The archaeological site of Vedbaek is an Ertebølle culture Mesolithic cemetery site located in Denmark. The cemetery, dated about 4000 BC, included the remains of seventeen individuals laid in rectangular or oval pits.
One of the burials at Vedbaek, a woman and child, contained a rich assortment of grave goods consisting of over 200 boar and deer teeth pendants, red ochre and a swan's wing. Because of this, Vedbaek is thus considered fairly early evidence of social stratification among hunter-gatherers.
Vedbaek was excavated in the 1970s by Svend Erik Albrethsen and Erik Brinch-Petersen.
Source
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to the European Mesolithic, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Mithen, Steven J. 1994. The Mesolithic Age. pp. 79-135 in Prehistoric Europe: An Illustrated History, edited by Barry Cunliffe. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
