ABSTRACT
MESOLITHICCULTURESINEUROPEANDTHENEAREASTI73 thesepeopleswerehunters:thecommonestgameinEurope atthattimewasreddeer(Cervuselaphus),althoughaurochs (Bosprimigenius)werealsocommon.AleadingitemofequipmentoftheMesolithichunter-fishers,particularlyofthe Maglemosian,AzilianandObaniancultures,wasabarbed pointcutoutofred-deerantlers.Ithadaflattenedcrosssection. Someoftheseantlerbarbedpointswereholedinthemanner ofharpoons,butitispossiblethatmanyweremountedas leisterprongsforspearingfish,andothersasprojectilepoints forkillinggame(Fig.48).Dogsweredomesticatedatthis stage,bothinnorth-westEuropeandtheNearEast,andwere nodoubtusedasanaidinhunting.
