Fishing in the prehistoric Syltholm fjord – a diachronic analysis

SylFish aims to investigate the effects of human exploitation and environmental change on marine fauna in the coastal waters of Lolland from the Late Mesolithic to the Bronze Age (c. 5500–600 BC).
The project will focus on the ecology and economy of prehistoric societies and their relationship with the sea by addressing landscape changes, subsistence economies, and self-perceptions through the analysis of aquatic and terrestrial faunal remains, fishing structures, and patterns in the exploitation of marine fauna.
Qualitative and quantitative measures will help us understand the relevance of aquatic resources to prehistoric communities, provide information on human impacts on the environment in the past and peoples’ reactions to changing ecological and economic conditions. The project will focus on the prehistoric Syltholm fjord, one of the most thoroughly investigated prehistoric landscapes in Europe. Here, numerous archaeological sites have been excavated which provide an unparalleled insight into landscape use, yielding vast archives of unprecedented quality and extent. To date only preliminary studies have been undertaken that make use of the materials available, offering great potential for further study.