Natural History and Exploitation of the Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758) during the Neolithic (ca. 4000–2000 cal. BC) in the Eastern Baltic Region

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The harbor porpoise, a small marine mammal related to dolphins and whales, is nowadays very rarely seen in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, and was not common here in recent centuries. However, the bones of this animal have been found on many Stone Age archaeological sites dating from the period 4000–2000 BC along the coasts of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which shows that it was frequently being hunted by the coastal communities of that time. In this period, the Baltic Sea was saltier than it is today, making conditions more favorable for marine species such as the porpoise. In addition to meat and blubber, the porpoise also provided a tool for decorating pottery vessels made by the Stone Age inhabitants. This instrument was made from the animal’s jaw bone, the teeth being impressed in the clay to produce a distinctive row of marks. Such decoration on pottery may have symbolized the coastal way of life and joint hunting activities. Pottery with porpoise tooth ornamentation has been found on many coastal Stone Age sites in the region and also in smaller amounts at inland sites, providing evidence of contact between coastal and inland communities. ABSTRACT: Compared with the history of seals in the Baltic Sea, the porpoise has received much less research attention. The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) has been quite rare in the eastern Baltic in recent centuries, but according to archaeological finds, its population was quite numerous here ca. 6000–4000 years ago (ca. 4000–2000 cal. BC). This paper deals with all known archaeological assemblages of porpoise so far discovered in the eastern Baltic (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), discusses the hunting strategies and studies the exploitation of this small cetacean by the Neolithic hunter-gatherers. Fauna historical aspects include new archaeological data in addition to those published previously. We consider whether these new data change the temporal and spatial pattern of porpoise hunting and examine how, in addition to the expected use of porpoise meat and blubber, the porpoise’s toothed mandibles were used for patterning ceramics.