From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia
The Neolithisation process altered human dependence on wild food sources, and dominant models of the Neolithic transition in Scandinavia still focus on cultural divisions. This study emphasises the evidence of creolization processes, in particular the exploitation of Atlantic Bluefin tuna (Thunnus t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Open Archaeology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0263 |
| _version_ | 1797947789574930432 |
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| author | Nielsen Svein Vatsvåg |
| author_facet | Nielsen Svein Vatsvåg |
| author_sort | Nielsen Svein Vatsvåg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Neolithisation process altered human dependence on wild food sources, and dominant models of the Neolithic transition in Scandinavia still focus on cultural divisions. This study emphasises the evidence of creolization processes, in particular the exploitation of Atlantic Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) among Neolithic fisher-farmers north and east of the Skagerrak Sea in Scandinavia (4000–2350 cal BCE). The site Jortveit in Southern Norway, where Bluefin tuna was caught with toggling harpoons, is used as a point of departure. In order to understand this phenomenon, the first empirical review of prehistoric toggling harpoons in Central and Eastern Europe is presented. Toggling harpoons first appeared in the late Vinĉa Culture, then in the Gumelniţa, Cucuteni-Trypillia, and Sredny Stog cultural complexes further east, and finally in Central Europe and Scandinavia during the time of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Considering the accumulated evidence of long distance contact from Eastern to Central Europe and Scandinavia in the early fourth millennium BCE, it is argued that toggling harpoon technology was distributed through trade networks. Its appearance around the Skagerrak Sea in the Neolithic reflects fisher-farmers using a creolized fishing technology, inspired by Eneolithic societies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:32:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb78e12fa9df46fc81625c915487b994 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-6560 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:32:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Archaeology |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb78e12fa9df46fc81625c915487b9942023-01-19T13:20:28ZengDe GruyterOpen Archaeology2300-65602022-12-018195698610.1515/opar-2022-0263From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in ScandinaviaNielsen Svein Vatsvåg0Department of Archaeology, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Oslo, 6762, NorwayThe Neolithisation process altered human dependence on wild food sources, and dominant models of the Neolithic transition in Scandinavia still focus on cultural divisions. This study emphasises the evidence of creolization processes, in particular the exploitation of Atlantic Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) among Neolithic fisher-farmers north and east of the Skagerrak Sea in Scandinavia (4000–2350 cal BCE). The site Jortveit in Southern Norway, where Bluefin tuna was caught with toggling harpoons, is used as a point of departure. In order to understand this phenomenon, the first empirical review of prehistoric toggling harpoons in Central and Eastern Europe is presented. Toggling harpoons first appeared in the late Vinĉa Culture, then in the Gumelniţa, Cucuteni-Trypillia, and Sredny Stog cultural complexes further east, and finally in Central Europe and Scandinavia during the time of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Considering the accumulated evidence of long distance contact from Eastern to Central Europe and Scandinavia in the early fourth millennium BCE, it is argued that toggling harpoon technology was distributed through trade networks. Its appearance around the Skagerrak Sea in the Neolithic reflects fisher-farmers using a creolized fishing technology, inspired by Eneolithic societies.https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0263europesouthern norwaywestern swedenneolithicharpoontuna |
| spellingShingle | Nielsen Svein Vatsvåg From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia Open Archaeology europe southern norway western sweden neolithic harpoon tuna |
| title | From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia |
| title_full | From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia |
| title_fullStr | From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia |
| title_short | From Foragers to Fisher-Farmers: How the Neolithisation Process Affected Coastal Fisheries in Scandinavia |
| title_sort | from foragers to fisher farmers how the neolithisation process affected coastal fisheries in scandinavia |
| topic | europe southern norway western sweden neolithic harpoon tuna |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0263 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nielsensveinvatsvag fromforagerstofisherfarmershowtheneolithisationprocessaffectedcoastalfisheriesinscandinavia |