The telltale potency of a simple milligram of charcoal found in a hearth left by Mesolithic reindeer hunters in the Norwegian mountains.

Abstract

The discovery and excavation of superimposed, information-rich Pre-Boreal hunting sites around the mountain lakes of Myrvatn and Fløyrlivatn in Southwest Norway have been the subject of archaeological debate. A brief review of research is presented here. In contrast to the well-preserved sites, settlement remains of a diametrically different order occur in the strongly water-eroded zone of the lakeshores: small, surface hearths in almost every stage of preservation, from evident hearths to diffuse and irregular scatters of fire-cracked stones. The latter category seems generally underestimated as a source of evidence. However, recent finds at Myrvatn demonstrate how even blurred, heavily eroded and almost intangible hearth remains, by the support of wood anatomical analysis, radiocarbon dating and intra-site comparison, may reveal concise, invaluable information both about the history of local use and regional landscape development.