A glimpse into the Brandenburg State Museum of Archaeology

In this guest post, Fatima Wollgast and Sandra Lehninger take us to the Brandenburg State Museum of Archaeology, where some of the most important finds from Mesolithic sites in the area are on display.

In the permanent exhibition of the Brandenburg State Museum of Archaeology a separate room is dedicated to the Mesolithic. For our region, this period is dated to around 9500 to 5500 BC. Its end is marked by a long transitional phase towards the Neolithic. Late Mesolithic groups are still recorded for the 5th millennium BC. They were neighbours of established farming cultures.

The virtual tour of the permanent exhibition includes the Mesolithic as well. The state of Brandenburg has Mesolithic sites of international importance. Accordingly, a large part of the exhibition material comes from the sites of Friesack, which have been visited repeatedly by Mesolithic groups over centuries. The well-preserved organic material provides insights into the living environment of those people: A fishing net made of willow bast – one of the oldest nets in the world – , net sinkers and floats, fishing hooks, harpoons, a probable paddle fragment, a decorated turtle shell, a birch bark vessel, fruit and plant remains or an elaborately decorated hole stick – all from Friesack – are on display in the exhibition.

The burial sites of Criewen and Groß Fredenwalde are also featured. The latter has made headlines in recent years. Thanks to new excavations, Groß Fredenwalde is now considered one of the largest Mesolithic burial sites in north-central Europe with 12 buried individuals – and the research goes on.

Exhibits from other sites give visitors a further impression of Mesolithic living conditions: The skeleton of an aurochs, typical microliths and early axe forms are among them. For those who want to learn more about this period, a media station offers information on climate, flora and fauna. Film sequences show the use of prehistoric hunting weapons.

Considering the museum’s educational programme, the Stone Age in general is of great interest. In active guided tours children and teachers, supported by the museum educator, can learn more about the special features of each Stone Age period. The tour is illustrated with material to touch, wear and try out, as well as with numerous illustrations. Further, simple questionnaires that encourage the exploration of the Stone Age rooms of the exhibition are part of the programme.

Unfortunately, the Mesolithic itself is less well known than other parts of the Stone Age as it is hardly thematised in school or in the media. Therefore replicas and objects made of natural materials as well as bark, dried fruits, berries and mushrooms are used in the guided tour for kids. The aim is to teach the children about the natural resources that were available to Mesolithic people. On request kids can also try their hand at making red natural dye, as it is known from graves of this period. In a time when environmental protection, healthy nutrition and natural resources are central topics, dealing with the Mesolithic has great potential. Which child (and which adult) can imagine that people once lived in and with nature? That all their needs were met from their immediate environment? Or that birch juice is tasty, water lily roots are edible and fibers can be made from nettles?

For older students, a more complex worksheet on the topic of “humans and environment” can be used. It provides information on the topic of climate, environment and survival strategies of people. These questionnaires are already available for the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. For other time periods, they are currently in progress.

Finally, the Mesolithic is, of course, repeatedly addressed in various events and lectures. For example, the reconstruction of Mesolithic food plays a role at this year’s ARCHÄOTECHNICA, a two-day event on Nutrition through the Millennia. A lecture planned for November 2023 on the current research results at the well-known Mesolithic cemetery of Groß Fredenwalde as well as a smaller specialist conference on Mesolithic in 2024 will also deal with this period from a Brandenburg perspective.

Fatima Wollgast M.A.
Sandra Lehninger M.A.
Brandenburg State Authorities for Heritage Management and State Museum of Archaeology