Are these shamanic ritual objects?

Описание: Why did Mesolithic people wear deer skulls on their heads?

At Star Carr in North Yorkshire, archaeologists discovered 11,000-year-old deer frontlets, some of the earliest ritual objects in Britain.

These modified deer skulls date to around 9000 BC, just after the last Ice Age, during the Mesolithic period. Found at one of Europe’s most important Mesolithic sites, the frontlets were carefully shaped, pierced, and prepared so they could be worn by humans. This was not simple toolmaking, but deliberate, skilled work.

In this video, I explore why Mesolithic hunter-gatherers may have dressed as deer. Were these frontlets used as hunting disguises, ritual masks, or as part of shamanistic belief systems where humans and animals shared spiritual identities?

🏺Hi, I'm Louise, an archaeologist focused on prehistory and digital archaeology, and I am based in the North of England.

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📖Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Star Carr + The Mesolithic
01:15 How to make a frontlet?
02:00 Deer in the Mesolithic
02:27 Theory 1
03:05 Theory 2
03:40 Theory 3
05:08 Conclusion

📖References and Further Reading
Conneller, C. (2004) ‘Becoming deer. Corporeal transformations at Star Carr’, Archaeological Dialogues, 11(1), pp. 37–56. doi:10.1017/S1380203804001357.

📸Images
Conneller, C. (2004) ‘Becoming deer. Corporeal transformations at Star Carr’, Archaeological Dialogues, 11(1), pp. 37–56. doi:10.1017/S1380203804001357.
Star Carr Reconstruction - https://www.thejessopconsultancy.co.u...
BBC Images of Star Carr Excavations
Everything else public domain, Wikimedia Commons, and the British Library


To my knowledge, all the information I discuss is factually correct and researched through credible, academic sources. However, I can make mistakes, and archaeology changes constantly, so remember to do your own research.