A group of archaeologists have made a surprising discovery. In a marshy area in southern Sweden, a a 5,000 year old dog buried with a bone dagger 25 centimeters long. The discovery is already being described as one of the most extraordinary dog burials ever documented in Northern Europe.
“Finding an intact dog from this period is very rare.”“, and the fact that it was deposited with a bone dagger is almost unique,” says Linus Hagberg, archaeologist and project leader at Arkeologerna, Swedish Historical Museum (State Historical Museum). The animal, male and measuring approximately 52 centimeters, was between three and six years old when it was buried.
But scientific analyzes that can now be carried out, such as radiocarbon dating, isotope analysis or DNA analysis, will be able to reveal even more details about the animal found. “For example, we can determine when the dog lived, its age and what it ate. Their life history, in turn, can reveal more about how their owners lived and provided for themselves,” adds the archaeologist.
In the surveyed area, archaeologists also found well-preserved wood dating from the periods 3300-2900 BC and 2900-2600 BC, including stakes driven into the lake bed and posts that They could have been part of docks or piers. Also deliberately placed stones, probably used as anchors or ballast, and a two meter long construction made of intertwined wooden sticks, which functioned as an ancient fishing trap.
Ritual, symbolism and meaning: what do archaeologists say?
The animal’s skeletal bones discovered by archaeologists were surprisingly well preserved, but the most surprising thing is that the dog was placed in some sort of bag fur. “It was deliberately lowered to a depth of 1.5 meters and buried approximately 30 to 40 meters from the former lake shore,” Hagberg notes in the press release.
Dogs were already deeply integrated into human societies in the Stone Age, the period to which this animal likely belonged, but full dog burials were not common then. However, the archaeologist recalls that the use of dogs in ritual practices Yes, it was a known phenomenon at that time. The fact that he appeared with a dagger in his side supports the theory that it was a ritual.
This tool could have a symbolic value for those who deposited it thererepresenting values such as status or protection. Placing it next to the dog suggests that the animal may have had a special meaning to its owners, perhaps as a guardian or companion. However, archaeologists are reluctant to draw definitive conclusions about the significance of this discovery.
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