The archaeology around Ørnsø

The landscape around Ørnsø hides fascinating traces of Stone Age hunting communities. The settlements are located mainly on the low terraces around the river's outlet from the lake, where there have been good opportunities for hunting and fishing.

The sandy, lime-poor soil has decomposed all organic material over time, but the robust flint tools still remain as evidence of life here.

Over the years, a lot of flint waste has been found at the sites, but also actual flint tools such as axes and knives. Small flint scrapers were used to work hides, wood and deer antlers, while small flint picks – a kind of chisel – were used to make tools from bone and deer antlers. Microliths and cross-arrows served as points on the hunters' arrows. The finds show that it was mainly hunters and fishermen from the Maglemose culture (approx. 9000–6400 BC) and the Ertebølle culture (approx. 5400–4000 BC) who lived along the shores of Ørnsø.

Burial mound

In the forest south of Ørnsø lies a single burial mound, probably from the late Stone Age (c. 2400–1800 BC). Further into Vesterskoven you will find a whole chain of more than 40 burial mounds, which stand as a silent reminder of the people of the past.

In the forest floor you can still see traces of Iron Age arable systems – clear signs that the areas that today stand as dense forest were once cultivated fields.