A Mesolithic Dwelling: Interpreting Evidence from the Užavas Celmi Site in Latvia
Volume 13 (2010): At the Origins of the Culture of the Balts, pp. 58–68
Pub. online: 20 June 2010
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
3 May 2010
3 May 2010
Revised
27 May 2010
27 May 2010
Accepted
20 June 2010
20 June 2010
Published
20 June 2010
20 June 2010
Abstract
The site of Celmi in the parish of Užava is the first archaeological site in Latvia where a Kunda culture dwelling has been identified. The site is dated to the Middle Mesolithic (6450–6260 cal. BC), and is a site where tools were made from locally available, poor-quality flint. An analysis of the dwelling depression, and the two hearths and stake-holes associated with it, suggests that a temporary shelter was erected here during the Mesolithic. Two flint-knapping areas, as well as other activity areas, can be identified in and near the dwelling-pit. The conclusions presented in this paper are largely hypothetical, and alternative interpretations are possible.