A New World

Cultural Links and Spatial Disposition – The Early Mesolithic Landscape in Östergötland on the Basis of the Storlyckan Investigations

Abstract

The article discusses the relationship between man and landscape in the Early Mesolithic in Östergötland on the basis of the Storlyckan settlement site, which was excavated in 1997. Besides a rich and varied amount of finds, the site also revealed a hut structure. Close to the hut there was also a small area used for working quartz, where waste from tool manufacture was excavated. The finds from the site are considered in the article, but the main concern is an analysis of the internal structure of the site. Completely different patterns are found in the distribution of quartz and flint, with these different types of material being related in different ways to the hut. This leads to a discussion of pioneers in a new landscape and how they may have related both to the "new" world and to the "old" one. Using terms such as "microspace" and "macrospace", we interpret and discuss paths of contact and the structuring of the landscape.