experimental archaeology

The Mghvimevi engravings, located in Georgia, are the most ancient rock art discovered in the South Caucasus, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic. They were first discovered by archaeologist S. Zamyatnyn in 1934. However, misinterpretations in the scientific literature later led to the petroglyphs being considered lost or destroyed. In 2022, they were rediscovered by the authors of this blog.

Even though the Vlaardingen people inhabited a wetland landscape, well preserved wooden artefacts are a rare find. One of these exceptions to the general rule is a wooden object on display at the Vlaardingen Museum. The card in the exhibition states that this is a digging stick, a plausible interpretation of this object. It is a 61 cm long wooden stick, oblong in profile and slightly bent with a clear knob and a shiny, polished edge at the tip. The top 20 cm or so show a clear polish, probably of being held in the hand.