The forager societies on both sides of Baltic see : A comparative contextual and relational analysis

A comparative contextual and relational analysis of mortuary patterning, demographic structure, and regional interaction was performed in order to elucidate the similarities and differences of the forager societies on both sides of Baltic sea. Four hunter-fisher-gatherers complexes were selected by literature review: Skateholm in south coastline and Motala in the middle of Sweden, Oleni´ostrov in north Russia and Zvejnieki in Latvia. These Mesolithic complexes excavated and dated to 9500-6000 years before present. The analyses suggest that the society which produced those four forager organizations on both sides of Baltic sea were internally differentiated with a complex system of social differentiation that include hereditary social positions and economic ranking. This study suggested at the Oleni´ostrov and Zvejnieki Mesolithic population was partly mobile, and the sites were the places to bury the dead while in Skateholm the inhabitants were continuously stayed in the same geographical site. The positioning of the deceased in the grave as well as the composition of the grave goods adjusted to settlement societies. The results indicated to a general horizontal development of the societies with equality between different social categories in the Skateholm, Oleni´ostrov and Zvejnieki. The unique site of Kanaljorden in Motala challenges our understanding of foragers societies, demographic structure and handling of the dead during the Eurasian Mesolithic. The site has revealed disarticulated human crania intentionally placed at the bottom of a former lake. The adult crania exhibited antemortem blunt force trauma patterns differentiated by sex that were probably the result of interpersonal violence. The remains of wooden stakes were recovered inside two crania, indicating that they had been mounted. Taphonomic factors suggest that human bodies were manipulated prior to deposition