Mesolithic Era

You’ve now reached the Mesolithic era; the time of hunters and gatherers. It's approximately 8000 years BC and there are living no more than 5000 people in the Netherlands and because of this there still is enough food and space for everyone to survive.

We live in tribes of 20 to 50 people. We gather plants, nuts, berries, roots and mushrooms. With a bit of luck we can even get some honey. With a spear or a bow and arrow we hunt animals in the forest like boars and dears. Sometimes we dry the meat to prevent it from rotting. We fish with rods, traps, nets and harpoons. 

As nomads, we move every few months, for example when the season changes. Therefor there is always enough food in the area and we don’t have to work long hours to find it. We hunt and gather about 6 hours a day. When we move we leave the huts, they are very strong and we can build them in a few days. When we move, it’s either on foot or in a canoe. The wheel hasn’t been discovered yet so there are no carts or carriages. The ice age just past and our land is getting warmer, so there is plenty of melted water to sail which makes it easier to transport our belongings. Why don’t you try one of the canoes yourself!

The tools we have are made of wood, bone, antlers or flint stones. Over the years, flint will be best preserved. That’s why this era is called the Mesolithic era, which means: middle Stone Age.

Many people think that you can make fire with two flint stones. But to make sparks you need one flint stone and a piece of steal, which has not yet been invented. So we make fire with a bow drill. You will find a picture of this in the app. Other things we don’t have are pots! We use leather bags or wooden bowls, but those you can’t hang above a fire. So we lay stones in the fire and when they’re hot we put them in the water to warm it.

As a real hunter-gatherer you now may take your belongings to continue your journey to the Neolithic era!