Mesolithic discoveries at Dagsmosse

The Mesolithic of eastern Central Sweden is strongly associated with knapped quartz, pecked axes and a lack of preserved organic materials like bone, antler and wood. This picture stands in sharp contrast to the Mesolithic assemblages of Southern Scandinavia, rich in preserved organic remains. Many of the latter finds come from wetland sites. In this paper it it is argued that wetlands are often overlooked within contract archaeology and research in Central Sweden, exacerbating the problem. The results of surveys of a peat extraction site in Dagsmosse, Östergötland, is used as a case study to highlight this point. The finds from Dagsmosse include tools of antler and bone, animal bones, hazelnut shells, worked wood and constructions built of wooden stakes. The surveys presented here were conducted between 2012–2019, and the work was supported by the Berit Wallenberg Foundation.