Stone Age Graves in Sweden Reveal the Dead Dressed in Furry Shoes and Feathery Headdresses
Stone Age tombs often contain remarkable finds, such as symbolic objects and clothing given to the dead. A fascinating example of this is the Skateholm cemeteries in southern Sweden, where people who died in the Stone Age were placed in their graves with objects made from animal furs and feathers.
A new study published in Archaeological and anthropological sciences uncovered traces of clothing in Skateholm tombs by separating microscopic organic fibers from soil samples. This revealed that the dead at Skateholm wore accessories like headdresses and colorful shoes, showing how animal parts played a role in Stone Age burials.
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Decorating tombs in the Stone Age
The burials provide a window into the Mesolithic society of southern Scandinavia (ca. 9,000 to 4,000 BCE). Many of them contain not only human remains, but also ornamental objects. People buried with such funerary objects may have been spiritual leaders or shamans highly valued in hunter-fisher-gatherer communities.
The Skateholm cemeteries – consisting of Skateholm I (65 graves) and Skateholm II (22 graves) – were excavated in the 1980s, revealing stone artifacts, animal bones, antlers and teeth, according to a release on the new study. Among Skateholm’s most prominent figures is the “seated woman”, who was buried on a base made of wood and fitted with ornaments of deer, elk and wild boar teeth – this treatment may reflect her high status in society.
Not all individuals were buried with ornate items, but the dead placed in what were previously considered empty graves (meaning they lacked items) were still given clothing to wear, as evidenced by the remains of fur and feathers found in the new study.
“This is the first time that soft organic matter has been separated from soil samples in Late Mesolithic tombs in Scandinavia,” said study author Tuija Kirkinen, an archaeologist at the University of Helsinki. Discover. “The results speak to the importance of dressing the dead even when there are no marks from other funerary objects such as animal tooth pendants or stone implements.”
Sieving organic fibers
To get a better idea of what the Skateholm dead received, researchers involved in the new study applied a new technique to 35 of the graves; the method involved rinsing soil samples with water and sifting the water to separate the fibers.
“The use of water to separate microscopic organic materials is favored because it is gentle on different types of materials and does not destroy fragile materials. The material culture of prehistoric societies was primarily based on materials of animal and plant origin that mostly decomposed over time, however, these materials can be traced by analyzing soil samples under a microscope,” Kirkinen said. Discover.
Dressed in furs and feathers
During the sifting process, researchers recovered large numbers of bird feathers and mammal hairs from several species.
In 11 graves, remains of feathers from hawks, eagles, and owls were detected near the heads of individuals, suggesting that these people may have worn feather headdresses. One tomb contained a particularly impressive head decoration that may have featured a combination of red deer tooth pendants and owl feathers, as well as lagomorphs (order of mammals with rabbits/hares), mustelids (order of mammals with weasels/stoats/otters), and bat skins.
Another grave contained a woman over 60 years old who may have been dressed in multi-colored shoes made from white hair from the winter coat of a weasel/ermine and brown hair from a carnivore (potentially a feline).
The researchers concluded that soil samples stored in museums could be crucial sources of microscopic fibers and, as such, should be managed and handled with great care.
“Systematic collection of precisely documented soil samples from archaeological sites is vital for future research because soil is full of information! » said Kirkinen. “In addition, analytical methods are developing rapidly and we must prepare for future needs. This means we must find solutions to collect, manage and store sediment samples, even for decades.”
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