Hjarnø Sund – all year, all inclusive. A submerged Late Mesolithic coastal site with organic remains

ABSTRACT Between 2009 and 2016, a series of investigations were undertaken at a submerged settlement of the island of Hjarnø in Horsens Fjord, Denmark. The work was prompted by the discovery in 2008 that heavy erosion of a gyttja deposit containing archaeological remains had resulted in artefacts of bone, antler and, not least, wood becoming exposed on the seabed. The investigations revealed that occupation of the site, with a few exceptions, dates to the first half of the Ertebølle culture (5400–4700 BC). In addition to numerous well-preserved artefacts made of organic materials, several areas were found to contain intact shell layers from submerged kitchen middens. Deposits of this kind have not previously been demonstrated in Denmark.