Søg
Home >
About Denmark >
History >
Prehistory >
The Mesolithic Period
ABOUT DENMARK
ABOUT DENMARK
History
Prehistory
The Mesolithic Period
The Neolithic Period
The Bronze Age
The Iron Age
Agriculture in the Early Iron Age
The Roman Iron Age
Gold Finds From the Germanic Iron Age
Print
Subscribe
Send
The Mesolithic Period (c. 9300-3900 BC)
The forest was relatively light in the beginning with bison, wild horses, elk and aurochs. In time, the forest became more dense and red deer and roe-deer became the commonest game.
Settlements were often situated near the edges of lakes which have since become bogs. In the east of Denmark, the peat in these bogs has preserved a rich variety of weapons and tools, bones from slaughtered animals and the remains of dwellings, including hut floors made of wood and bark.
During the Atlantic period, 6400-3900 BC, the sea level rose so much that the northern parts of Denmark were divided into islands, and deep fjords cut into the landscape.
A dense forest dominated by limetrees spread across the land.
The population was found mostly near the coasts and lived on fish and shellfish, supplemented by hunting and sealing.
Food scraps were piled up in kitchen middens which contained huge numbers of oyster shells. Grave finds bear witness to care and respect for the dead.
Grave from the Ertebølle culture, approximately 5000 BC, found on the Bøgebakken hill near Vedbæk in North Zealand containing a young woman and her new-born baby.
