated to 3700 calBC
lived in the transitional time period between the
late Swifterbant period in northwestern Europe and
the beginning of the Funnel Beaker culture or -
taking into account the influence of the reservoir ef-
fect - even in the fully Neolithic Funnelbeaker period
1cm
Fig. 2 Antler axe from Juist-Kalfamertgat
(photo: R. Kiepe)