Geographical range Europe Dates c. 9000 – c. 6000 BC | Period Mesolithic Europe Followed by Kongemose culture | |
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Preceded by Ahrensburgian, Swiderian culture | ||
Maglemosian (c. 9000 – c. 6000 BC) is the name given to a culture of the early Mesolithic period in North Europe. In Scandinavia, the culture was succeeded by the Kongemose culture and Tardenoisian culture.
Overview
The actual name originates from the Danish archeological site Maglemose, situated near Gørlev and Høng on western Zealand, southwest of lake Tissø. Here the first settlement of the culture was excavated in 1900, by George Sarauw. During the following century a long series of similar settlements were excavated from England to Poland and from Skåne in Sweden to northern France.
The Maglemosian people lived in forest and wetland environments, using fishing and hunting tools made from wood, bone, and flint microliths. It appears that they had domesticated the dog. Some may have lived settled lives, but most were nomadic.
Huts made of bark have been preserved, and the tools were made of flint, bone, and horn. A characteristic of the culture are the sharply edged microliths of flintstone, used for spear and arrow heads. Another notable feature is the "leister", a characteristic type of fishing spear, used for gigging.
When the Maglemosian culture reigned, sea levels were much lower than now and Europe and Scandinavia were landlocked with Britain. The cultural period overlaps the end of the last ice age, when the ice retreated and the glaciers melted. It was a long process and sea levels in Northern Europe, did not reach current levels until almost 6000 BC, by which time they had inundated large territories previously inhabited by Maglemosian people. Therefore, there is hope that the emerging discipline of underwater archaeology may reveal interesting finds related to the Maglemosian culture in the future.