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Illuminating the Late Mesolithic: residue analysis of ‘blubber’ lamps from Northern Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Carl Heron ,
Søren Andersen ,
Anders Fischer ,
Aikaterini Glykou ,
Sönke Hartz ,
Hayley Saul ,
Val Steele  and
Oliver Craig
Carl Heron
Affiliation:
1Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Søren Andersen
Affiliation:
2Moesgård Museum, Moesgård Allé 20, DK-8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
Anders Fischer
Affiliation:
3The Danish Agency for Culture, H.C. Andersens Boulevard 2, DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark
Aikaterini Glykou
Affiliation:
4Graduate School ‘Human Development in Landscapes’, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, 24098 Kiel, Germany
Sönke Hartz
Affiliation:
5Archäologisches Landesmuseum, Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen, Schloβ Gottorf, D-24837 Schleswig, Germany
Hayley Saul
Affiliation:
6ABioArCh, Biology, S Block, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
Val Steele
Affiliation:
1Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Oliver Craig
Affiliation:
6ABioArCh, Biology, S Block, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
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Abstract

Shallow oval bowls used on the Baltic coast in the Mesolithic have been suggested as oil lamps, burning animal fat. Here researchers confirm the use of four coastal examples as lamps burning blubber—the fat of marine animals, while an inland example burned fat from terrestrial mammals or freshwater aquatics—perhaps eels. The authors use a combination of lipid biomarker and bulk and single-compound carbon isotope analysis to indicate the origin of the residues in these vessels.

Keywords

BalticMesolithic–NeolithicErtebøllepottery‘blubber lamps’lipid analysismarine oils
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 87 , Issue 335 , March 2013 , pp. 178 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2013

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