14 DAY TRIAL // A doctoral thesis in archeology, recently defended by University of Gothenburg PhD student Carl Persson, suggests that the south Swedish inland was a popular destination for people who wanted to express their creativity, more than 9,000 years ago.
The entire thesis is based on a few very small pieces of flint, which were discovered near Markaryd, during the construction of a highway. These artifacts bear marks that suggest they were used to carve meat, bone, wood and horn, Science Blog reports.
“In a society characterized by a quest for equality, knowledge about foreign locations and other people was a way for people to distinguish themselves and gain status. Against this background, the trips to the inland 9,000 years ago can be seen as a natural consequence of people’s creativity and desire to express a sense of individuality,” Persson says.
I find it particularly interesting that technology today enables such a detailed reconstruction of a society and landscape that has long since disappeared.