Mesolithic (10000 - 5000 B.C.)

The Mesolithic landscape around Elgsnes was quite different from today’s. Remnants of the continental glacier lay in the valleys and interior districts. The continuing melting of the glaciers opened up new tracts of land. The birch spread along the coast, and the pine followed later. As the ice melted, its pressure on the land diminished, and, as a consequence, the land slowly rose from the sea.

Flake axe from the early Mesolithic. Found at Overlandet. Ill.: M. Skandfer

People have lived at Elgsnes ever since the beginning of the Mesolithic, at least ten thousand years ago. Evidence of this has been found under the ground. The oldest find is a flake axe made of fine-grained quartzite. This was a multi-purpose tool for scraping and cutting. Other finds from the Mesolithic are cutting tools called blades, made of flint or the hard and fine-grained stone called chert. But who was it that made and used these tools? Where did they come from and what did they live off?

Immigration

One used to believe that the first humans that came to northern Norway were reindeer hunters, moving up from the south. But presently geologists maintain that the coasts of Finnmark and the Kola peninsula were freed from the ice earlier than previously believed. Therefore the immigration may have emanated from either of the proposed directions. Recent archaeological research has shown that the whole coast was populated virtually simultaneously, perhaps after a couple of generations. South Scandinavian flint found at Elgsnes shows that the people here were not isolated, but that there was contact over vast distances already in the Mesolithic.

Settlement

The rich fishing to be found in the adjacent Andfjorden and Toppsundet must have been the primary reason for settling at Elgsnes. But possibilities for dietary variation were also present: Walrus, seal, shells, birds and eggs, in addition to various flora and fauna, would have made the site attractive in the Mesolithic. Those who lived here must have had boats for transport, hunting and fishing.

No traces of early Mesolithic houses have been found in northern Norway, but remains of hearths have been uncovered at several archaeological sites. We therefore presume that these people lived in tents. Towards the end of the Mesolithic they have also built permanent habitations. The archaeologists are of the opinion that these people moved between two or more sites during the year, for which tents would have been practical for transport and easy to erect.

A fixed yearly itinerary probably existed for these movements. We presume that Elgsnes was such a seasonal site in the Mesolithic, where the same community stayed a specific season every year. If they were here for the winter fishing, they probably dried the fish and brought it with them as provisions when they moved on to their next quarters.

Even if the groups made use of a large territory, they probably did not consist of more than 25 to 100 members. Some months they may have lived dispersed, while they congregated at a large common site for other parts of the year. Differences of status would have been based upon age and gender, and not upon one’s ancestors or family. Every group had a leader, who was always dependant upon the support and trust of the others.

Blade from the Mesolithic. Ill.: L. B. Myklevoll