A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Diet and mobility among Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Motala (Sweden) - The isotope perspective

  2016. Gunilla Eriksson (et al.). Journal of Archaeological Science

  Article

  Recent excavations at the sites of Strandvägen and Kanaljorden in Motala, Eastern Central Sweden, have unearthed complex and varied funerary remains from the Mesolithic. The two sites are situated on opposite banks of the river Motala Ström. While geographically close and roughly covering the same time span (c. 8000–7000 cal. BP), the funerary remains reveal differences and similarities in the treatment of the dead between the two localities. While at Strandvägen human bones were mostly found either scattered along the river bed or in inhumation graves, Kanaljorden contains wetland depositions of disarticulated skulls. We have conducted multi-isotope analyses of δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ³⁴S and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of human and animal remains with the aim of reconstructing the dietary patterns, geographic provenance and mobility of the interred. A series of faunal reference samples and, in the case of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, soil samples have been analysed in order to establish relevant isotopic baselines. The results show a protein intake dominated by aquatic resources, probably consisting of both freshwater and marine fish in varied proportions. The strontium isotope data indicate an interesting distinction between the individuals buried on either side of the river Motala Ström. Five out of six sampled individuals from Strandvägen have isotope ratios consistent with a local provenance, whereas ratios from seven out of eight Kanaljorden individuals indicate a non-local origin. The δ³⁴S analysis proved problematic as a majority of the samples appear to be affected by diagenesis. This is probably the result of contamination by exogenous sulphur from surrounding fluvial and lacustrine sediments, as has previously been reported from other waterlogged sites.

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• Depositional patterns at Åloppe, norrskog- an attempt to contextualize taphonomy on a 20th century excavation

  2024. Sara Gummesson. Journal of Archaeological Science 53

  Article

  The Pitted Ware Culture site Åloppe, Norrskog in Eastern Middle Sweden, is one of few Neolithic settlements in the region where unburnt osteological remains have been recovered. The geology of this area of Sweden with mainly acidic soils does not generally preserve unburned bones well but the osteological material from the site is well preserved in comparison to many other sites in the region. Thus, Åloppe, Norrskog offers an exceptional opportunity to study the deposition of osteoarchaeological material and to investigate spatial practices. This is evident in the faunal remains which comprise bones of seals and fish, and in addition, bones of terrestrial mammals such as boar and moose, that were handled differently on the site. The spatial distribution of mammal remains revealed depositional patterns associated with specific areas, archaeological features and, thus, human activities. One inhumation burial was excavated at the site and several isolated human bones were recovered among the faunal remains. Taphonomic observations and spatial distribution suggest intentional handling and deposition of human remains within a more restricted area of the site. Despite the low spatial resolution offered by the material patterns do emerge and the site may be understood as an arena for human action.

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• The spatial organization of bone craft during the Middle and Late Mesolithic: Patterns of bone tool production at Ringsjöholm and Strandvägen in Sweden

  Sara Gummesson, Fredrik Molin, Arne Sjöström.

  This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of osseous tool production debitage from two Mesolithic sites in Sweden, Ringsjöholm and Strandvägen, with well-preserved faunal remains including high numbers of osseous artifacts. Local production of osseous tools on both sites has generated a variety of identifiable unfinished products and debitage deriving from complete chains of production, including unmodified bones, various kinds of debitage and finished products. Identified categories include: anatomical and technical blanks, removed epiphyses, bone flakes and preforms. Identification of species and element distributions show that antler and metapodial bone from red deer was the preferred raw material. Technological characteristics of the osseous craft and different stages of production have been identified. Spatial statistical analyses confirm that different stages of osseous tool production were organized within separate areas of the sites and that larger items were discarded in the water along the shorelines adjacent to the settlements. Interestingly, blanks and preforms seem to have been stored under water for future use. At Strandvägen demarcated clusters of bone flakes in association with dwellings represent craft areas, or "bone knapping floors" where production was more intense than in other areas.

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• Dwellings and workspaces at Strandvagen, 5600-5000 cal. BC

  2021. Fredrik Molin, Sara Gummesson. L'Anthropologie 125 (4)

  Article

  This paper describes identified workspaces and the manufacture of slotted bone points at the Late Mesolithic settlement Strandvägen in Motala, in eastern central Sweden. Several dwellings were documented, Dwelling 1 being typically round-oval in shape 9 × 5.5 meters, with a floor area covering 49.5 m². Radiocarbon dates fall between approximately 5600-5200 cal BC. A combined archaeological record, with lithics and bone artefacts as well as analyses of the osteological assemblage has shown that slotted bone tools with mounted lithic inserts have been produced adjacent of the dwelling. The spatial distribution of bone flakes, microblades, processed resin and slotted artefacts testify to a clearly and delimited craft area near the shoreline of the river Motala Ström. Analyses of the finds, e.g. birch bark resin and prepared bone preforms by direct percussion, also help in reconstructing the stages of manufacturing composite projectile points in this part of Eurasia.

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• Keep your head high: skulls on stakes and cranial trauma in Mesolithic Sweden

  2018. Sara Gummesson, Fredrik Hallgren, Anna Kjellström. Antiquity 92 (361), 74-90

  Article

  The socio-cultural behaviour of Scandina-vian Mesolithic hunter-gatherers has been difficult to understand due to the dearth of sites thus far investigated. Recent excavations at Kanaljorden in Sweden, however, have revealed disarticulated human crania intentionally placed at the bottom of a former lake. The adult crania exhibited antemortem blunt force trauma patterns differentiated by sex that were probably the result of interpersonal violence; the remains of wooden stakes were recovered inside two crania, indicating that they had been mounted. Taphonomic factors suggest that the human bodies were manipulated prior to deposition. This unique site challenges our understanding of the handling of the dead during the European Mesolithic.

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• Micro-fossil analysis of Mesolithic human dental calculus, Motala, Sweden - Indications of health status and paleo-diet

  2019. Elin Norström (et al.). Journal of Archaeological Science 26

  Article

  We analysed microfossil remains in human dental calculus sampled from an individual of the Mesolithic burials at Strandvägen, Motala, central Sweden. The analysis was targeted on phytoliths, diatoms and fungal spores. The composition of the phytolith assemblage suggests that plant micro-fossils found in the dental calculus partially stem from reeds of Phragmites. This suggests that the studied individual was consuming and/or manipulating reeds with his teeth. Spherical fungal spores were abundant in the calculus, possibly indicating weak health status, although it cannot be excluded that they originate from natural long-term accumulations. The diatom composition in the dental calculus was dominated by Cyclotella distinguenda, a species which is strongly linked to waters of the nearby Lake Vättern. This suggests that the studied individual primarily used water, and/or aquatic flora/fauna, from Lake Vättern.

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• The Mesolithic inhumation at Brunstad - A two-step multidisciplinary excavation method enables rare insights into hunter-gatherer mortuary practice in Norway

  2019. Almut Schülke (et al.). Journal of Archaeological Science 23, 662-673

  Article

  The Mesolithic burial from Brunstad, Vestfold, Eastern Norway, dating to c. 5900 cal BC, represents rare evidence of Mesolithic mortuary practice in Norway. While Mesolithic settlement finds are abundant in the region, evidence of mortuary ritual is virtually absent in the record. In this article we present the method and the results of the multidisciplinary excavation, on-site and in the laboratory. The challenging Brunstad find was excavated in two steps, and later reconstructed, involving osteology, 3D photogrammetry and conservation. Moreover, the burial is discussed in its local, regional and supra-regional context. While the inhumation of an adult individual in a flexed body position is rare in its regional context, it exhibits typical features known from Mesolithic graves in Scandinavia as well as from other parts of Europe. These include the shore-based island location and proximity to a settlement site, the body position, as well as certain features of mortuary ritual. In the light of Mesolithic mortuary practices in Scandinavia and the Baltic region, from where many Mesolithic graves are known, we suggest that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Eastern Norway and the Skagerrak region handled and disposed of their dead in various ways, some of which might not have left archaeological traces. We conclude that the Brunstad grave represents a distinct mode of burial at the time.

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• Lithic Raw Material Economy in the Mesolithic: Experimental Test of Edged Tool Efficiency and Durability in Bone Tool Production

  2017. Sara Gummesson (et al.). Lithic Technology 42 (4), 140-154

  Article

  The foundation of this paper is lithic economy with a focus on the actual use of different lithic raw materials for tasks at hand. Our specific focus is on the production of bone tools during the Mesolithic. The lithic and osseous assemblages from Strandvägen, Motala, in east-central Sweden provide the archaeological background for the study. Based on a series of experiments we evaluate the efficiency and durability of different tool edges of five lithic raw materials: Cambrian flint, Cretaceous flint, mylonitic quartz, quartz, and porphyry, each used to whittle bone. The results show that flint is the most efficient of the raw materials assessed. Thus, a non-local raw material offers complements of functional characteristics for bone working compared to locally available quartz and mylonitic quartz. This finding provides a new insight into lithic raw material distribution in the region, specifically for bone tool production on site. 

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• Taphonomy, bone surface characteristics and assemblage history: Finding Mesolithic bone depositions at Strandvägen, Motala

  2017. Sara Gummesson, Fredrik Molin, Jan Storå. Journal of Archaeological Science 13, 11-25

  Article

  Through taphonomic analyses, in this studywe evaluate bones surface characteristics and differences in bone accumulation on a Mesolithic settlement site, in Eastern Middle Sweden. The assemblage consists of faunal remains fromthe Mesolithic but also fromactivities dating to historical periods. All bones fromthe site, including indeterminate fragments, were analysed. Variation in bones surface characteristics were registered according to a set of taphonomic data, based on previously published studies. The variation were categorized as different texture scores and evaluated against species representation, radiocarbon datings and spatial distribution. The study underlines the potential of methodological approaches to taphonomic data and underlines the importance of including indeterminate fragments when studying human utilization of bones. The results present strong correlations between different species, bone tools and specific surface textures. It shows that a large part of the assemblage is of Mesolithic origin but also that activities dating to post-Mesolithic periods have contributed to the assemblage accumulation. Spatial analyses of the different surface textures helped to identify and separate Mesolithic activity areas of the site, thus providing an understanding of the spatial organization at intra site level, at the settlement of Strandvägen.

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Show all publications by Sara Gummesson at Stockholm University