A kaleidoscope from a lost world: mesolithic harpoon morphology in Eastern Middle Sweden

Modern geometric techniques offer significant potential to uncover the worlds in which weapons were created, worlds shaped by specific environmental conditions and knowledge systems transmitted through established networks. We analysed the morphology of Mesolithic harpoon points from Eastern Middle Sweden to explore developments in craft and hunting techniques across the circum-Baltic Sea area, and to investigate if specific morphological traits are linked to regional environmental and faunal changes. We identified and separately analysed structural elements of the harpoon points, barbs, proximal and distal parts, and full-body silhouettes using geometric morphometrics and direct radiocarbon dating. Our results show that barb and proximal part shapes changed during the transition from the Early to the Middle Mesolithic in Eastern Middle Sweden which fits into broader superregional trends in craft and hunting techniques. In contrast, the width of the proximal part remained relatively stable throughout the Mesolithic, indicating continuity in regional crafting traditions and specific environmental conditions. The shapes of distal parts and full-body silhouettes correlate with the regional availability of large terrestrial prey. This study highlights the potential of geometric morphometric analysis to study morphological changes in harpoon points and to shed light on the multiple influences that shaped Mesolithic hunting weapons.