Traces of Mesolithic Clothing Recovered from Soil in Sweden

HELSKINKI, FINLAND—Soil from 35 Mesolithic period graves in southern Sweden’s Skateholm I and II cemeteries was analyzed with water-assisted fiber separation to recover fibers, hairs, and feather fragments, according to a statement released by the University of Helsinki. “With our method, it is possible to find microscopic fibers even in areas with poor preservation conditions,” said archaeologist Tuija Kirkinen. She and her colleagues were able to determine that the dead had been buried wearing the skins of aquatic birds and the furs of small felines and members of the weasel family. Traces of the skins of large animals like deer and aurochs were also present in the soil samples. Soil taken from around the heads of the deceased contained hawk or eagle feathers, owl feathers, and traces of the fur of small animals, indicating that the deceased wore headdresses. One elderly woman’s burial yielded the white winter hair of a stoat or a weasel, brown feline hair, and fragments of a feather at her feet, showing that she was buried with multicolored footwear. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. To read about a method of Mesolithic food preservation, go to "Around the World: Sweden."