Papers by Kenneth Ritchie
Danish Journal of Archaeology , 2026
The shell midden at Fårevejle was first visited by A.P. Madsen in 1894 and later partially excava... more The shell midden at Fårevejle was first visited by A.P. Madsen in 1894 and later partially excavated in 1896-97 by the National Museum of Denmark. In 2004-2005 the shell midden was revisited; two trenches were put through the central part of the midden. The shell midden is clearly stratified with Ertebølle layers at the bottom; the main shell component of these layers is oysters. These layers contain stone-lined fireplaces, bone, diagnostic pot sherds, and flint artefacts from the Late Mesolithic. The top of the midden is mainly composed of crushed cockles and mussels, mixed with layers of charcoal and burned rocks. These upper layers contain fireplaces and ash dumps, as well as bone, flint artefacts and potsherds from the EN Ib/EN II and MNA Ib phases of the Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB). The sparseness of residential materials (flint, sherds, bone) in the Mesolithic component suggests that this midden was not a base camp but rather visited for short periods of use.
Environmental Archaeology, May 3, 2016
The aim of this research is the isotopic characterization of archaeological fish species to fresh... more The aim of this research is the isotopic characterization of archaeological fish species to freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, trophic level, and migration patterns, and to determine intra-species variation within and between fish populations differing in location within central and northern Europe. Thus carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis was undertaken on collagen extracted from 72 fish bone samples from eight Mesolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in central and northern Europe. Thirtysix (50%) of the specimens analysed produced results with acceptable carbon to nitrogen atomic ratios (2.9-3.6). The fish remains encompass a wide spectrum of freshwater, brackish, and marine taxa (n = 12), and this is reflected in the δ 13 C results (-24.5‰ to-7.8‰). The freshwater/brackish fish (pike, Esox lucius; perch, Perca fluviatilis; zander, Sander lucioperca) had δ 13 C values that ranged from-24.2‰ to-19.3‰, while the brackish/marine fish (spurdog, Squalus acanthias; flatfish, Pleuronectidae; codfish, Gadidae; garfish, Belone belone; mackerel, Scomber scombrus) ranged from-14.9‰ to-9.4‰. Salmonidae, an anadromous taxon, and the eel (Anguilla anguilla), a catadromous species, had carbon isotope values consistent with marine origin, and no evidence of freshwater residency (-12.7‰ to-11.7‰). The δ 15 N values had a range of 6.2‰ (6.5‰ to 12.7‰) indicating that these fish were on average feeding at 1.7 trophic levels higher than their producers in these diverse aquatic environments. These results serve as an important ecological baseline for the future isotopic reconstruction of the diet of human populations dating to the late Mesolithic and early Neolithic of the region.
Environmental Archaeology, Dec 16, 2015
The Neolithic site Riņ ņ ukalns in the Lake Burtnieks/River Salaca area in northern Latvia is the... more The Neolithic site Riņ ņ ukalns in the Lake Burtnieks/River Salaca area in northern Latvia is the only freshwater shell midden in the eastern Baltic Sea area. An excavation carried out in 2011 revealed an intact stratigraphy with alternating layers of unburnt and burnt mussel shells and yielded various kinds of archaeological finds, among them several thousand fish remains. To gain an understanding of the fish species and specimens caught by the Neolithic settlers, and to discern any temporal development in the fish species composition, we analysed fish remains from different sections and layers. Results from both the archaeozoological and stable isotope data, give evidence for a change in the relevance of fish species during the period of use, and they also provide information for reconstructing the former river and lake hydrology in the vicinity of the midden. The Stone Age landscape seems to have been very similar to the present situation, so that the study area has been an extraordinarily stable ecosystem for more than 5000 years. Comparisons with the results of recent monitoring programmes, long-term changes since Medieval times, and written sources from the 18th century, show that the fish species community is almost unchanged since the Stone Age. This underlines the importance of the region in nature conservation.
Environmental Archaeology, Jan 7, 2016
Recent excavations at two rockshelters (Olsteinhelleren and Saevarhelleren) on the Hardanger fjor... more Recent excavations at two rockshelters (Olsteinhelleren and Saevarhelleren) on the Hardanger fjord in Western Norway have provided an unparalleled opportunity to examine the Mesolithic subsistence economy of this region. Thousands of fish remains (as well as numerous mammal and bird bones) have been analysed from these assemblages. Results show that the fishery was dominated by gadids, but labrids and salmonids were also important. Many other fish were present in small quantities, including the first specimen of sturgeon from the Stone Age of Norway. The transition to a more specialised fishery at the younger site, Olsteinhelleren, may be a reflection of a switch to the use of this locality as a logistic camp for the targeting of gadid fish.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, May 1, 2019
Strontium isotope analysis in prehistoric cod otoliths by laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Jun 1, 2021
Abstract Exploitation of aquatic resources, especially fishing, was a fundamental part of human s... more Abstract Exploitation of aquatic resources, especially fishing, was a fundamental part of human subsistence during the Late Mesolithic Ertebolle culture (5400–4000/3900 cal BC) in Southern Scandinavia. In this pilot study we examine three cod otoliths from two Late Mesolithic locations in eastern Denmark to see whether local environmental conditions are reflected in the strontium ratios of the fish, to source the fish to either the Atlantic or the Baltic Sea and finally, to explore how fishing was conducted in relation to the settlements. We used laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for sequential sampling of the otoliths for strontium isotope analysis. All three otoliths yielded 87Sr/86Sr values that fall within the range of Baltic Sea water, thus indicating that cod caught by Mesolithic fishers in the Danish straits belonged to the Baltic Sea stock. Our results suggest that cod were not caught in waters immediately adjacent to the archaeological sites but rather came from the Kattegat. We could not detect any substantial change in habitat between juvenile and mature stages of the fishs lives. Our study shows the potential of isotopic analysis to address issues regarding the individual ecological history of fish and human fishing strategies.
Danish journal of archaeology, May 1, 2013
In 2007, excavations at the late Mesolithic (Ertebølle) coastal site of Asnaes Havnemark recovere... more In 2007, excavations at the late Mesolithic (Ertebølle) coastal site of Asnaes Havnemark recovered a wealth of flint, bone, and ceramic artefacts. A comprehensive analysis of the faunal remains resulted in over 50,000 identified specimens. Roe deer and gadids predominate, but there are a wide variety of other species represented. Stable isotope analyses of dog bones point to the importance of marine resources. Oxygen isotope analyses of otoliths indicate that fishing was conducted in multiple seasons of the year. Comparison with other late Mesolithic sites demonstrates that while generally the same species of animals were exploited everywhere, there are major differences in the relative abundances of species. The broad subsistence base available and flexibility in how it was exploited weaken arguments for a subsistence crisis brought on by environmental stresses as the causal mechanism for the adoption of domesticated plants and animals at the onset of the Neolithic.
Mesolithic fishing landscapes in western Norway
Data on fishing from the Early Mesolithic is equivocal, but during the Middle and Late Mesolithic... more Data on fishing from the Early Mesolithic is equivocal, but during the Middle and Late Mesolithic in western Norway, fishing made an important contribution to subsistence. The large majority of the residential sites are situated at the outer coast, close to the shore, near good fishing grounds. Line-sinkers of soapstone frequently occur at these sites and at some of them with favourable conditions for preservation of organic materials – fish bones from a variety of species and even bone fishhooks are found. Zooarchaeological analyses from seven sites (two open-air and five caves or rockshelters) show that both at the outer coast and in the fjords the main catch was gadids, particularly cod, saithe and pollock. Size reconstructions based on otolith measurements from these species show that most were relatively young, small fish (2–3 years old). This agrees well with the sizes of the fishing gear, which are also generally small. Despite a strong marine focus, the Mesolithic populations were not deep-sea operators; they conducted their main fishery in protected fjords, straits and archipelagos along the western coast. Angling with hook and line seems to have been prevalent, with a lesser focus on several other methods. Because of these factors, fishing was open to most group members and provisioning was a shared activity. Increased pressure to maintain control of favourable fishing grounds may hav contributed to a more sedentary settlement pattern with concomitant effects on social organization and interactions.
Danish journal of archaeology, Jul 3, 2018
Archaeological material was initially discovered in 1993, eroding from a small cliff on the north... more Archaeological material was initially discovered in 1993, eroding from a small cliff on the north side of the peninsula of Asnaes near the town of Kalundborg in western Sjaelland, Denmark. The cultural layer contained flint and pottery diagnostic of the Ertebølle period in the late Mesolithic. Excavations in 2007 were intended to expose the cultural layer and obtain materials to describe the site and its contents before it was destroyed by the sea. The 22 m 2 of careful excavations exposed a terrestrial midden deposit and the cultural layer which had been partially preserved under a raised beach ridge along the coast, but largely destroyed by older erosion and beach ridge formation in this area. The site itself sits on top of beach ridge materials and the moraine clay and was subsequently covered by later beach ridge deposition. The combination of water screening and fine mesh sieving provided a good sample of the contents of the site. The flint tools consist primarily of projectile points, flake axes, some distally concave truncated blade knives, and a very few scrapers. There were large numbers of well-preserved faunal remains including bone fishhooks and preforms, seal bones, large bird bones, and an extraordinary amount of fish bone. A quantity of pottery was recovered in the excavations as well, including both pointed-bottom vessels and oval lamps in different sizes from the late Mesolithic and several examples of what are probably Early Neolithic ceramics. The rich occupation layer with its diverse artifactual content, including a fragment of a human jaw, documents a sizable residential settlement on the north coast of the Asnaes peninsula.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Apr 6, 2020
The Stone Age site Riņņukalns, Latvia, is the only well-stratified shell midden in the Eastern Ba... more The Stone Age site Riņņukalns, Latvia, is the only well-stratified shell midden in the Eastern Baltic. In this paper, we present new interdisciplinary results concerning its dating, stratigraphy, features, and finds to shed light on the daily life of a fisher population prior to the introduction of domesticated animals. The undisturbed part of the midden consists of alternating layers of unburnt mussel shell, burnt mussel shell and fish bone, containing artefacts, some mammal and bird bones, and human burials. Two of them, an adult man and a baby, are discovered recently and date to the calibration plateau between 3350 and 3100 cal BC, and to the later 4th millennium, respectively. Stable isotopes suggest a diet based heavily on freshwater fish, and this is supported not only by ten thousands of identified fish remains, but also by a fish bone concentration nearby the skull of the man, which is interpreted as remain of a grave gift (possible fish soup). Of special interest are the baby's stable isotope values. It shows that the mother's diet was atypical (perhaps because she was non-local), and/or that dietary stress during pregnancy increased fractionation between the mother's diet and her bloodstream.
Fish Bones and Fishing in Finland during the Stone Age
Burned fish bones are constantly being discovered in the excavations of Stone Age settlements in ... more Burned fish bones are constantly being discovered in the excavations of Stone Age settlements in Finland. This abundance of fish bones, as well as the usual location of the settlements on the shore of lakes or the sea, illustrate the importance of fishing to the Stone Age economy. Added to this, examples of the fishing gear that was used, mostly made of stone, are also occasionally found in Stone Age contexts. Yet, despite the clear importance of fish and fishing in Stone Age Finland, the fish bones themselves have not been studied thoroughly before, although the diversity of the fishing culture at the time could be clarified by such analyses. I am interested in the everyday food acquisition strategies of the Stone Age forager communities. By studying the surviving bones and tracking the distribution of fish species, I have been able to create a picture of the fishing methods used at the time and the importance of fishing to the community. The availability of fish is highly dependent on the prevailing environmental conditions, and their behaviour directly influenced their potential as a food source. This empirically driven multidisciplinary study combines data from zooarchaeology, archaeology, ethnography, fisheries biology, environmental studies and, the most importantly, taphonomy. Research on burned bones is rare throughout the international research literature. The essential aspect of this research is to understand the nature of the bone material itself, because with burned bones many different factors can affect the results. Studying the effects of bone survival and the recovery methods used in excavations are thus an integral part of my research. For this study, I have selected ten sites with concentrated burned fish bone deposits, either on a hearth bottom or in a waste pit. In addition to these site-specific studies, I also address the specific issues of bone burning and excavation methods raised during the study. The archaeological bone fragments were analysed morphologically by comparing them with modern reference bones. However, due to the lack of reference bone material in Finland when I began this study, I started by preparing my own reference collection. There are several topics can now be more thoroughly and accurately discussed based on this study. According to results provided by the fish bone finds, it is argued that fishing was the most reliable source of daily food in Finland during the Stone Age. Fishing was a mostly opportunistic, low-level daily activity, and all types of fish were considered equally fit for consumption. Burning is a major taphonomical cause of bone loss. At the same time, it contributes to the preservation of compact skeletal parts. Based solely on the number of bone fragments preserved, no single species can be asserted to have been more important than another, as the bones' taphonomical stability varies between individual species. Fish bone finds from Finland are generally uniform throughout the Stone Age. All variation in the distribution patterns of fish species can be explained by the location of sites, environmental aspects, and excavation methods. The Stone Age fish bone finds support the theory postulating the use of historically known simple fishing gear. Based on the fish bone data, the fishing methods utilized remained the same throughout the Stone Age. Fishing was probably a year-round activity with some seasonal variations.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2022
FISHING THROUGH TIME. Archaeoichthyology, Biodiversity, Ecology and Human Impact on Aquatic Environments. Programme and Abstracts of the 18th ICAZ -FISH REMAINS WORKING GROUP Meeting. 28th September – 3rd October, 2015. Lisbon
The Neolithic site Riņņukalns in the Lake Burtnieks/River Salaca area in northern Latvia is the o... more The Neolithic site Riņņukalns in the Lake Burtnieks/River Salaca area in northern Latvia is the only freshwater shell midden in the eastern Baltic Sea area. An excavation carried out in 2011 revealed an intact stratigraphy with alternating layers of unburnt and burnt mussel shells and yielded various kinds of archaeological finds, among them several thousand fish remains. To get an impression of the fish species and specimens caught by the Neolithic settlers, and to look for a temporal development in the fish species composition, we analysed fish remains from different sections and layers. The results, both archaeozoological and stable isotope data, give evidence for a change in the relevance of fish species during the period of use, and they also provide an impression of the former river and lake hydrology in the vicinity of the midden. The Stone Age landscape seems to have been very similar to the present situation, so that the study area has been an extraordinarily stable ecosyst...
Neolithic fishing in the South Caucasus as seen from Aruchlo I, Georgia
Archaeological Research in Asia, 2021
Abstract The spread of the Neolithic way of life from its centers of origins remains one of the c... more Abstract The spread of the Neolithic way of life from its centers of origins remains one of the central topics of archaeological research, with ongoing debates about the importance of economic, demographic, and cultural changes in the transition. The Southern Caucasus, while close to one area where agriculture emerged, has remained understudied regarding this spread. Here, information about the role of fish, a topic that has been almost completely neglected until now is presented. Fish remains are scarce in this region. Moreover, isotope analyses seem to indicate that freshwater fish were not an important food source. For the first time, fishbones have been found in larger quantities at the site of Aruchlo I from some layers in ditches. It is the largest assemblage of fish bones safely dated to the sixth millennium BC in the South Caucasus. The interpretation of these finds is not straightforward due to the lack of other comparable finds and the absence of fishing gear. Fishing appears to have been conducted in the waters close to the settlement. It is unclear if fishing was a year-round activity, although the way these bones were concentrated in different layers in the ditches suggests that this was not the case. We think that the bounteous catch of spawning fishes at certain times of the year can be linked to special social events like feasting, showing the importance of a food resource that is usually greatly underrepresented archaeologically. Introducing more precise recovery methods for animal remains at other excavations will hopefully refine our understanding.
The cultural roles of perforated fish vertebrae in prehistoric and historic Europe
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2021
Pietrele am "Lacul Gorgana": Bericht über die Ausgrabungen in der neolithischen und kupferzeitlichen Siedlung und die geomorphologischen Untersuchungen in den Sommern 2012–2016
EnglishDue to the delay in publication of the journal "Eurasia Antiqua", reports of the... more EnglishDue to the delay in publication of the journal "Eurasia Antiqua", reports of the ongoing excavation have appeared elsewhere in recent years. The present report includes the excavations from the years 2012 through 2016. The discovery of a large lake fed by the Danube can be seen as the most noteworthy result within this report. Along the bank of this lake lay the neolithic anc Copper Age settlement, and the origin of the lake can be placed sometime in the 8th millennium BCE and persisted inteo the first millennium CE. The main focus of the excavations in recent years was the investigation of the outer settlement, in which not only Copper Age but also Neolithic settlement remains have come to light. The quality of perservation in the outer settlement differs: the settlement layers lie partially under a colluvium layer, which ranges in places from 0,5-1,7 m in thickness. The flat settlement and the settlement upon the tell mount persisted simultaneously throughout the ...
Abstract: Havno is a stratified Danish kitchen midden which spans the Late Mesolithic Ertebolle a... more Abstract: Havno is a stratified Danish kitchen midden which spans the Late Mesolithic Ertebolle and the Early Neolithic Funnel Beaker cultures, ca. 5000-3500 cal. B.C. This paper presents the results of a study conducted on the fish bones recovered from a complete column sample taken from all levels of a stratified midden. The material is quantified and estimations of total fish lengths are provided. Interpretation focuses on taphonomy, relative importance of the fish represented, especially the European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ), significance of threespined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ), distribution of fish bones, possible fishing methods employed, and season(s) of capture. Keywords: European eel, Late Mesolithic Ertebolle culture, Early Neolithic funnel beaker culture, Kitchen midden, Fishing, Total length, Column sample Resumen: Havno es un conchero danes bien estratificado que discurre desde la cultura Ertebolle del Mesolitico tardio y la cultura de los vasos de embudo...
Strontium isotope analysis in prehistoric cod otoliths by laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
Abstract Exploitation of aquatic resources, especially fishing, was a fundamental part of human s... more Abstract Exploitation of aquatic resources, especially fishing, was a fundamental part of human subsistence during the Late Mesolithic Ertebolle culture (5400–4000/3900 cal BC) in Southern Scandinavia. In this pilot study we examine three cod otoliths from two Late Mesolithic locations in eastern Denmark to see whether local environmental conditions are reflected in the strontium ratios of the fish, to source the fish to either the Atlantic or the Baltic Sea and finally, to explore how fishing was conducted in relation to the settlements. We used laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for sequential sampling of the otoliths for strontium isotope analysis. All three otoliths yielded 87Sr/86Sr values that fall within the range of Baltic Sea water, thus indicating that cod caught by Mesolithic fishers in the Danish straits belonged to the Baltic Sea stock. Our results suggest that cod were not caught in waters immediately adjacent to the archaeological sites but rather came from the Kattegat. We could not detect any substantial change in habitat between juvenile and mature stages of the fishs lives. Our study shows the potential of isotopic analysis to address issues regarding the individual ecological history of fish and human fishing strategies.
SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES IN THE STONE AGE, DIRECT AND INDIRECT EVIDENCE OF FISHING AND GATHERING, 2018
Организация конференции и издание материалов осуществлены при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект №... more Организация конференции и издание материалов осуществлены при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект № 18-09-20015 г УДК 902/904 ББК 63.4 С 833 Стратегии жизнеобеспечения в каменном веке, прямые и косвенные свидетельства рыболовства и собирательства. Материалы международной конференции, посвященной 50-летию В.М. Лозовского. Под редакцией О.В. Лозовской, А.А. Выборнова и Е.В. Долбуновой. -СПб.: ИИМК РАН, 2018. -266 с. Сборник содержит материалы международной конференции, приуроченной к 50-летию яркого исследователя позднего каменного века Восточной Европы В.М. Лозовского. Представленные работы объединены проблематикой изучения взаимодействия человека и окружающей среды и разным моделям адаптации в рамках первобытного хозяйства. Основное внимание уделяется роли рыбной ловли и собирательства съедобных растений, важнейших видов деятельности, однако недостаточно освещенных в археологических источниках. Материалы поздних поселений с благоприятными условиями сохранности органических материалов, а также косвенные свидетельства производства и использования рыболовных инструментов и орудий собирательства, горелые макроостатки семян и растений, данные химического состава содержимого посуды и изотопные характеристики человеческих костей, должны помочь реально оценить роль этих видов пищевых ресурсов в диете первобытного человека. Издание предназначено для археологов, палеогеографов, палеоботаников и представителей смежных дисциплин.
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Papers by Kenneth Ritchie