This study explores the prehistoric site of Tirildihi, located near the Similipal Biosphere Reserve in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India, through the analysis of 58 stone tools from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic periods. The tools, predominantly flakes and scrapers, were collected from exposed surfaces and erosional slopes near the Machakandana Hill. The artifacts, made from various raw materials such as Black Chert, Grey Chert, Quartz, and Quartzite, are classified based on typology, technology, and raw material. Flaking is the primary technology used, and the majority of tools belong to the Upper Palaeolithic, reflecting advances in stone tool technology. The analysis indicates a preference for tools like flakes and scrapers, with specialized tools such as spearheads being rarer. The study also presents detailed measurements of tool dimensions and weight, revealing significant variability in size, which suggests a range of uses. The findings highlight the technological complexity of the Upper Palaeolithic period and the adaptation of prehistoric communities to their environment.

Long, Antony, Waller, Martyn, Hughes, Paul and Spencer, Christopher (1998) The Holocene depositional history of Romney Marsh proper. In: Eddison, Jill, Gardiner, Mark and Long, Antony,(eds.) Romney Marsh: Environmental Change and Human Occupation in a ...

Článek představuje a popisuje nové nálezy paleolitické štípané industrie, které byly v poslední dekádě učiněny v Novém Bydžově a jeho okolí. Je proveden základní popis získaných artefaktů a všechny prozatím známé nálezy jsou uvedeny do kontextu nejen ve vztahu k přilehlým oblastem východních Čech, ale také k východní hranici Čech středních, v jejímž sousedství se Bydžovsko nachází.

At the beginning of the fourth millennium BC, the Typical Comb Ware culture (TCW) emerged in northeastern Europe. One of its characteristics is a wealth of 'amber' or 'ochre' graves and mortuary practices. This article concerns the graves' key elements, their distribution and frequency, and their relationship to the TCW phenomenon. The analysis of seventy-seven graves from twenty-three sites suggests that TCW graves are a materialization of a complex set of practices in which visual aspects (colours, contrasts, and combinations of materials) and performance play significant roles. Given the small number and distribution of graves, these practices were reserved for particular people and/or occasions, and the tradition only lasted for a few centuries. Interpreted from the perspective of identity production and sociocultural networks, these graves and associated practices are defined as 'symbolically overloaded', with buried bodies and activities intended to be seen.

The paper situates a skull now in the Tuebingen osteological collection as part of the Ofnet cave skull nests. You can also download the contribution here: https://sites.google.com/site/mesolithicmiscellany/

Full reference: Orschiedt, J., Hofmann, D., Schulting, R., Rathmann, H. and Harvati, K. 2024. The Tübingen specimen from Ofnet cave: radiocarbon dating, isotopic analyses and osteological reinvestigation of the skeletal remains housed in the Osteological Collection Tübingen. Mesolithic Miscellany 30 (2), 91–99.

The Central Ebro River Basin (NE Spain) is the most northern area of truly semi-arid Mediterranean climate in Europe and prehistoric human occupation there has been strongly influenced by this extreme environmental condition. Modern climate conditions single out this region due to the harsh environment, characterised by the highest absolute summer temperatures of the Ebro River Basin. The Bajo Aragón region (SE Ebro River Basin) was intensively populated during the Early Holocene (9400–8200 cal yr BP) but the settlements were abandoned abruptly at around 8200 cal yr BP. We propose that this “archaeological silence” was caused by the regional impact of the global abrupt 8.2 ka cold event. Available regional paleoclimate archives demonstrate the existence of an aridity crisis then that interrupted the humid Early Holocene. That environmental crisis would have forced hunter-gatherer groups from the Bajo Aragón to migrate to regions with more favourable conditions (i.e. more humid mount...

Bober je bil v Sloveniji zanesljivo prisoten od interglaciala Riss/Würm pa vse do 17-18. stoletja, ko ga je iztrebil človek. Prva pobuda za njegovo ponovno naselitev (1992) zaradi pomanjkanja sredstev ni zaživela. Bober se je tako naselil v Sloveniji po naravni poti, kot posledica naselitev bavarskih bobrov na Hrvaško, ki so se začele leta 1996. Prva naselbina je bila zabeležena pozimi 1998/1999 v spodnjem toku Radulje, ob izlivu v Krko. Bober je odtlej stalno prisoten na tem območju. Prvo razmnoževanje smo zabeležili leta 2001, pozimi 2003/2004 pa so se bobri ustalili tudi v zgornjem delu Krke. Oktobra 2002 se je bober pojavil tudi na Dobličici, kjer se je prav tako ustalil. Oba habitata sta za bobra suboptimalna glede kakovosti vode, brežin in prehranske osnove, močna pa je prisotnost človeka. Škode in konflikti so na obeh območjih zmerne. Obe naselbini sta opredeljeni kot območji NATURA 2000.V zadnjih dveh letih se je bober pojavil tudi na Sotli (2005), Muri (2005) in Dravi (2006...

The Dnieper Rapids Region is situated between the lower and middle reaches of the Dnieper
river between Dnipro and Zaporizhya cities (Ukraine). This stretch of river is a section of the
break through the Ukrainian crystalline shield, which had resulted in the formation of a unique
ecological niche with natural borders, a large number of islands and huge rocks in the riverbed
and a landscape similar to canyon.
Archeological evidence points to long-term inhabitation of several sedentary ancient groups
within the territory. This is conrmed by numerous settlements and burial grounds. Though,
some mobility of population was characteristic inside the region, but entire displaces were cyclical,
stable, systematic and repetitive from year to year. The settlements during the warm season
were generally located on islands and large rocks. Each of those settlements was populated with
a group of people (family, clan) that has provided itself and was engaged in supplying. During
the cold season, a commune of several "island groups" was located in coastal settlements uniting
their work and accumulated resources. Each commune has had a xed system of seasonal
movements on the controlled territory by movement back to already habitable places from past
seasons depending on the season

The problem of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Northern Pontic region remains one of the most
debated topics in contemporary archaeological science. The traditional approach, which dominated from
the mid-20th century, suggests that the Neolithization of the region occurred relatively early (in the
second half of the 7th millennium BC), as evidenced by the appearance of ceramics, domesticated animals,
and the development of agriculture. However, recent studies, based on new radiocarbon dates,
morphological analysis of fauna, and the reevaluation of archaeological materials, cast doubt on these
assertions and offer an alternative perspective. Although ceramics were present, their introduction did not
lead to changes in the economy. Most faunal artifacts, associated with hunting and fishing, remain typical
of Mesolithic societies.

The mainstream neolithization hypothesis, dominant in current Ukrainian scholarly, was proposed in the middle of the 20th century. It concentrates on ceramics and posits an early neolithization of the Northern Pontic Region at the end of the 7th mill. BCE, yet it distorts the logic of the historical processes and artificially separates this region from the current scheme of European Neolithization. The very early chronology also raises numerous doubts. Radiocarbon dates are represented unevenly. Some old assays were refuted by new ones obtained recently. The archaeological indicators of agrarian lifestyles remain ill-defined. A recent review of previously studied osteological faunal remains from several sites has shown the absence of domesticates. There are no reliable paleobotanical studies that could test the agrarian lifestyle. Despite the numerous known cemeteries and art objects, the symbolic aspects of the meso-neolithic transition dynamics and the innovations in material culture (ceramics) lack adequate attention. We consider the Meso-Neolithic transition period in the region lasted for about a thousand years and represented a spectrum of hunter-fishers-gatherer strategies broader. Three main sub-regions can be distinguished here: the Bug-Dniester region as the zone closest to the Neolithic cultures of SE Europe, with the highest rate of Neolithic items among local foragers; Azov Sea region occupied by foragers of the steppe plain zone with clues of animal husbandry and Western Asian influences; and Dnipro Rapids riverine region frequented by forager-fisher societies. Neolithic material innovations occurred in an uneven and punctuated fashion and did not lead to cardinal changes. Endogenous factors (e.g. favorable socio-economic conditions shaped by local foragers) played a crucial role in the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition.

The paper presents the conservation and restoration work done on the fresco
and statue on the exterior of St. Andrew Church in Svino near Kobarid. The frescos were
exposed to the weather, therefore protective conservation and restoration work was carried
out first. The fresco was cleaned, the paint layer was strengthened, and the damage to
the plaster was repaired and covered. An aesthetic presentation with tonal retouching was
carried out. The stone statue of Saint Andrew was stripped of the remains of later plasters
and whitewash, dirt was removed, the support and paint layer were strengthened, broken
and chipped parts were glued together, some chipped parts were re-modelled, and tonal
retouching of the damage was carried out. The current state of the building was presented,
with visible remains of all three layers of the fresco. The year found on the back of the
statue confirms its medieval origin.

This is a study of initial stages of adaptation of the ancient human population to the use of aquatic food supplies in the White Sea. The main aim of archaeozoological analysis was to study the processes of formation of faunal remains and strategies on seals hunting during the Eneolithic in the White Sea region. The archaeological source material consists of faunal remains recovered from two Eneolithic sites of the Kandalaksha bay. The results of archaeozoological studies confirmed the high importance of the ringed seal and harp seal in the hunting prey of the inhabitants of the studied sites. Eneolithic hunting strategies of the White Sea region were closely related to the behavioral and ecological patterns of seals. The seal hunt was based on a model of exploiting a massive seasonal resource. Hunting pressure on the ringed seal and harp seal populations was significant. Seals were the main suppliers of meat, skin and fat for the inhabitants of the Eneolithic sites of this part of Fennoscandia. The studies of the lithic tools from the Early Metal period settlements from Kandalaksha bay provide additional evidences of a specialized marine hunting. Apparently, in the Eneolithic (IV – III millennia calBC), the economic and cultural type of sea hunters was formed on the shores of the White Sea.

The goal of this paper is to report results of research of the influence that economic specifics of the Epipalaeolithic sites in the Elbrus region had on the composition of lithic industry. The traceological analysis made it possible to determine a functional variability of tools in sites dated from different age. Based on the correlation of the habitation activity index and technical, typological and traceological analyses, the sites dating after the Last Glacial maximum and to the beginning of the Holocene were preliminarily divided into three groups. At these sites, not only the percentage of retouched tools differs, but also their functional use is different. The determination of functional specificity of assemblages and economic specialization of the site is an important component of inter-assemblage comparison, especially those assemblages that existed simultaneously within a chronological cycle and were located on the same territory.

This book discusses the significance of shells in the daily life of the Diola people in Guinea-Bissau, particularly their role in constructing the landscape through shell mounds. It explores the concept of Terroir, and its importance in understanding the Diola people and their occupation of the territory over the past two thousand years. Through field research, more than 120 shellfish sites were identified and recorded, shedding light on current mollusc collection practices and the functions of shell mounds. These functions include as middens, barriers, harbours, paths, and monuments, with hypotheses formulated to explain their regional atypicality. The book aims to study the history of the Diola people by focusing on sources they produced themselves, such as shell mounds and artifacts, rather than privileging colonial sources. Through this approach, the author seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of the Diola's past and their interactions with the landscape over time.

Sumário: 1. "O contexto arquitetônico de Nova Iguaçu do final do século XIX e das quatro primeiras décadas do século XX" por Julio Cesar Ribeiro Sampaio | 2. "Os descobridores (1899), de Belmiro de Almeida: uma reflexão sobre as origens e o destino do Brasil" por Guilherme Frazão Conduru | 3. "Georgina de Albuquerque e suas estratégias de consagração: encontros e divergências" por Cláudia de Oliveira | 4. "Notas artísticas: artes no cotidiano de uma Belém de outrora" por Gabriel Borges Souza | 5. "Rumo a uma história da arte verdadeiramente global" por Rafael Cardoso | 6. “'A Noite,' filha do Caos: o parâmetro realista na recepção crítica das obras de Pedro Américo no Salão de 1884" por Beatriz D’Aiuto Eckhardt | 7. "Hospital da Caridade na Belém Imperial: caracterização e construção de um modelo virtual" por José Cristhian da Silva Cabral e Cybelle Salvador Miranda | 8. "A viagem de um antiquário pela província de São Paulo: excertos do diário de Francisco Manuel Raposo d’Almeida, c. 1850" organização de Francisco de Carvalho Dias de Andrade | 9. "Arquitetura e jardim como unidade artística moderna nas obras de Gregori e Mina Warchavchik" organização de Jônatas Souza Medeiros da Silva, Pollyana Martins da Silva e Joelmir Marques da Silva

The paintings of Laja Alta rock shelter (Cadiz) have generated an intense debate regarding their chronological affiliation since their first publication. This research project made it possible to obtain the first analytical data for an interpretation of their cultural significance. This article provides a synthesis of the controversies generated, clarifies the data obtained and contextualizes all the painted motifs represented. The obtained conclusions, avoiding hypothetical prejudices, corroborate the neolithic-chalcolithic cultural context of the naval motifs. These conclusions allow new perspectives of research about the earliest navigation by sailing ship between the Mediterranean and Atlantic.

Welcome to Issue 40 of the A+M Newsletter and thank you to those who contributed articles and updates. I would like to remind the AMWG community that we welcome any contributions related to archaeomalacology and are especially interested in member photos/images, news and updates. This issue brings an important call for a host institution for our next meeting, to be held in 2025. It also includes a reflection on the AMWG by our founder, Daniella Bar-Yosef Mayer. Daniella retired last year and has handed over the liaison position for the group to me. Our other articles are a report on shells from Tell Bleibil in Jordan, and a reflection on the contribution of Professor Alexandru V. Grossu twenty years after his death. This issue I have organized the list of recent articles by continent/ topic. I hope you find this useful. I have also added a list of our new members.

Join us at the 2nd International Conference on the Emergence of the Neolithic in Europe (ENE2025) which will be held at the University of Zadar from 22nd to 25th May.
We invite you to join our Session 4 “Human-Environment Dynamics: Environmental Archaeology and Paleoclimate”. Abstract submission deadline is 1st of  February 2025.
https://conference.unizd.hr/ene2025/

This study was triggered by the results of previous anthropological and genetic studies. Earlier we demonstrated the existence of close biological affi nities of the people from Bolshoi Olenyi Ostrov (BOO) with both the ancient Western Siberian populations and people of the Ymyyakhtakh culture. At the same time, the results of the analysis of genetic markers reveal presence of the strong Nganasan-like component in genetic structure of the BOO sample. In this study, we tried to synchronize these two sets of data and reveal interplay between biological affi nities of BOO, Ymyakhtakh and Nganasans basing on analysis of cranial metric data. We analyzed data on 14 cranial metric characteristics of BOO, 24 ancient series from Western Siberia, 11 series from Eastern Siberia and Russian Far East and Nganasans using canonical variate analysis and k-means clustering algorithm. The results of statistical analysis confi rm the
dual structure of the BOO population, which includes both Western Siberian and East Siberian (Ymyyakhtakh) components. We also
demonstrate that Nganasans have similar biological affi nities but with less infl uence of the Western Siberian component comparing with
BOO. This result confi rms the widespread opinion about the rather ancient origin of the population core of the Nganasans. We assume
that its appearance on the territory of Eastern Siberia is associated with the migration of the Ymyyakhtakh people and, therefore, cannot
be dated much earlier than the beginning of the 2nd mil. BC. We also assume that a certain Western Siberian component in the structure
of Nganasans could appear during the interaction of descendants of Ymyyakhtakh people with later Western Siberian migrants in Taimyr.

Here, we present the earliest case of surgical treatment of mandibular permanent molars known in Northern Eurasia.It concerns an adult  woman buried at a Mesolithic cemetery on the Yuzhny Oleniy Ostrov (Island) in Lake Onega, southern Karelia, 8250–8050 cal BP. Our objective was to reconstruct the technology of surgical intervention, and to diagnose and describe the underlying condition. To do this, we carried out an examination of teeth and bone tissues of the upper and lower jaws and a traceological analysis of identified lesions. As we found, in the last few months ofher life, the woman underwent several dental operations, including the extraction of the lower left third molar and, in a stepwise fashion, of fragments of the distal part of crown and lingual part of the distal root of the lower right first molar. The first operation was successful—the woman survived for at least two months after it had been performed.The second operation was also successfully performed at least two months before death, likely immediately after the trauma. The mesial part of the crown was removed just before death. No ancient cases where fragments of an injured tooth were removed are known to us. The removal of the lower third molar can be compared only with the earliest previously known case, described in a sample from the Pucará de Tilcara fortress in Northern Argentina (15th–16th centuries AD). Indications for surgery partly coincide in both cases, and include complications of apical periodontitis and the development of osteomyelitis. However, the technology of surgery and its logistics are different

In this paper, we introduce the first evidence of the use of human bone for making pendants in Northeast Europe. Twelve of the 37 studied pendants made of long bone splinters turned out to be human bone. Here, we present the ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) identifications of artefacts and their traceological analysis, and we discuss their implications for the archaeology of Mesolithic burial practices. Our results indicate that the raw material for some of the items was in a fresh or semi-fresh state before making pendants. They were used before they were placed into the graves, and most likely in the same ways as animal bone pendants. This is the first study that has found the use of human bone as raw material in Russian Karelia and the first time that the ZooMS method has been applied to archaeological materials from this region. Together with previous human bone artefact finds from the European Mesolithic period, the bone pendants from Yuzhniy Oleniy Ostrov indicate that the tradition of using human bone as raw material may have been widespread.

Die Sondierung der Fundstelle von 2007 erbrachte deutliche Hinweise, dass die neolithischen Siedlungsreste am Nordwestufer des Lobsigesees massiv ausgetrocknet und die organischen Bestandteile der organischen Schichten bereits weitgehend zerstört sind. Während bei einer Ausgrabung des Bernischen Historischen Museums von 1953 noch intakte Balkenlagen von Bauhölzern angetroffen wurden, zeigten sich diese 2007 nur noch als letzte, kaum wahrnehmbare Bodenverfärbungen. Verschiedene Untersuchungen sollen nun verstehen helfen, wie und in welchem Ausmass die Zerstörungen stattfinden, wie weit sie fortgeschritten sind und ob dies in aussagekräftigen Parametern ausgedrückt werden kann. Es geht also darum, definieren zu können, in welchem Zustand der Erhaltung bzw. der Zerstörung die Fundstelle am Lobsigesee in der Bodentiefe x am Geländepunkt y ist.

ABSTRACT: Ochre (colouring ferruginous rocks) is widespread in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic contexts, although information available on its use is still few. Starting by two key areas for the European Prehistory: the Cantabrian region and the Italian peninsula, this research highlights an intentional selection of iron ores for their red colour. Ochre were partially fragmented and powdering, while another part was used to realize objects to directly transfer colour on surfaces (crayons), both within domestic space as part of daily activities, and in spaces with human burials, as part of funeral rituals. The study of ochre assemblages made it possible to detect the continuity of technological practices from the Late Glacial to the Initial Holocene, attesting a transfer of knowledge related to the exploitation of the same raw materials for their functionality in diversified contexts showing both an utilitarian and a symbolic value. Its meaning is not fixed, but it depends on the functio...

ACTA ARCHAEOLOGICA LUNDENSIASERIES ALTERA IN 8°, No 54 Mesolitiska Möten. Strandvägen, en senmesolitisk boplats vid Motala ström Tom Carlsson

Under åren 2000-2003 utfördes arkeologiska undersökningar på den mesolitiska boplatsen Strandvägen i Östra Mellansverige.

Utgrävningarna företogs längs stranden av Motala ström, men även under vattnet och tack vare de goda bevaringsförhållandena för fynd och konstruktioner kan boplatsorganisation, materiell kultur såväl som människornas relationer till varandra och till sin omvärld diskuteras.

I Mesolitiska Möten presenteras och sammanfattas resultaten från utgrävningarna. Målättningen är dock inte enbart att redovisa det empiriska materialet, utan syftet är att relatera de lokala uttrycken på Strandvägen till ett vidare, skandinaviskt och europeiskt perspektiv. Boplatsen placeras härmed inom en specifik kulturhistorisk period, närmare bestämt under tiden 5500-5000 B.C.

Detta är ytterst en bok om möten: om fysiska möten över vatten och bortom skogar, men även om immateriella möten. Om möten som rymde meningsfulla och betydelsefulla ingredienser i livet. De knöt människor samman till varandra. Man ingick i en samhörighet och ett gemensamt sätt att relatera till sin omvärld. En gemenskap som delades med människor långt bortom kända vatten och skogar.

Arkeologiska fynd, den materiella kulturen illustrerar realiteten av dessa relationer. Man skulle kunna kalla det rummets arkeologi, men ett rum med stor plats för människorna. Mesolitiska Möten hoppas att därmed kunna initiera en fördjupad dialog om vår syn på mesolitikums samhällen med ytterligare några dimensioner.

The peninsula known as Castle Point, Troup, was occupied or used from the late Neolithic period to the Second World War. This paper deals with the construction and use of the castle, from the 13th to 17th centuries. The excavations of the castle site revealed the footings of a rectangular tower, with a cobbled courtyard and the remains of a kitchen range to its south-east. Within the kitchen was a collapsed fireplace arch bearing two similar mason's marks. A small quantity of pottery sherds, three coins, dated to the 16th century, and a few other artefacts were also recovered. Evidence of earlier medieval structures underlay the kitchen area, including a number of stone drains, two narrow clay-lined channels and a pit.

Since the Middle Pleistocene, the Sahara region has undergone strong environmental changes resulting from climate changes. Dry periods, constituting an ecological barrier to human presence, alternated with wet periods when the Sahara area was covered with green savanna and an extensive network of watercourses, allowing the area to be occupied by hunter-gatherer groups. Responding to the Quaternary climatic changes, hominin dispersal was channeled through vegetated corridors. Such evidence for human settlements connected to Pleistocene green corridors in the Sahara region has been discovered in the research area called EDAR (Eastern Desert Atbara River). This area comprises a cluster of Acheulean and Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites discovered in the fluvial sedimentary context. This manuscript discusses the occurrence of Middle Pleistocene Acheulean artifacts in much younger sediments documented at the site EDAR 6. These Acheulean artifacts are present within thick Holocene calcareous sandy silts formed between 2.7 ka and 8.7 ka based on an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronology, which is also supported by paleomagnetic analysis. The stone gravelly artifacts
mantled above the eolian deposits have been known in other Paleolithic sites under the desert environment of Northern Africa. We propose that the relocation of the Palaeolithic artifacts was due to long-lasting erosional and redepositional processes affecting the Acheulean artifacts-bearing sediments since the Middle Pleistocene. We interpret that the cumulative results of the two processes, i.e., the gravel framework dilation and the gravel overpassing, allowed the stone artifacts to be exposed at the surface or incorporated in the Holocene sediment layers.

Innenfor E18 Langangen–Lanner-prosjektet ble det i 2020 utgravd fire lokaliteter (id 222339–222342) i en liten dalgang nedenfor toppen av Blåfjell, lengst sør på Sundsåsen. De fire lokalitetene, kalt Blåfjell 1–4 (fra høyest/eldst til lavest/yngst), lå mellom ca. 40 og 60 moh. og er datert til ulike deler av mellommesolitikum og seinmesolitikum, med hovedbruksfaser mellom ca. 7800 og 5200 f.Kr. Enkelte gjenstandsfunn og C14-resultater tyder også på bruk av området i neolitikum. På alle fire lokalitetene ble det i tillegg avdekket kokegroper/ildsteder med C14-dateringer til eldre jernalder. Gjenstandsmateriale og prøver fra utgravningene av de fire lokalitetene er tilvekstført under C-nummer 62935–62938. Registreringsfunnene er katalogisert under C61033–61036. Fra utgravingen av de fire lokalitetene foreligger det til sammen ca. 23.900 gjenstander av flint og andre steinsorter. Et omfattende prøvemateriale kommer i tillegg. Totalt foreligger det 57 radiologiske dateringer utført på trekull, brent hasselnøttskall og brente bein. Av disse faller 38 til ulike deler av steinalderen. Blåfjell 2 (C62936) lå 55 moh. på en liten (ca.250 kvm) og skarpt avgrenset, østvendt terrasse på vestsiden av den nevnte dalgangen. Løsmasselagene på stedet var tynne, men langs vestre del av lokaliteten var deler av lokalitetsflaten overlagret av innrast grus og stein fra den bratte hellingen i vest. På Blåfjell 2 ble ca. 180 kvm avtorvet maskinelt og ca. 58 kvm gravd for hånd i lag 1. Tre ildsteder ble avdekket nord på lokaliteten. Til sammen ble om lag 2700 gjenstander av flint og stein samlet inn (98,7 % av flint), i tillegg til 20 kullprøver, hvorav sju som er C14-datert. Gjenstandsmaterialet kan karakteriseres som typisk for den eldre halvdelen av mellommesolittisk tid, med blant annet mikrolitter, en mikrostikkel og et betydelig antall regelmessige, men hovedsakelige knekte flekker og mikroflekker. Tre ildsteder ble avdekket nord på lokaliteten. To av dem ble C14-datert til MM, innenfor ca. 7500–7200 f.Kr., noe som sammenfaller svært godt med strandlinjedateringen av lokaliteten og et havnivå ca. 53 m over dagens. Disse to dateringene er samtidige med de eldste dateringene fra Blåfjell 3 som lå umiddelbart øst for Blåfjell 2. To andre dateringer faller til SM (ca. 5500–5000 f.Kr.) og er samtidige med enkelte dateringer fra Blåfjell 4 like sør for Blåfjell 2, mens to kullprøver ble datert til henholdsvis TN og overgangen MNa/MNb. Sistnevnte datering er fra det siste ildstedet. En håndtakskjerne kan ses i sammenheng med de seinmesolittiske C14-dateringene, men ingen funn kan med sikkerhet knyttes til de yngre dateringene.

Innenfor E18 Langangen–Lanner-prosjektet ble det i 2020 utgravd fire lokaliteter (id 222339–222342) nedenfor toppen av Blåfjell lengst sør på Sundsåsen. De fire lokalitetene, kalt Blåfjell 1–4 (fra høyest/eldst til lavest/yngst), lå mellom ca. 40 og 60 moh. og er datert til ulike deler av mellommesolitikum og seinmesolitikum, med hovedbruksfaser mellom ca. 7800 og 5200 f.Kr. Enkelte gjenstandsfunn og C14-resultater tyder også på bruk av området i neolitikum. På alle de fire lokalitetene ble det i tillegg avdekket kokegroper/ildsteder fra eldre jernalder. Gjenstandsmateriale og prøver fra utgravningene av lokalitetene er tilvekstført under C-nummer 62935–62938. Registreringsfunnene er katalogisert under C61033–61036. Fra utgravingen av lokalitetene foreligger det til sammen ca. 23.900 gjenstander av flint og andre steinsorter. Et omfattende prøvemateriale kommer i tillegg. Totalt foreligger det 57 radiologiske dateringer utført på trekull, brente hasselnøttskall og brente bein. Av disse faller 38 dateringer innenfor steinalderen. Blåfjell 3 (C62937) lå i en smal dalgang mellom ca. 56 moh. i nord og ca. 48–49 moh. i sør, og var ca. 1450 m2 stor. I likhet med de andre lokalitetene ble Blåfjell 3 utgravd i tre trinn; maskinell avtorving (ca. 960 m2) og prøvekvadranter (40 stk.), deretter konvensjonell graving i ruter og lag (totalt 116 m2 i lag 1, 54m2 i lag 2) og til slutt maskinell flateavdekking (ca. 400 m2). Skjørbrent stein funnet i gravde ruter ble veid. Rutegravingen ble konsentrert til den sørlige delen av lokaliteten, hvor funnfrekvensen var høyest og løsmasselagene tykkest. I sørvest var deler av lokaliteten overlagret av nedraste stein og grusmasser. Til sammen ble 20 strukturer avdekket og snaut 9100 steingjenstander ble samlet inn, hvorav 94 % er av flint. Blant disse er det en redskapsandel på 2,5 %. En mulig mikrolitt, en mulig mikrostikkel samt koniske og bipolare kjerner inngår i flintmaterialet. Bergartsmaterialet omfatter flatmeisler, en brukket enkel hakke og flere trinnøkser på ulike produksjons- og bruksstadier, samt slipeplater av sandstein. I tillegg ble et omfattende prøvemateriale, deriblant 41 fragmenter av brente bein, (5,4 g) samlet inn. Alle kunne bestemmes til pattedyr, mens tre beinfragmenter er av mellomstore arter, med morfologi og størrelse tilsvarende sel/villsvin/hund/hjortedyr. Med enkelte unntak (to tangespisser av flint) kan gjenstandsmaterialet karakteriseres som enhetlig og typisk mellommesolittisk. Det foreligger totalt 23 C14-dateringer (brent bein, trekull, hasselnøttskall) fra lokaliteten. Av disse faller 15 til mellommesolitikum, med to hovedbruksfaser innenfor ca. 7600–7000 f.Kr. og ca. 7000–6700 f.Kr. I tillegg faller én datering til TN, én til SN, mens seks prøver og enkelte strukturer viser til aktiviteter (og skogbranner?) på stedet også i FRJA, RT, FVT og MVT.

Innenfor E18 Langangen–Lanner-prosjektet ble det i 2020 utgravd fire lokaliteter (id 222339–222342) nedenfor toppen av Blåfjell lengst sør på Sundsåsen. De fire lokalitetene, kalt Blåfjell 1–4 (fra høyest/eldst
til lavest/yngst), lå mellom ca. 40 og 60 moh. og er datert til ulike deler av mellommesolitikum og seinmesolitikum, med hovedbruksfaser mellom ca. 7800 og 5200 f.Kr. Enkelte gjenstandsfunn og C14-resultater tyder også på bruk av området i neolitikum. På alle de fire lokalitetene ble det i tillegg avdekket kokegroper/ildsteder fra eldre jernalder. Gjenstandsmateriale og prøver fra utgravningene av lokalitetene er tilvekstført under C-nummer 62935–62938. Registreringsfunnene er katalogisert under C61033–61036. Fra utgravingen av lokalitetene foreligger det til sammen ca. 23.900 gjenstander av flint og andre steinsorter. Et omfattende prøvemateriale kommer i tillegg. Totalt foreligger det 57 radiologiske dateringer utført på trekull, brente hasselnøttskall og brente bein. Av disse faller 38 dateringer innenfor steinalderen. Blåfjell 4 (id 222342, C62938) er yngst av de fire utgravde lokalitetene. Denne lokaliteten var naturlig
avgrenset og besto av en mindre flate 44–45 moh. i sørvest, en noe større flate på 40–42 moh. i nordøst, i tillegg til en liten flate på 45–46 moh. framfor en bergvegg i nordvest. Disse tre delområdene er kalt
henholdsvis Blåfjell 4a, -c og -b. Utgravningen på Blåfjell 4 ble gjennomført i tre trinn: Innledningsvis ble nær 900 m2 avtorvet med gravemaskin. I trinn 2 ble til sammen ca. 190 m2 gravd konvensjonelt i hele
kvadratmeterruter. Til slutt ble ca. 520 m2 maskinelt flateavdekket, og et titalls ildsteder ble avdekket. Utgravningen resulterte i til sammen ca. 9900 innsamlete steinartefakter. Av disse utgjør flintgjenstander 69,1 %, hvorav 2,1 % er sekundærbearbeidet. Det øvrige steinmaterialet domineres klart av ulike typer bergarter, mens mindre andeler utgjøres av bergkrystall og kvarts. Gjenstandsmaterialet rommer flere diagnostiske typer, deriblant flekker, mikroflekker, håndtakskjerner. koniske/subkoniske kjerner og
bipolare kjerner. Av bergart inngår et betydelig antall trinnøkser, meisler med flatt, spissovalt tverrsnitt samt nøstvetøkser, i tillegg til kniver og slipeplater av sandstein. Et omfattende avfallsmateriale av bergart
tyder dessuten på at en hel del økser er produsert på stedet, og ulike deler av framstillingen er representert. En distribusjonsanalyse av de typologisk daterbare gjenstandene indikerer at bruken av stedet kan deles i to
hovedbruksfaser: én i trinnøksfasen seint i mellommesolitikum og én i nøstvetøksfasen. Av til sammen 19 C14-dateringer ga elleve resultater til mesolittisk tid. De yngre dateringene kan stamme fra en kombinasjon
av korte opphold og naturlige skogbranner, men kan ikke knyttes til gjenstandsmaterialet av flint og andre steinsorter.

Erosion under the jetty - Challenges of monument protection in Attersee, Upper Austria.
The largest complex of settlements of prehistoric pile dwellings in Austria is located in the northern bay at Lake Attersee. Dating back to the 4th millennium BC, these remains belong to the Mondsee-Group. In recent years,
there have been concerns about the preservation of these underwater
monuments due to sediment erosion caused by passenger ships. Since the construction of a new landing stage in the bay in 2014, these concerns had become even more acute.
To monitor the changes in sediment and assess the risks to the prehistoric remains, erosion markers were placed and erosion recorded from 2014 to 2022. The study found that extensive loss of sediment occurred in the ship manoeuvring area, leading to destruction of the prehistoric settlement remains.
The recent discovery of freely eroded prehistoric material in the Seewalchen area has prompted discussions among various stakeholders on the preservation of these valuable remains and the implementation of protection measures. The concept for preservation involves recommendations for different endangerment zones, such as covering areas with erosion protection mats in Zone 1 to preserve cultural layers and finds. In Zone 2, where there was significant loss of cultural layers, the remaining prehistoric timbers had to be quickly documented and recovered. At Zone 3 where relatively low hazard was documented, further regular monitoring is necessary.
In Zone 4, where recent timber discoveries were made due to the impact of ship propellers, the use of protective mats is not feasible. Given the effects of the forces of the ship's propellers on the lake bed, the effectiveness and preservation of protective mats in this area cannot be guaranteed.
Instead, the focus is on an archaeological record of the findings in freely erodes areas and the rescue of prehistoric artefacts. In summary the conservation status of the Seewalchen/Kammer site represents a challenge. Individual small-area protective measures are possible. Comprehensive protection through large-scale underwater archaeological surveys of the area or relocation of the jetty head to greater water depths requires extensive planning, large financial resources and close cooperation between all interested parties.