Maglemosian culture

Maglemosian culture

Geographical range	Europe
Period	Mesolithic Europe
Dates	c. 9000 – c. 6000 BC
Preceded by	Ahrensburgian, Swiderian culture
Followed by	Kongemose culture

The Mesolithic The Epipaleolithic This box:
↑ Paleolithic
Mesolithic Europe Epipaleolithic Europe Fosna–Hensbacka culture Komsa culture Maglemosian culture Lepenski vir culture Kunda culture Narva culture Komornica culture Swiderian culture Epipaleolithic Transylvania Mesolithic Transylvania Tardenoisian Schela Cladovei culture Mesolithic Southeastern Europe Levant Levantine corridor Natufian Khiamian Trialetian Zarzian
↓ Neolithic ↓ Stone Age

Maglemosian (c. 9000 – c. 6000 BC) is the name given to a culture of the early Mesolithic period in Northern Europe. In Scandinavia, the culture was succeeded by the Kongemose culture and Tardenoisian culture.

The 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.

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