Baltic-seascapes

Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission 92 - 2011, 2014

The article presents the results of the SINCOS research group and the SINCOS II project bundle concerning the changes of the socio-economic system of the communities and societies living on the shore of the southwestern Baltic rim from the mid-Holocene Mesolithic and Neolithic period to the Early Medieval Age. The main focus is laid on the stage of the Littorina Transgression from 6000 to 2000 cal. BC, when the people living in the maritime zone between the Oder estuary and the Oldenburg Rift were facing a continuous shore displacement and a coastal decline, forcing them to move their settlements successively to pretect them from inundation. Because of the regionally differing intensity of the isostatic rebound to the isostatic uplift of northern Scandinavia, the coasts of the Bay of Mecklenburg were affected by this phenomenon to a much larger scale than those of the Arkona Basin and the Pomeranian Bay. Both areas were separated by the Darss Sill, which acted as a threshold between them. To be able to compare the environmental developments and human strategies employed in these regions, both of them were chosen as research Areas and investigated with the same methods. In both research areas all available Information about settlement remains originally positioned on the shore and indicating the relative sea level at their particular period of utilisation – and which thus can be used as sea level index points – were systematically recorded in the SINCOS database and formed the foundation for further research. A systematic survey based on geophysical measurements led to the discovery of numerous submerges sites in both research areas. Some of them offer exceptionalconditions for the preservation of organic material, so that artefacts as well as tools and multifaceted settlement refuse in large quantities could be recovered during surveys and excavations. Field work was restricted to sites from the Late Mesolithic until late Neolithic period between 6000 and 2000 cal. BC, because their remains should reflect the human reaction to the Littorina Transgression in a particular manner. Especially for Wismar Bay – forming one of the most important regional nuclei of research in the Bay of Mecklenburg – a large number of well preserved coastal sites was located, surveyed, and in some cases partly excavated. The material from these sites forms not only the basis for a detailed reconstruction of the chronological development from the Late Mesolithic to the Early Neolithic and the Settlement history for the period from 6000 until 4000 cal. BC, but also for the reconstruction of the intrusion of marine waters into Wismar Bay during the Littorina Transgression. Animal remains in combination with sediment conditions such as transgression contacts provide evidence of the appearance of the transgressing Baltic Sea at some distance from the present Island of Poel at about 6000 cal. BC. Some centuries later, both the fish species community and the frequency of the recorded species prove that the Littorina Transgression had reached this area. In the eastern research area – well investigated especially for the shores of the Bodden waters on Rügen Island – less dramatic changes of the environment meant that specialised sites with favourable general conditions related to their topographic setting were not abandoned as fast as in the western area. In fact, these sites stayed in occupation for centuries, so consequently a chrono-stratigraphic division of the archaeological material is only possible in a limited way. Definitely from the middle of the 5th millennium cal. BC, east as well as west of the Darss Sill the exploitation of the Baltic Sea – the hunting of seals and coastal fishery – became the economic basis of the human communities, and an important feature of the late Terminal Mesolithic Ertebølle Culture. Apparently this stayed true for a period of time, although around 4000 cal. BC the first livestock has been established in the entire southwestern Baltic Sea area. Investigations of aDNA samples have proved that the first cattle had Near Eastern ancestors, so that they must have been imported and did not result from the local domestication of autochthonous specimens. The same must be true for the contemporaneous first sheep and goats, whose ancestors are in any case of Near Eastern origin. During the last 4,000 years shoreline displacement and transgression east of the Darss Sill only affected the coastal settlements to a low degree, even though the sea level also rose here moderately during the Middle Ages as a consequence of the Late Subatlantic Transgression. This contrasts with the Bay of Mecklenburg, where the isostatic rebound together with the Late Subatlantic Transgression led during the Middle Ages to shoreline displacements and considerable erosions of settled and waterfront areas. Within the SINCOS research unit and the SINCOS II project bundle, methods and standards on interdisciplinary research on maritime and submerged prehistoric landscapes and sites could be developed and established for the southwestern Baltic area that may be transferred to other coastal areas affected by sea level changes and shoreline displacement.

Nordik2025 Book of Abstracts, 2025

The 14th Triennial NORDIK Conference of Art History in the Nordic Countries: “Why So Nordic? The ‘Nordic’ as Fact and Fiction in Art History”. Helsinki, Finland, 20-22 October, 2025.

This paper addresses long-term perceptions and meanings of coastal landscapes, particularly of coastal islands, in the northern Baltic Sea region from the Neolithic to the early modern period. Instead of identifying specific meanings attributed to particular landscape elements, the aim here is to explore similarities and continuities in the ways of relating with coastal landscapes across centuries and millennia, with an emphasis on how meanings of coastal landscapes and broader cosmological concepts would have been linked to environmental changes stemming from post-glacial land uplift and associated processes. While some socio-cultural impacts of land uplift have been addressed especially in the context of Stone Age archaeology, the broader and longer-term implications of living in dynamic coastal to environmental perception and cosmological concepts remain to be appreciated. A series of interlinked cases from the Neolithic to the early modern period will be employed to discuss those wider issues.

Rural Sustainability Research

1991-2017 the Southeast coast of the Baltic Sea area, Lithuania, Latvia and Kaliningrad Region of the Russian coastal habitats was very intense, often chaotic variety of recreational facilities and areas of privatization and urbanization. These processes significantly influenced the character of the recreational landscape of Palanga, Jurmala and other resorts and coastal areas, as well as the expression of the urban structure and architecture of seaside towns, Ventspils, Liepaja, Giruliai, Melnragė, Karklė, Šventoji, Curonian Spit and other settlements. After a quarter of a century, some tendencies of the recreational environment and the evolution of the cultural landscape identity can be noticed. Recently, several projects for the improvement of recreational infrastructure and architectural environments have been implemented in Lithuania with the assistance of the European Union Structural Funds. Unfortunately, the results of the projects are not always positive. The planning of co...

2000

Albertas BITINAS, Rimas AROMSKIS, Saulius GULBINSKAS, Aldona DAMUŠYT#, Gintautas ILINSKAS and Darius JARMALAVIÈIUS Bitinas A., aromskis R., Gulbinskas S., DamušytÅ A., ilinskas G. and Jarmalavièius D. (2005) -The results of integrated investigations of the Lithuanian coast of the Baltic Sea: geology, geomorphology, dynamics and human impact. Geol. Quart., 49 (4): 355-362. Warszawa.

In the context of the development of different kinds of watercraft during prehistory an interdependent line of development for landing sites and harbours is often suggested, and used to argue that it is almost impossible archaeologically to locate small and early landing sites. Although the constructional properties of prehistoric watercraft suggest that landing-structures were not absolutely necessary, there is nevertheless archaeological evidence of landing-facilities from the Stone Age, as well as landing facilities for smaller boats to consider. This article will discuss to what extent ship archaeological evidence could be seen in a corresponding development to landing sites in its respective periods.

No toponym has come from nothing and there has always been a link between a place and its name. When it concerns the past, it is a scholar’s task to explore this connection. The article discusses Estonian-Swedish maritime place names from an archaeological perspective, and in based on the premise that research into toponyms should depart from the principle that the scholar tries to reconstruct the name giver’s viewpoint. The article deals with two main topics: the meanings of place names related to the Estonian Swedes’ possible practical use of the coast and sea, and, more importantly, to the possible function of place names as indicators of archaeologically interesting maritime locations. Also, the question of the dating of place names will be touched upon. The perspectives of different place names as indicators for locating landing sites will be analysed at length.

6th International Tourism Congress 'The Image and Sustainability of Tourist Destinations, 2013

The presentation highlights current development of tourism and recreation on Baltic Sea coasts with discussion of new directions and perspectives. The region of Study area is Pärnu area located on the western part of the country, along the coasts of Baltic Sea. The region is a valuable environmental part and a unique recreational area of Estonia. Notable natural settings include mild marine climate condition and precious coniferous forests. Presentation briefly discusses historical development of the tourism in the country and gives directions on its modern development caused by active socio-economic changes since 1990s. The research is methodologically based on the author's fieldwork in the study area, literature review and analysis of the statistical graphs of the socio-economic data.

Jennifer Schüle, Jirka Niklas Menke, Dawid Baumgarten, Eileen Kücükkaraca (eds.). INTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 12,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes V Kiel, March 20-24, 2017. PROGRAMME and ABSTRACTS

Extended Deadline Dezember 14, 2016! The session deals with changes in areas around the Baltic Sea during the Early and Mid-Holocene. Because of the underlying climatic changes and thus environmental changes, the area was also the scene for various cultural developments during the period under investigation. Due to the melting of the glaciers at the end of the last Ice-Age, isostatic and eustatic movements caused continual changes to the Baltic Sea basin. But, changes in water level affected not only the Early and Mid-Holocene coast lines, the whole Baltic Sea drainage including large lakes, rivers and water sheds in the hinterland were also dramatically impacted by climate variability and consequent ecological changes. Thus, this had to affect prehistoric people as well by reducing or enlarging their territories. In order to evaluate the consequences of changes in the water networks on the environment, resources, and human behaviour, and to reconstruct human responses to these changes, this session pursues an interdisciplinary approach connecting environmental and archaeological research. We call for papers from various disciplines such as climatology, geology, palynology, zoology, and archaeology, to contribute to the understanding of the aforementioned processes. The discussion of the current chronological framework of coastline changes, water network displacements, lake level developments, and land upheaval/subsidence will enable us to synchronize palaeo-geographical and palaeo-cultural changes. This will serve as a basis for discussions of limitations and enhancements of cultural entities during the Early and Mid-Holocene.

Ilves, K. 2012. Seaward Landward. Investigations on the archaeological source value of the landing site category in the Baltic Sea region. Uppsala University. Aun 44. 47 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-506-2285-0.