241Lucas, Spielmann and Lockley, eds., 2007, Cenozoic Vertebrate Tracks and Traces. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 42.

A LATE HOLOCENE TRACKSITE IN THE LODBJERG DUNESYSTEM, NORTHWEST JYLLAND, DENMARK

JESPER MILÀN1, LARS B. CLEMMENSEN1, BJØRN BUCHARDT1 AND NANNA NOE-NYGAARD1

1 Department of Geography and Geology, Geology Section, University of Copenhagen, Oester Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark,e-mail: milan@geol.ku.dk, larsc@geol.ku.dk, bjornb@geol.ku.dk and nannan@geol.ku.dk

Abstract–An exposed surface of a fen deposit dated to 1265 ± 145 cal. yr. BC (Early Bronze Age) contains a trackassemblage comprising tracks from at least 6 different kinds of animals, including cattle, sheep or goat, red deer,horse and domesticated dog or wolf. The track-bearing fen deposit is found within the Holocene Lodbjerg dunesystem on the North Sea coast of northwestern Jylland, Denmark. A number of tracks are further found preservedin cross section within the overlying dunes. The faunal composition indicated by the track assemblage is compa-rable with skeletal remains found from archeologic excavations of nearby settlements. The eolian system, whichoverlies a Weichselian till, is composed of alternating eolian sand units and peaty paleosols recording alternatingperiods of eolian activity and dunefield stabilization, evolving periodically since about 2200 BC. The paleosols aretypically of large lateral distribution and locally develop into thick peat fen deposits.

INTRODUCTION

The eolian Lodbjerg dune system is located in Thy, at the NorthSea coast of the northwestern part of Jylland, Denmark (Fig. 1)(Clemmensen et al., 2001a). The dune system is bounded by a coastalcliff towards the sea that is lined with partly fixed cliff-top dunes. Theinland part of the eolian system is formed by stabilized parabolic dunesand a vegetated eolian sand plain. Occasionally the wind breaks throughthe stabilized cliff-top dunes, causing the formation of inland migratingdunes. The dunefield can be characterized as transgressive and has evolvedepisodically since about 2200 BC (Clemmensen et al., 2001a; Pedersenand Clemmensen, 2005). The coastal cliff is retreating and displays high-quality exposures of the eolian system, which attains thicknesses of 10-15 m below the present sand plain. The eolian system, which overlies aWeichselian till, is composed of alternating eolian sand units and peatypaleosols. The paleosols record periods of dunefield stabilization and aretypically of large lateral distribution (Pedersen and Clemmensen, 2005).Locally, the paleosol develops into relatively thick peat deposits ofshallow lake origin.

Reports of Cenozoic and especially Holocene tracks and trackwaysare scarce in the literature, in contrast to the study of Mesozoic tracks,which has experienced an increase in interest within the last 30 years.Mesolithic footprints of bare-footed humans have been described fromestuarine clay from the Severn Estuary, Wales (Aldhouse-Green et al.,1993). Early Holocene trackways from artiodactyls, birds and humanshave been described from shore-near settlements in Argentina, where thefootprints were found in association with bones of sea mammals, artio-dactyls and birds (Politis and Bayón, 1995). A large number of trackwaysof red deer, roe deer, aurochs, cranes, and humans have been describedfrom intertidal silts and sands dating from the Neolithic to Bronze Agefrom Formby Point at the Mersey estuary, northwest England (Robertset al., 1996; Huddart et al., 1999). Tracks of humans and cattle walkingtogether along the coastline are known from lithified Roman-age beachrockdeposits from the Greek island of Rhodes (Bromley et al., in press), andrecently, Kim et al. (2004) have renewed the focus on Quaternaryichnology, and especially hominid ichnology.

Animal tracks and traces from the Lodbjerg dune system havepreviously been observed and preliminarily described both within theeolian sand deposits and in the peaty paleosols (Clemmensen et al.,2001a, Milàn et al. 2006). In this study we describe in detail an extensivetrack fauna from the upper surface of a peaty fen deposit, and drawcomparisons between the track fauna and the skeletal fauna known fromexcavations of nearby Bronze Age settlements (Liversage and Robinson1992-93). Furthermore, we describe a number of single tracks encoun-tered preserved in cross section within the dune deposits.

STUDY AREA

The newly found tracksite is situated on the beach in the northernpart of the Lodbjerg eolian system, and fieldwork was carried out inNovember 2005. The stratigraphy at the site comprises a bottom unit ofWeichselian till draped by a well-developed succession of lake and peat

FIGURE 1. Location map. The Lodbjerg dune system is located in thenorthwestern part of Jylland, Denmark, just north of the small town ofAgger. The star marks the location of the tracksite approximately 8kilometers north of Agger. Modified from Clemmensen et al. (2001a).

242deposits that is overlain by a relatively thick eolian sand unit, withseveral internal paleosols. The top of the till and the overlying paleosoldip gently northward, and in this direction the peat deposits graduallyincreas in thickness and develop into a fen deposit up to 50 cm thick(Figs. 2-3). Several similar overgrown lake basins are found southwardfrom the locality. These basins are likewise formed in topographic lowsin the surface of the glacial till, and, in some of the basins, the fendeposits locally reach thicknesses of more than 3 m, but are most com-monly developed to less than 1 m (Fig. 4).

Two surfaces of the fen deposit were exposed at beach level at thestudied locality, hereafter referred to as Site 1 and Site 2 (Fig. 3). Thesurface was exposed as wave erosion had removed the overlying, uncon-solidated eolian sand (Fig. 2). The fen deposits are semi-consolidated andresistant to wave erosion, and the exposed surface has preserved a highdensity of animal tracks (Figs. 5-6). The tracks are restricted to the low-lying parts of the peat surface, and no tracks were observed on higher-lying, more peaty areas of the surface (Fig. 3). This is interpreted as ataphonomic feature, as the nature of the substrate only allowed trackformation in the softer, low-lying, nearshore areas. When the localitywas re-visited in January 2007, marine erosion had removed the seawardhalf of site 1 and completely destroyed site 2. The remaining parts of site1 were so heavily worn by wave swash, that all that remained of thetracks was indistinct holes in the peat surface.

The top of the fen deposit, constituting the track-bearing surface,is radiocarbon dated to 1265 ± 145 cal. yr. BC (LuS6518), which corre-sponds to the Early Bronze Age in Denmark. Two samples from thebottom of the fen deposit were radiocarbon dated to determine the timespan represented by the deposits. One sample taken from the rootspenetrating down into the underlying till gave an age of 3500 ± 140 cal.yr. BC (LuS6517), and a sample from the bottom of the brown peat gavean age of 3410 ± 220 cal. yr. BC (LuS6519). Thus, the lake basin existedfor approximately 2200 years before it became buried by eolian sand(Fig. 4). The ages of the basal part of the overlying eolian sand have beendetermined to be between 700 and 200 years BC (Clemmensen et al,2001b).

The onset of large-scale eolian sand movement in the Late BronzeAge to Early Iron Age was probably related to a marked climatic shift andrelated increase in storminess in the northwestern part of Jylland thattook place about 800-700 BC (Clemmensen et al, 2001b). This climaticevent has also been observed at Bjerre in northern Thy, where severalBronze Age settlements became covered by eolian sand at about 700 BC(Clemmensen et al., 2001b). In addition to the tracks on the surface of thefen deposit, a number of tracks are found exposed in cross sections alongseveral horizons within the overlying eolian sand deposits.

The Bronze Age Landscape

The Bronze Age landscape of northwestern Jylland around whatis now the Lodbjerg area, was an eolian system of open low-relief dunesinterspersed with low-lying, oligotrophic, vegetated swampy wetlandsand ponds (Bech, 1997). Evidence from pollen shows that the dominantvegetation during the Bronze age was oak (Quercus), birch (Betula) andalder (Alnus) and a wide range of herbs (Liversage and Robinson, 1992–93). This landscape model is reflected by the study locality at Lodbjerg.At the studied site, the landscape morphology is largely controlled bythe undulating topography of the underlying Weichlian till, with localhighs and lows, ranging from present day sea level to around 6 m abovepresent day sea level. Elsewhere the topography of the landscape is anundulating eolian system with partly deflated dunes stabilized by veg-etation and soil formation. The peat content of the vegetated horizonvaries laterally and is concentrated in the topographic low areas, whilethe peat content in the topographic highs is much lower.

The present day rate of coastal erosion is on average 2 m each year(Liversage and Robinson, 1992–93, Clemmensen et al., 2001a). Assum-ing that the rate of coastal erosion has been constant since the BronzeAge, the study site would have been located approximately 6 kilometers

from the paleoshore at the time the tracks were made.

VERTEBRATE TRACKS

Track Terminology

The animal responsible for the track is termed the “trackmaker,”and the surface the animal emplaces its tracks within is the “trackingsurface” (sensu Fornós et al., 2002). The tracks formed by the trackmakerin the tracking surface are the “track” or the “true track” and representthe direct impression of the trackmaker’s foot (Lockley, 1991). Theweight of the trackmaker´s foot is transferred radially outward into thesediment from the true track, causing deformation of not only the track-ing surface, but also of the layers subjacent to the trackmaker’s footbelow the tracking surface (Allen, 1989, 1997). The deformation struc-tures formed within the layers subjacent to the true track are termed“undertracks” (Lockley, 1991).

Undertracks can be distinguished from true tracks in that theypreserve less detail than the true tracks, and they become successivelyshallower and wider, and preserve fewer anatomical features downwardfrom layer to layer (Milàn and Bromley, 2006). The radial pressure of thefoot further creates a “marginal ridge” of horizontally-displaced sedi-ment around the tracks. In cases where the track is emplaced in soft orloose substrates, the trackmaker’s foot can plunge to a considerabledepth, creating vertical or inclined walls from the bottom of the true trackto the tracking surface. The vertical parts of the track are termed“trackwalls” (Brown, 1999) or “shaft” (Allen, 1997). In cases where the

FIGURE 2. The track-bearing surface is part of a laterally extensive peathorizon with a topographic relief ranging from present-day sea level toapproximately 5 m above present-day sea level. The tracks were found onthe uppermost surface of bog deposits in the topographically lower parts ofthe peat horizon, close to present-day sea level. The tracks were restrictedto the low-lying parts of the bog deposits. The picture is taken from thenorth and shows the peat horizon rising to more than 5 m above sea level inthe background of the picture, indicated by arrows.

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trackwalls are inclined, the track at the level of the surrounding trackingsurface appears wider than the true track at the bottom of the track andis termed the “overall track” (Brown, 1999). If the tracking surface withthe true tracks subsequently becomes covered by several thinner layersof sediment, the layers will drape the contours of the true track and canform a shallowing upward stacked sequence of “ghost tracks” (sensuFornós et al., 2002). If encountered on an exposed horizontal surface,ghost tracks may be misinterpreted as undertracks.

Site 1

The main exposure of the track-bearing peat horizon is at beachlevel, at the base of the dune succession. The densely-vegetated androoted peat horizon is more resistant to erosion from the sea than theunconsolidated dune sands, so a large surface had been uncovered throughremoval of the overlying eolian sands by wave erosion (Fig. 5). Themajority of the exposed horizon had been exposed to extensive erosionfrom the sea, which had altered the appearance of the tracks to shallow,rounded, undiagnostic depressions in the surface. The parts of the hori-zon near the base of the cliffs, however, were relatively unharmed bywaves and exposed a high density of well-preserved tracks, up to 5–6tracks/m2 in the most heavily trampled areas. An area of 3 x 5 m with thehighest density of well-preserved tracks was mapped directly on largesheets of transparent plastic, and later scaled down to a map (Fig. 5c).The high number of tracks and the large number of poorly preservedtracks made it impossible to identify longer trackway segments fromanimals.

The track assemblage comprises predominantly of bilobed tracksfrom artiodactyls that range from 5 to 14 cm in length. The outline of thetracks is sub-circular, and the tracks consist of two crescent-shaped hoofimpressions separated by a raised area. Morphologically, the tracks con-sist of different types of hoof impressions and vary from impressions ofstraight, parallel hoof impressions (Fig. 6b,c), to tracks comprising curvedsemilunate impressions facing each other, giving the tracks an ovate tosub-circular outline (Fig. 9b). A group of smaller tracks 5–7 cm in lengthoften occurs as paired or partly overprinting manus-pes couples (Fig.9d–e). Among the bilobed tracks occur occasional tracks consisting of asingle hoof-shaped imprint (Figs. 9c, 11).

Two tracks, each comprising four short, forward-facing digit im-pressions and a single triangular “heel” pad, were found among the tracks.Each digit impression terminates in the impression of a short, sharp claw(Figs. 9f, 10).

Site 2

Half a kilometer further to the north along the beach, another smallexposure of the hardened peat horizon was exposed, measuring approxi-

mately 10 x 3 m (Fig. 6a). The exposed surface was composed of similardark fen deposits at least a half meter thick. Again, the surface of the peathorizon was heavily trampled, and where the tracks were not modifiedby wave swash, they could be identified as artiodactyl tracks. The trackfauna on this exposure is not as diverse in regard to size and shape as atsite 1, and the tracks are all from artiodactyls with hoof lengths of 8 to14cm. The shape of the tracks varies between parallel, straight, blunt hoofimpressions, to diverging, curved, pointed hoof impressions (Fig. 6b–d).

In total, 16 well-preserved tracks, 12 from Site 1 and 4 from Site2, representing the full morphologic spectrum of tracks encountered atthe tracksite, were selected and cast in Plaster of Paris. The plaster castsare stored at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University ofCopenhagen (GM-V-2007-17 to GM-V-2007-32).

Tracks in Eolian Sand

In addition to the extensive track fauna encountered at the de-scribed peat horizon, a number of tracks were found exposed in crosssection at various stratigraphic levels within the overlying eolian duneand sand sheet deposits. The morphology of the tracks in cross sectionis that of a steep-walled, flat-bottomed depression, originating from anotherwise undisturbed bedding plane (Fig. 7a–c). One of the tracks isshallow and displays a central division into two lobes (Fig. 7a). Theother cross sections encountered are approximately as deep as they arewide, and the trackwalls are steeply inclining towards the bottom of thetracks. A marginal ridge of displaced material is recognizable in one of thespecimens (Fig. 7b). The sand layers subjacent to the impressions aredeformed and bend below the tracks, forming a stacked succession ofundertracks below the track (Fig. 7b–c). The subsequent infilling of thetracks has occurred gradually, and several generations of ghost tracks areevident in the sand layers in and above the true tracks.

INTERPRETATION OF TRACK FAUNA

The tracks found in the peat horizons at Sites 1 and 2 are well-preserved true tracks. The tracks were emplaced directly in the softpeaty surface and subsequently filled with eolian sand. There is noevidence of the tracks having been exposed to erosion before burial, aserosion would have altered and blurred the shape of the track, givingthem a more undefined appearance (Milàn and Bromley, 2006), and thefilling of eolian sand demonstrates that the tracks are indeed true tracksemplaced directly on the peat surface, and not undertracks. The tracksfound preserved as cross sections within the dune deposits show acharacteristic morphology of eolian tracks in cross section, with steeply-sloping trackwalls, the formation of undertracks and several generationsof ghost tracks from the gradual covering of the tracks (e.g., Loope, 1986;Allen, 1997).

FIGURE 3. Principal sketch of the coastal cliffs at the tracksite. The fen deposit is located in a topographical low in the glacial till. The two exposed siteswith tracks are located approximately 600 m apart.

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FIGURE 4. A, The general stratigraphy of the fen deposits measured in a fully-developed succession approximately 500 m south of the tracksite. The lakebasin is developed directly on top of the glacial till, and roots are penetrating down to 40 cm into the underlying till. The packages of gyttja and peatdeposits are here developed to a thickness of around 90 cm. The upper 37 cm of gyttja and char peat contains abundant eolian sand. The top of the gyttjais overlain by several meters of eolian sand. B, At tracksite 1, the package of peat and gyttja is only developed to a thickness of, on average, 30 cm. Directlyon top of the till is an 8–15 cm thick layer of brown peat with wood fragments and roots penetrating up to 40 cm down into the underlying till. A thin layerof eolian sand separates the brown peat from the overlying layer of humified sandy peat. The tracks are all found at the very surface of the peat layer andare directly infilled by the overlying eolian sand. The tracking surface (1) is 14C-dated to 1265 ± 145 cal. yr. BC, corresponding to Danish Early Bronze Age.The roots penetrating the underlying till (2) are 14C-dated to 3500 ± 140 cal. yr. BC, and the bottom of the peat (3) is 14C-dated to 3410 ± 220 cal. yr. BC.

Within the mapped area at site 1 (which had the highest concen-tration of well-preserved tracks), it was possible to determine the direc-tion of progression in 42 out of the 57 mapped tracks. Fifteen of thetracks were too indistinctly preserved to allow determination of direc-tion, and only appeared as elongated depressions in the surface. Whenthe directions are plotted in a diagram (Fig. 8), the majority of the tracksare heading either east- or westward, with a minor amount heading north-

and southward. The track-bearing part of the peat horizon is dippinggently northward, so the majority of the identified tracks are made byanimals walking perpendicular to the dip direction, with a few animalswalking down slope towards the low lying parts of the water hole.

The eolian sand movements and burying of soil horizons duringthe Bronze Age was not restricted to the west coast of Denmark. Asimilar situation is described from Djursland, on the east coast of Jylland

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FIGURE 5. The main track-bearing peat horizon (Site 1) is exposed at beach level due to wave erosion of the overlying unconsolidated eolian sand. A,Overview photo of the largest of the exposed trackbearing peat horizons. The peat horizon continues out into the water. The photo is taken from the topof the coastal dunes and the broken line square indicates the area (15 m2) that was mapped in detail and where the tracks were unaltered by wave erosion.B, Part of the track-bearing surface showing a high density of well-preserved tracks. The tracks in the left side of the picture are hoof-shaped andpresumably from an unshod horse and the tracks in the right side consist each of two crescent-shaped impressions and are interpreted as cattle tracks. C,Map of the best-preserved part of the tracksite. The mapped area measures 3 x 5 m and has a track density of up to six tracks per square meter. The broken-lined rectangle indicates the photo from B.

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where intensive farming and deforestation resulted in extensive eoliansand movements burying the fields. Excavations at these sites have re-vealed soil horizons containing thousands of tracks and trackways ofcattle as well as traces of Bronze Age agricultural tools, buried directlybeneath the eolian sands (Broholm, 1946; Jensen, 2002). The quality andpreservation of these tracks is similar to freshly exposed tracks fromLodbjerg.

Types of Tracks

The tracks found on the peat horizons all fall within five distincttypes. The most common tracks are bilobed tracks of even-toed artio-dactyls, and among them there are at least three different types based ondifferences in size and hoof-morphology. The largest of the tracks are10–14 cm in length and constitute two different forms. One form showshoofs that were proximally broadest and distally tapering toward thepointed tip (Fig. 9a). The other type shows banana- to crescent-shapedhoofs of more equal width (Fig. 9b). The tracks with the pointed tips arein size and shape similar to tracks of the red deer Cervus elaphus(Bouchner, 1982). Tracks of red deer may resemble tracks of wild boar(Sus scrofa) in size and shape, and can easily be confused. However,

FIGURE 6. A, The small exposure of the track bearing horizon (Site 2) was found approximately 500 m north of the main track bearing exposure. B–D,Tracks from the small exposure.

wild boar tracks mostly comprise impressions of the dewclaws, while onthe red deer, the dewclaws are located high on the metatarsus and rarelycome into contact with the ground (Bouchner, 1982). The tracks fromthis locality are impressed into the substrate to a depth of 5 cm. Anydewclaws located near the main hoofs would have left impressions in thesubstrate behind the track. Based on this morphologic evidence we inter-pret the large-sized bilobed tracks with the pointed tips to be tracks ofred deer.

The second type of large-sized, bilobed tracks with curved hoofsof a more consistent equal width and rounded tips, are identified astracks of bovids, in this case most likely domesticated cattle (Bos taurus),as the youngest skeletal material of aurochs (Bos primigenius) fromnorthen Jylland date back to the Mesolithic (Noe-Nygard et al., 2005).

The third group of bilobed tracks is smaller, having hoof lengthsfrom 5 to 7 cm and has parallel, slightly curved hoofs with pointed tips(Fig. 9d). These tracks are often found paired as manus/pes couples and,in many instances, the two tracks partly overprint each other (Fig. 9e).There are several possible candidates to the origin of these tracks, but theconfiguration of the relatively straight hoofs fits the shape of tracks ofdomesticated sheep or goats (Bouchner, 1982), and bones from sheep

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FIGURE 7. Tracks exposed in cross section from various stratigraphiclevels in the eolian sands overlying the Bronze Age peat horizon. A, Largeshallow track consisting of two lobes divided by a central ridge. This size andmorphology is consistent with cross sections through the tracks from cattle(Loope 1986). Scale in centimeters. B, Cross section through track showinginterrupted infilling. Notice the vertical trackwalls, flat bottom and thestepwise fill that has created a stacked succession of gradually shallowingupward ghost tracks. Scale bar on knife handle 10 cm. C, Cross sectionthrough two consecutive tracks spaced 15 cm apart. Scale bar on knifehandle 10 cm.

FIGURE 8. Diagram showing the progression directions of 42 identifiedtracks from site 1. The predominant directions are east- and westward,which is perpendicular to the northward-dipping slope of the lake basin.

and goats are frequently found at excavation sites in the area (Bech,1997). Roe deer, whose tracks are of comparable size, have morerounded hoofs, producing a more heart-shaped track (Bouchner, 1982).

The tracks consisting of a single hoof-shaped imprint (Fig. 9c,11a) are from an unshod horse. In the best preserved of the horsetracks, the complete hoof morphology of the horse is preserved. Thisis especially well seen in a plaster cast of the best preserved specimen(Fig. 11b).

The last type is the tracks consisting of four, forward-facing,clawed digit impressions and a triangular metatarsal pad (Figs. 9f, 10).These tracks are interpreted as carnivore tracks and, due to size andshape, identified as tracks of canids, presumably domesticated dogs,but they could also be tracks of wolves.

The tracks preserved in cross section within the dune depositsare unidentifiable, as they do not reveal any anatomic details, exceptfor one example showing a central ridge, as evidence of a bilobed footmorphology (Fig. 7a). Footprints exposed in cross section are diffi-cult to assign to any trackmaker, as a random section through a trackcan exhibit widely different morphologies according to the orientationof the section. Only very general features such as size or number ofdigits exposed in the cross section can be used to identify tracks incross section (Loope, 1986; Milàn et al., in press). The cross sectionsfrom the present study are 9 to14 cm, measured at the bottom, thelargest being the one showing evidence of a bilobed foot. Tracks ofthis size could be made by red deer, cattle or horse.

Archeologic Finds From the Area

Archeologic finds from the Lodbjerg area have shown thathumans lived in the study area during a number of periods sincearound 3200 BC (Liversage et al., 1987, Liversage and Robinson,1992-93). Around 2200 BC, people began to clear the forest in thearea, leaving it exposed to wind erosion and eolian sand movementduring stormy periods. However, several times during periods ofdecreased storminess, eolian sand movement diminished, vegetationcover of the dune system was re-established and the area was re-populated.

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FIGURE 9. The five main types of tracks from the track bearing horizon; all tracks are shown to same scale. A, Large bilobed track. The hoof impressionsare tear-shaped and terminate distally in pointed tips. This type of track is identified as a red deer track. (Plaster cast of the track exists as GM-V-2007-17). B, Large bilobed track, consisting of two crescent-shaped hoof impressions. Identified as tracks from domesticated cattle. (Plaster cast of the trackexists as GM-V-2007-30). C, Track consisting of a single hoof-shaped impression. Identified as the track from an unshod horse. (Plaster cast of the trackexists as GM-V-2007-28). D, Small bilobed track with parallel straight hoofs, identified as a track from either a sheep or goat. (Plaster cast of the trackexists as GM-V-2007-23). E, Partly overprinting manus-pes couple from either sheep or goat. (Plaster cast of the track exists as GM-V-2007-26). F, Trackfrom a dog or wolf.

In the Late Bronze Age (1100-500 BC) there was a considerableamount of settlement in the Thy area. Settlements were permanent year-round, and the Bronze Age farmers probably kept livestock, includingherds of cattle, and sheep or goats as indicated by numerous finds ofruminant teeth and bones in midden deposits connected to the settle-ments, and by the occurrence of tracks of these animals in the eoliandeposits along the coastline (Liversage and Robinson, 1992-93;Clemmensen et al., 2001a).

Although there is scant evidence of Early Bronze Age settlementsin immediate proximity to the Lodbjerg area, elsewhere in the region theconstructions of settlements began early in the Early Bronze Age andcontinued into the Late Bronze age, i.e., about 1500 to 500 BC (Bech,1997). Excavations of Bronze Age settlements from a similar landscapein Bjerre, close to Hanstholm, located approximately 25 km north ofLodbjerg (Fig. 1), revealed skeletal remains of the Bronze Age livestock(Bech, 1997). The domesticated fauna from Bjerre was predominantlycomposed of cattle, with goats and sheep constituting a much smallerpart, and few indications of horse and dogs. Interestingly, no traces ofpigs were present in the fauna (Bech, 1997). A similar fauna is knownfrom excavations in the Dutch West-Friesland, which at that time con-

sisted of low lying near-marine wetlands (Bech, 1997), suggesting thatthese were the animals most commonly kept by the Bronze Age settlersalong the North Sea coast of Denmark and Holland. This faunal compo-sition is very similar to the track fauna from Lodbjerg, in that tracks oflarge cattle are predominant, followed by smaller tracks from sheep orgoats, and then single tracks of horses and dogs.

CONCLUSION

The Late Holocene Lodbjerg tracksite contains a track fauna com-prising tracks of cattle, sheep or goats, red deer, horses and canids pre-served on a buried Early Bronze Age peat horizon overlain by eoliansand. Further, tracks of animals are found preserved in cross sectionwithin the overlying eolian deposits comprising the Lodbjerg dune sys-tem, demonstrating that animals inhibited the area also during the periodsof dune activity.

Site 1 of the exposed track-bearing bog deposit has a trackfaunaconsisting of tracks from cattle, sheep or goats, horse and dogs, while thesmaller site 2 contains tracks of sheep or goats and red deer. The trackassemblage is in agreement with similarly-aged skeletal remains of live-stock excavated in the nearby area. Increased utilization and inclusion of

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FIGURE 10. A, Plaster cast of one of the canid tracks (GM-V-2007-20). B,Interpretative drawing based on the plaster cast. The track consists of fourforward facing digits and a single triangular metatarsal pad.

FIGURE 11. A, Track consisting of a single hoof-shaped impression. Thetrack is from an unshod horse. B, Plaster cast of the horse track (GM-V-2007-28).

ichnologic data and methods will provide valuable additional informa-tion about faunal composition, paleoecology and sedimentary condi-tions in the Lodbjerg dune system, and thus help create a more completepaleoecologic reconstruction of the area.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The research of JM is sponsored by a Ph.D. grant from the Fac-ulty of Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Quaternary Sci-ences Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Lund, Sweden undertook 14Cdating of the track site. The Carlsberg Foundation project ”TheMesolithic-Neolithic transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers - a re-sult of changes in climate, sea-level, terrestrial environment, food re-sources, social structure or cultural influence,” provided means for field-

250work and additional 14C dating. We thank the reviewers, Richard G.Bromley and David B. Loope, for their positive reviews and construc-

tive comments on the manuscript. And, finally, Agger Badehotel pro-vided excellent food and shelter from the harsh Danish autumn weatherduring the field work.

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