Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Tracing the early dispersal of reindeer in southern Sweden : Chronology, habitat, and human interaction (c. 12,000–7000 BCE)

Fjellström, Markus LU ; Jordan, Peter LU orcid ; Angerbjörn, Anders ; Salmi, Anna-Kaisa and Lidén, Kerstin (2026) In The Holocene
Abstract
After the wider deglaciation of Northern Europe, pioneer reindeer populations started to move into southern Scandinavia; however, this process is poorly understood. In this paper we aim to reconstruct dispersal processes of reindeer into southern and western Sweden from the Late Palaeolithic through to the Early Mesolithic, when reindeer disappear from the record. Has presence of reindeer in southern Sweden changed over time, were there changes in habitat and was the hunt of reindeer a possible driving factor to their disappearance? We have assembled and analysed a dataset of 220 unburnt reindeer skeletal elements from wetlands, earthen finds and shell middens from southern and western Sweden. Additional 14C-analysis have been performed to... (More)
After the wider deglaciation of Northern Europe, pioneer reindeer populations started to move into southern Scandinavia; however, this process is poorly understood. In this paper we aim to reconstruct dispersal processes of reindeer into southern and western Sweden from the Late Palaeolithic through to the Early Mesolithic, when reindeer disappear from the record. Has presence of reindeer in southern Sweden changed over time, were there changes in habitat and was the hunt of reindeer a possible driving factor to their disappearance? We have assembled and analysed a dataset of 220 unburnt reindeer skeletal elements from wetlands, earthen finds and shell middens from southern and western Sweden. Additional 14C-analysis have been performed to set the chronological frame. The results demonstrate that reindeer were present in southern and western Sweden from 12,066 to 7079 cal BCE and that the number of reindeer was highest during the Early Holocene. Stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N), provided information on changes in reindeer habitat. The marked variation in δ13C and δ15N values suggests that reindeer grazed in different habitats or that the habitat change over time. We suggest that the decrease and final disappearance of reindeer in the Late Palaeolithic/Early Mesolithic was caused by changes in climate and habitat rather than anthropogenically induced. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
The Holocene
pages
17 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
0959-6836
DOI
10.1177/09596836261422209
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b50e55d7-2171-4108-bc8b-88e9d6bcbf31
date added to LUP
2026-03-13 12:51:17
date last changed
2026-03-19 12:50:25
@article{b50e55d7-2171-4108-bc8b-88e9d6bcbf31,
  abstract     = {{After the wider deglaciation of Northern Europe, pioneer reindeer populations started to move into southern Scandinavia; however, this process is poorly understood. In this paper we aim to reconstruct dispersal processes of reindeer into southern and western Sweden from the Late Palaeolithic through to the Early Mesolithic, when reindeer disappear from the record. Has presence of reindeer in southern Sweden changed over time, were there changes in habitat and was the hunt of reindeer a possible driving factor to their disappearance? We have assembled and analysed a dataset of 220 unburnt reindeer skeletal elements from wetlands, earthen finds and shell middens from southern and western Sweden. Additional 14C-analysis have been performed to set the chronological frame. The results demonstrate that reindeer were present in southern and western Sweden from 12,066 to 7079 cal BCE and that the number of reindeer was highest during the Early Holocene. Stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N), provided information on changes in reindeer habitat. The marked variation in δ13C and δ15N values suggests that reindeer grazed in different habitats or that the habitat change over time. We suggest that the decrease and final disappearance of reindeer in the Late Palaeolithic/Early Mesolithic was caused by changes in climate and habitat rather than anthropogenically induced.}},
  author       = {{Fjellström, Markus and Jordan, Peter and Angerbjörn, Anders and Salmi, Anna-Kaisa and Lidén, Kerstin}},
  issn         = {{0959-6836}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{The Holocene}},
  title        = {{Tracing the early dispersal of reindeer in southern Sweden : Chronology, habitat, and human interaction (c. 12,000–7000 BCE)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/09596836261422209}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/09596836261422209}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}