Danish Mesolithic Period Barbed Bone Point

Maglemosian Culture, c. 9000–5000 BC, Zealand, Denmark

An exceptionally rare and beautifully preserved barbed bone point, likely once part of a harpoon or leister prong used for spearing fish. This fine artifact was recovered from the rich, anaerobic peat bogs of Zealand, Denmark, and offers a striking example of early Mesolithic craftsmanship.

Dating to the Maglemosian culture—a pioneering postglacial society that thrived in Northern Europe between 9000 and 5000 BC—this tool speaks to a people deeply attuned to their wetland forest environments. Named after finds in the Magle Mose ("Big Bog") near Mullerup on Zealand, the culture is renowned for its widespread, well-preserved settlements stretching from England to Poland and as far as northern France and southern Scandinavia.

The Maglemosian people were expert hunters, gatherers, and fishers, adapting their lifeways to the dense forests and extensive waterways that covered the region at the time. This barbed point is a testament to their innovation, likely used in fishing for pike and other freshwater species, and would have been lashed to a wooden shaft and thrust or thrown into the water.

Their toolkits included finely worked flint microliths, bone and antler spearheads, bark twine fishnets, hooks, floats, bows, and even dugout canoes and paddles—many of which were preserved thanks to the waterlogged conditions of their campgrounds. Personal items such as tooth pendants, bead necklaces, and amulets have also been recovered, hinting at a culture rich in symbolism and self-expression.

Maglemosian groups lived semi-nomadic lifestyles, likely returning to favorable sites year after year during the warmer seasons. They hunted large game such as aurochs, elk, wild boar, and red deer, and even domesticated dogs, which may have assisted in hunting or served other roles in their mobile camps.

Most tools like this barbed point were lost to lakes or bogs, preserved for millennia under cold, oxygen-deprived layers of sediment. Only in the 20th century, during peat cutting, were many of these extraordinary artifacts brought back to light.

A stunning relic of one of Europe’s earliest postglacial cultures, this barbed bone point embodies the ingenuity, adaptability, and lifeways of the Mesolithic peoples of Denmark.

Excellent condition. Age-related minimal wear and abrasion. Remnants of peat bog. Lovely dark brown patina. Size approx. 9,6cm x 1,3cm x 0,4cm.

Provenance: Danish private collection.

References and further reading:

Prehistoric period (until 1050 AD)/ The Mesolithic period, Nationalmuseet i København (https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-mesolithic-period/)

How Bone Technology points to Cultural Lineages in Prehistory? New Insights from Danish Late-and Post-Glacial Weapons’ Heads, Éva David, Lasse Sørensen, Peter Petersen, Open Access Journal of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2022. (https://hal.science/hal-03598512/document)

Early Maglemosian culture in the Preboreal landscape: Archaeology and vegetation from the earliest Mesolithic site in Denmark at Lundby Mose, Sjælland, Catherine A. Jessen, Kristoffer Buck Pedersen, Charlie Christensen, Jesper Olsen, Morten Fischer Mortensen & Keld Møller Hansen, Quaternary International. 378, 2015, pp. 73–87. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.03.056)

Med bue, pil og fiskespyd, Danmarks Oldtid, Jørgen Jensen, Gyldendals Open Encyclopedia (https://danmarksoldtid.lex.dk/Med_bue,_pil_og_fiskespyd)