The following pie charts show the MNI figures for column 7738.
Figure 6: Pie charts showing species representation MNI throughout Krabbesholm column 7738 (1=latest 16=earliest).
Layer 1 Layer 2 Layer 3 Layer 4 Layer 5 Layer 6 Layer 7 Layer 8 Layer 9 Layer 10 Layer 11 Layer 12 Layer 13 Layer 14 Layer 15 Layer 16Select a layer from 1 to 16.
In the Mesolithic layers 17 and 16 in column 7737 oysters are by far the most abundant species with cockle numbers being insignificant. Through the Early Neolithic layers dominance fluctuates between oysters, cockles and mussels. The later Early Neolithic, shown in the lowest level in column 7738 there is a significant change to mussel dominance. From layer 11 upward, which includes both Early and Middle Neolithic layers, periwinkles become the most abundant species. There is therefore strong evidence that shoreline exploitation patterns changed from an earlier use of the shallow sea to a later predominance of rocky shore exploitation (see Figure 7 and Figure 8).
Figure 7: Shoreline collection areas implied by the molluscs at Krabbesholm 7737.
Figure 8: Shoreline collection areas implied by the molluscs at Krabbesholm 7738
The Norsminde layers show a completely different pattern (see Figure 9), with cockles being most abundant in all except layer 8 where oyster abundance is slightly larger than cockles. Oysters are the second most abundant species in the Mesolithic layers 10 to 7 but their abundance decreases dramatically throughout the Neolithic layers 6 to 1. In general mussel then becomes the second most abundant species in the Early Neolithic. In the uppermost layers of the Middle Neolithic deposit represented by layers 3 to 1 periwinkles start to become more important.
Layer 1 
Layer 2
Layer 3 
Layer 4
Layer 5 
Layer 6
Layer 7 
Layer 8
Layer 9 
Layer 10
Figure 9: Pie charts showing species representation based on the MNI through the Norsminde kitchen midden. (1=latest 16=earliest).
The Norsminde Pie charts show that both the shallow sea and sandy shore were exploited in the Mesolithic but in the Neolithic there is a shift with shallow sea exploitation rapidly disappearing. Although rocky shore species do appear it is not until the latest layers that they appear in significant numbers (see Figure 10).
Figure10: Shoreline collection areas implied by the molluscs at Norsminde
On both sites there are changes in shellfish species' abundance throughout the layers with oysters appearing in higher numbers in the Mesolithic layers at both sites. However at Krabbesholm 11 Neolithic layers were still dominated by oysters. There is clear evidence that shellfish collection and therefore consumption did change overtime at these two sites.
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Last updated: Tues Oct 2 2007
