MULDBJERG DWELLING PLACE—TROELS-SMITH 597 
RADIOCARBON DATING 
For many years pollen analysis was the most accurate method of 
dating prehistoric finds, but in recent years, as a byproduct of re- 
search in nuclear physics, a dating technique has been developed 
which, earlier, one would not even have dared to dream of. By this 
radiocarbon method it is possible to give the age of organic materials, 
i.e., wood, bones, horn, plants, etc., in years. The principles and the 
application of this dating method will not be dealt with here, but 
it may be mentioned that the Muldbjerg dwelling place has provided 
material for a long series of radiocarbon dates. The dating of this 
dwelling place thus is among the most accurate obtained so far. It 
appears that Muldbjerg was inhabited around 2830 B.C.—possibly up 
to 80 years before or after this date; i.e., most probably between 2750 
and 2910 B.C. As all finds indicate that the dwelling place was in- 
habited for only a single summer, the year of this occupation most 
probably falls within the above-mentioned interval (fig. 17). 
THE MULDBJERG DWELLING PLACE AND THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE 
We do not know what the people who lived on the floating island 
looked like. Judged from contemporaneous finds of human skulls 
and bones, there is reason to believe that both men and women were 
rather small, respectively about 165 and 155 cm. tall, relatively slight, 
and with dolicocephalic skulls. At the islet they were living in a 
hut about 6 to 7 meters long and hardly 3 meters wide, and with its 
long axis east-west. Along each side 6 to 7 hazel sticks were put 
down; the pointed ends were found 15 to 20 cm. below the upper 
culture layer. It would be reasonable to imagine that the hut was 
covered with reeds, although we have no observations indicating this. 
In the hut itself large amounts of charcoal and flint chips were found. 
Outside the hut, along the north side, no culture remains were left; 
on the other hand, fireplaces and numerous tool finds indicate that 
the south side was the preferred place to sit, where there was a view 
over the lake. Here the women could sit and watch when the men 
came home from hunting and fishing in their dugouts, and here the 
men sat chopping their flint tools, flake axes (fig. 15), and core axes. 
They also had polished, point-butted axes. With their flint knives 
(fig. 14) and discoid scrapers (fig. 13) they were able to carve and 
shape wooden tools with great skill. Thus arrow shafts carved from 
ash wood were found, and from alder they produced nicely formed 
spoons, as is shown by a specimen found at a neighboring contemporary 
dwelling place (pl. 3, fig. 2). Discoid scrapers were used for skin 
preparation, and for sewing they probably used pointed awls of bone. 
The study of a number of small, pointed flint pieces has given 
valuable information about the manner in which flint drill points 
were manufactured (fig. 11). They were diflicult to produce, and, 
