The first radiocarbon datings from Zvejnieki Stone Age burial ground, Latvia

Authors

• Ilga Zagorska

Abstract

The Zvejnieki burial ground is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe, similar to those in Olennii Ostrov in Karelia, Skateholm in Southern Sweden and Bøgebakken in Eastern Denmark. The Zvejnieki burial ground is distinguished by its long use, now confirmed by twenty radiocarbon datings to cover the period between seventh and fourth millennium BC, perhaps even longer. The 13C-measurements from the bones provided high negative values, typical for a diet based on food of terrestrial origin. The newly obtained data from the Zvejnieki burial ground provides a hasis for further comparative studies of the burial practices of the North European Stone Age communities.