[fade]↑ Field drawing of site B6. E18 Tvedestrand-Arendal project, 2016[/fade]
Sagene B4 and Sagene B6 were located on the west and east side of a gorge, at elevations of 54 and 50 metres above present sea level, respectively, and at a distance of c. 100 metres from each other. This gorge would have formed a narrow bay/fjord during the Early Mesolithic, until c. 8500 cal. BC, at which point shore displacement processes would have made the area lose its connection to the sea.
The investigation of Sagene B4 yielded an assemblage of 853 lithic finds in total. These come from three different concentrations situated on a saddle landform delimited to c. 90m² by bare rock. The material is heavily dominated by flint (98%), with a small portion of quartz and rock crystal. The technology evidenced through both the blades and cores left at the site is of an Early Mesolithic character, and possibly focused on the production of narrow blades from good quality flint. The numerous scrapers form the basis for suggesting that Sagene B4 may have been a special-purpose site focused on hide preparation. The lack of structures, the small number of finds and the rapidly changing landscape, lets us see it as a short-term site around 9000 cal. BC.
Sagene B6, which is argued to be slightly younger than Sagene B4, and in use around 8900 cal. BC, is similar to Sagene B4 in terms of lack of structures and general reliance on blades from unifacial blade cores. The find assemblage from Sagene B6 is larger, 1600 finds in total, emanates from a single find concentration, which is not as dominated by flint as at Sagene B4.
(Source: K. Darmark (in print): Sagene B4 and B6 - Two Early Mesolithic settlement sites in a bay. In: G. Reitan & L. Sundström (ed.): The Stone Age of Aust-Agder county, South Norway. Archaeological excavations in connection with the new E18 Tvedestrand-Arendal. Oslo, Cappelen Damm.)
