Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 45(special issue) 2002

Issue:

VOL 45(special issue) 2002

Keywords:

Bird osteology, Neolithic, Åland, Finland, Somateria mollissima, Melanitta fusca

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Bird bones from Jettböle I, a site in the Neolithic Åland archipelago in the northern Baltic

• Kristiina MANNERMAA

Abstract:

During the Middle Neolithic the Åland archipelago consisted of a group of small islands. The distance to the nearest shore of the mainland was over 100 km. The archipelago was occupied by the Pitted Ware people. This paper presents the bird bones found on the site of Jettböle I (c. 3400-2800 cal BC) in Jomala, one of the largest Pitted Ware basecamps on the islands. The economy was based on marine resources (mainly seals), and fishing and fowling were an important constituent part. My aim is to draw a picture of fowling at the Jettböle I based on the avian remains found at the site. The total number of bird bone fragments identified at the site is over 1200 and the number of different bird species is at least 15. The Eider Somateria mollissima was the most important bird species hunted, followed by the Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca. The bone material from Jettböle I is the largest and the best preserved bone sample found in Stone Age Finland.