Amulets

The Stone Age hunters were dependent upon nature and its resources. People lived in a closely dependent relationship with it and had to adapt to its terms.

It is very likely that the Stone Age hunters, like those from other hunting societies throughout the world, believed that nature and its creatures had souls. When people feel surrounded by spirits in this way, they try to attach themselves to the good ones and stay free from those which are evil.

Amulets with special powers are believed to keep the evil spirits and their associated badness away from life. Numerous objects belonging to Denmark’s Mesolithic period can be interpreted as amulets. These include snail shells, amber jewellery, animal teeth and, in some cases, human teeth worn close to the body.