Type V fishing hook (Clark)

The fishing hook made of deer or elk antlers, found in Radusz, the Bytów district, in unknown circumstances, was donated to the collection of the Szczecin Gesellschaft für Pommersche Geschichte und Altertumskunde by Major von Stehl from Słupsk in 1879. The production of tools and utensils from antlers was always preceded by a phase of softening the raw material and preparing a semi-finished product, which was then subjected to further processing. Cutting and planing subsequent layers with flint tools left clear traces. In the production process, the maker tried to make maximum use of the natural curvature of the raw material and adapt it to his needs, which is well-illustrated by the hook from Radusz. The sharp end of the lower part of the hook is a characteristic feature of products of this type for the Middle and Late Mesolithic populations. A thickening intended to make a suitable knot to fix the hook on the line can be observed in the upper part of the shank. Fishing hooks made from bone and antler by populations representing a hunter-gatherer lifestyle during the early and middle Holocene are rare. They are known mainly from the northern and eastern parts of Europe, from Denmark, Latvia, Estonia and the western part of Russia. Its size distinguishes the hook from Radusz - it is much larger than other Stone Age fishing hooks.

Michał Adamczyk