Smakkerup Huse

The archaeological site of Smakkerup Huse is located at the headwaters of a former fjord known as the SaltbAek Vig on the northwest coast of the island of Zealand, Denmark. Excavations took place in 1989 and again from 1995 to 1997 by a team of Danish and American archaeologists. The site is important for a number of reasons, including the 1000-year record of cultural deposits and the preservation of abundant subsistence remains and wooden objects. Smakkerup Huse documents some of the oldest domestic cattle in Denmark and a new artifact type, a painted pebble, from the Mesolithic. While the settlement area of the site on land had been eroded, the waterlain deposits adjacent to the site preserved a submerged midden and an in situ fishing and boat landing area. The report on the site includes background on the Mesolithic of Southern Scandinavia, a history of research at the site, the geology and topography of the site and its environment, the layout and sequence of the excavations, stratigraphy, the finds, dating, interpretation and significance.