PROTEIN RESIDUE ANALYSIS OF ARTIFACTS FROM FEATURES A19049, A3868, AND A3869 AT CT1 ALMHOV (SITE MHM 12875), SOUTHERN COAST OF SWEDEN

Summary

A total of 15 lithic artifacts from the CT1 Almhov Site, number MHM 12875, just outside

the town of Malmö, Sweden, were analyzed for possible protein residues. Lithics recovered

from the site exhibit both Mesolithic (blades) and Neolithic (flakes) characteristics. In 2004,

Paleo Research Institute conducted protein residue analysis on 15 lithic artifacts from Feature

A19049, with a radiocarbon date of approximately 4000 BC (Puseman 2004). This was a time

of transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic in south Scandinavia, with a transition from a

hunter-gatherer society to a farming/livestock breeding society. One hypothesis is that tools of

one technological tradition (possibly the Mesolithic) were used on wild animals/game, while

tools of another technological tradition (possibly the Neolithic) were used on domesticated

animals. Previous analysis by Paleo Research Institute found positive results to gizzard shad

antiserum (Clupeidae family of fish, possibly herring) and American eel antiserum on two

different lithic tools. Additional micro wear analysis conducted by Anders Högberg, Malmö

Heritage, found micro wear associated with processing fish (fish-polish) on the tools that tested

positive to fish antisera. Thus, protein analysis and micro wear analysis are complementary in

providing different data sets for examining the use of these tools and in validating both

methodologies. This report presents the results of protein analysis on 15 additional tools from

the CT1 Almhov Site, in combination with the previous results. The additional tools are from

two pair-features that are associated with an Early Neolithic TRB-culture.

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• PaleoResearch Institute

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