Fischfang zur Zeit der Neolithisierung an der südwestlichen Ostseeküste

Abstract

Subject of the here presented dissertation thesis are wooden artefacts from terminal Mesolithic and early Neolithic coastal settlement sites at the south-western Baltic sea. In this article tools for active and passive fishing are presented to emphasize the importance of fishing for human subsistence during the phase of neolithisation in the area of Ertebølle and northern Funnel Beaker groups. The investigation of eel leisters, fish trap baskets, fish weirs, dugouts and paddles allows conclusions about their building and operation modes as well as about their typical characteristics. Especially the building mode of fish trap baskets out of split parallel woods of red dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) and guilder rose (Viburnum opulus) is presented, which was up to now only found in the Ertebølle period. Moreover the results of dendrological analysis show the high technical standard and sophisticated woodworking skills in the past. Furthermore the specific production of wooden resources and therefore small-sized changes of the woodland structure could be proven. The intensive use of stationary fishing structures implies the cooperation of a larger group of humans and a stable social system. At the beginning of early Neolithic (EN I a) no substantial change of economic or settlement system can be seen.