Ancient Europe, Northeast Europe, Lithuania (Founded: 1253): Early Mesolithic Period (9700-5000 BC)

*see Europe>Northeast Europe>Lithuania>Introduction

The climate now transitioned into the Preboreal Stage (9700–8200 BC), marking the Early Mesolithic Period and the definitive start of the Holocene Epoch (9700-present), as the region underwent a rapid and dramatic warming trend. The polar desert vanished, and the subarctic tundra was crowded out, retreating north into Scandinavia.

The most visible landscape change was the rapid expansion of dense forest canopy. Herd animals, most notably reindeer, migrated north out of the Baltic region and were replaced by solitary forest-dwelling mammals like elk, red deer, wild boar, and aurochs. Faced with this change, the local descendants of the Swiderian and Ahrensburgian cultures abandoned their long tanged flint points. Instead, they developed Mesolithic microliths – tiny, specialised flint components used to tip and barb composite arrows, spears, and fishing gear tailored for hunting in dense, tangled woodlands.

The local descendants of the Swiderian and Ahrensburgian cultures are traditionally grouped under the umbrella label of the ‘Post-Ahrensburgian’ or ‘Pypliai’ complex, named after their defining type-site. Documenting this group is vital, as these toolmakers represent the definitive evolutionary bridge between the late Ice Age (Palaeolithic) and the post-glacial (Mesolithic) horizons.

The Kudlaevka culture was indigenous to Belarus and Ukraine, from where it spread into Lithuania to be gradually adopted by the Post-Ahrensburgians. This culture introduced a specialised lithic tradition focused on manufacturing micro-backed bladelets and geometric inserts, traditionally classified as Stawinoga points. These microlithic components were slotted consecutively into grooved bone or wooden points, creating highly efficient composite projectile systems engineered for close-range ambush hunting within closed forest canopies. As forest foragers, these populations deployed complex trapping networks alongside bow-and-arrow technology to exploit non-migratory mammals – principally elk, wild boar, and beaver – while systematically exploiting seasonal freshwater fisheries. This micro-blade architecture was ultimately absorbed by the Kunda and Early Nemunas cultures.

From its roots in Eastern Europe, the Janisławice culture developed in Poland before spreading northwards into Lithuania. Using mined, high-quality chocolate flint from Poland, these communities co-developed a lithic tradition focused on micro-backed bladelets and geometric inserts, traditionally classified as Stawinoga points.

Originating from the preceding Swiderian culture, Kunda communities thrived in forested landscapes across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Sites such as Pabartoniai 1 document a seamless technological transition in local flint knapping. Kunda toolkits heavily utilised unipolar conical cores – where knappers detached stone blades in an orderly helical circuit around the face of the core to yield highly standardized blanks for pressure-flaked tanged arrowheads of the definitive ‘Pulli’ type (Estonia). These populations extensively used bone points (sharpened stone heads) featuring slotted flint inserts, alongside bone harpoons and fish-hooks. Communities occupied small camps situated near lakes and rivers. Although subsistence revolved entirely around fishing and foraging, the Kunda adapted to their changing environment by executing calculated seasonal migrations, including coastal journeys for marine seal hunting during the spring and autumn.

The Janisławice culture spread northwards into the Baltic region from the Polish plains. From camps located primarily on sandy river terraces, these communities operated as hunting, gathering, and fishing groups.

Their lithic production is characterised by its use of precisely prepared conical and subconical cores to strike long, regular blades, frequently utilizing high-quality, imported chocolate flint from Poland. This industry included four-sided trapezoids used as cutting edges or arrowheads, scalene triangles with three unequal sides used as barbs on hunting weapons, and distinctively slender, asymmetrical Janisławice points. To shape these tiny flints, knappers used the microburin technique – notching and deliberately snapping a flint blade, leaving behind a distinct waste fragment called a microburin (initially named when mistaken for a useful tool). The pointed tools created by this method were inserted into wooden handles to drill holes through bone, wood, or animal teeth used for personal ornaments and jewellery. The site of Netiesos 1, situated on the right bank of the Nemunas River, established the toolmaking baseline for the early indigenous Kunda and Kudlaevka cultures through its distinct stratigraphic horizons.