Hairs, feathers and fibres in Mesolithic contexts – recommendations for field archaeologists

Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis

Abstract

Microarchaeological research has drawn attention to new microscopic categories of finds such as charcoal and ash, archaeobotanical remains, and non-pollen palynomorphs, including textile fibres. These findings help us to reconstruct the site formation, activities, and the environment. In this paper, we present recent research on microscopic animal fibres, i.e. hairs and feathers that have accumulated in archaeological contexts and can be traced by microscopy as evidence of decayed soft organic materials such as clothing, grave furnishings and wrappings. Our examples cover a selection of Mesolithic burial sites in Northern Europe. We focus on presenting preliminary sampling recommendations for field archaeologists and the basics for laboratory work. We recommend that the collection of soil samples and their analysis for decayed organic materials should become a permanent task of archaeological excavations.