Journal of Neolithic Archaeology
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The Wooden Trackway Pr VII at Diepholz, Dümmer, Lower Saxony, Germany (ca. 2450–2440 BCE)
No full textIn 2021, the PR7 timber trackway across the raised bog at Diepholz, Lower Saxony, was re-examined. It can now be dated securely by Bayesian modelling to the second half of the 25th century BCE, obviously contemporary with smaller camps in the microregion. The necessity to construct a trackway seems to coincide with a shift to wetter conditions in the northern Lake Dümmer lowland region and towards more diverse settlement pattern. The comparison of our results with trackways and environmental developments in the Campemoor south of the Dümmer indicates temporal differences in the reaction of local ecosystems to general climatic changes as well as in the trackway construction. In spite of that, on a macro level construction peaks of trackways in the northern European plain are identified, which should be analysed further in respect to environmental and societal changes
Turning West: On the Disappearance of Figurative Representations in Neolithic West-Central Europe
Get PDFAt the start of the Middle Neolithic (5000 BCE), as the central-European Linear Pottery culture (LBK) dissolved into smaller cultural groups, the traditional making of figurative representations was either transformed or radically abandoned. For thousands of years, these clay figurines and vessels representing humans and animals had been a hallmark of Early Neolithic lifestyle. They were found in hundreds in Southeastern Europe during the 6th millennium BCE and continued to be produced as the Neolithic reached Central Europe, although in smaller numbers. By the start of the Middle Neolithic, however, figurative representations seem to have disappeared from the western LBK, or turned into highly stylised motifs. This dissolution of a thousand-year-old figurative tradition may have been the outcome of increasing collective activities and contacts with local hunter-gatherers since the start of the LBK
Trapezoid Structures from the Transition of the Younger to the Late Neolithic Time Period at Nördlingen, Southern Germany: Evidence for Collective Burial Sites?
Get PDFDer Tod ist ein unausweichlicher Bestandteil der menschlichen Existenz. Daher ist das Fehlen von Bestattungen einer bestimmten Epoche meistens auf die geringe archäologische Sichtbarkeit des Bestattungsform, oft auch in Verbindung mit taphonomischen Faktoren, zurückzuführen. Vor dem Hintergrund der fruchtbaren Böden und der über Jahrzehnte betriebenen Denkmalforschung ist das Fehlen von Bestattungen aus der 2. Hälfte des 4. Jahrtausends vor Christus im Nördlinger Ries bemerkenswert, jedoch im Einklang mit der grundsätzliche Seltenheit von Bestattungsbefunden dieser Zeit in Süddeutschland. Vorgestellt wird eine Gruppe trapezoider Baustrukturen, die im Auenbereich der Eger bei Nördlingen dokumentiert werden konnten. Auf Grundlage von verbranntem menschlichen Knochenmaterial aus einer der Anlagen schlagen wir eine Rekonstruktion als Grabräume für Kollektivbestattungen vor. Sowohl in Funktion als aus Form ähneln diese Anlagen ähnlichen Grabkammern in Südwest-Deutschland und deuten damit an, dass das Nördlinger Ries Teil einer weiträumigeren Bestattungstradition in nichtmegalithischen Kollektivgrabanlagen war.Death is a timeless, inevitable fact of human biology and the only explanation for the absence of burials from a distinct archaeological time period is therefore most likely caused by a low visibility due to the burial mode in combination with taphonomic processes. In respect of the favourable soils and the archaeological record piled up by decades of research, the absence of burials from the second half of the 4th millennium BC in the Nördlinger Ries area is remarkable but in line with the general scarce burial evidence from this time period in Southern Germany. Here we present a group of trapezoid structures discovered in the alluvial plain of the Eger valley near Nördlingen. Based on cremated human bones found in one of these structures we suggest the structures to have been collective burial chambers. Both the function and layout strongly resemble comparable grave chambers in Southwest Germany and may indicate that the Ries area was part of a wider tradition of non-megalithic burial structures
Vinge and Jasonsminde – Two East Danish Settlements from the Second Half of the Late Neolithic
Get PDFThis paper presents two settlements from the second half of the Late Neolithic. Both are from the northeastern part of the island of Zealand in east Denmark. Six and thirteen houses, respectively, were excavated at the sites. Remains of contemporary graves have been excavated close to both settlements. Based on analyses of the landscape, pollen data and grain finds, it is suggested that the subsistence of the two settlements was based on intensive cereal cultivation and stock farming. We suggest that two or three houses on each site may have been inhabited contemporarneously. The houses, their date and the contemporary graves indicate that East Denmark was influenced by Southwest Sweden and the Early Bronze Age societies on the Continent during the second half of the Late Neolithic
Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic Sultana-Ghețărie, Lower Danube: First Results and Interpretation on Site Formation, Absolute Dating, Subsistence Economy and Material Culture
Get PDFIn 2021, in a Romanian-Belgian-German collaboration, previously initiated excavations were continued at the multi-period flat-site of Sultana-Gheţărie, where settlement remains and burial features from the Boian-Vidra, Gumelnița and Cernavodă III periods have been documented. In the broader context of the multi-component site of Sultana, these investigations provide evidence for decentral structured settlement and burial activities from the period before, during, and after the occupation of Tell Sultana-Malu Roșu situated on the high terrace of the Mostiștea River. In addition to a so far undated prehistoric inhumation burial, a stratigraphic sequence of a Boian-Vidra (first half of the 5th millenium) and a Cernavodă III (ca. 3600–3500 BCE) pit were excavated, which allow a diachronic comparison of pottery-typological, archaeozoological, and archaeobotanical data. Compared to find assemblages of the first half of the 5th millenium (Boian-Vidra), the material culture from the Cernavodă III context is characterised by reduced decoration rates and a reduced range of decoration techniques in pottery possibly indicating a decline in social complexity. The chipped stone inventory of the same pit provides evidence for primary flint tool production on site. The composition of the archeozoological assemblage from the Cernavodă III feature, compared to the final Tell Sultana-Malu Roșu phase (ca. 4200–3950 BCE), indicates that hunting played only a very minor role in securing subsistence and that the communities living here might have had a rather mobile settlement behaviour. With regard to a possible climatic shift, this would match with the frequent occurrence of the tiny awn fragments of feathergrass, which seems to indicate a greater openness of the landscape and associated the spread of steppe vegetation. In connection with the excavations, a magnetic survey was conducted that revealed no evidence of a continuation of the settlement in the part of the high terrace south of the site
Tell Sultana-Malu Roșu: First Results and Interpretation on Site Formation, Absolute Dating, Subsistence Economy and Material Culture from the Excavation in 2021
Get PDFThe Gumelnița/KGK VI tell settlement of Sultana-Malu Roșu is located in the valley of the Mostiștea, a tributary of the Lower Danube. It has been the target of archaeological investigations for 100 years. A new profile section has clarified stratigraphic questions and provided information on dating, environment and economy. It was possible to trace the construction, use and destruction of a fortification and to record settlement horizons and terraces. Documented settlement activities begin around 4450 BCE and end around 4300 BCE. The destruction of the fortification around 4380 BCE is associated with terracing and additional backfilling to extend the tell in order to obtain additional space for buildings. At the end of the occupation, a diversification of the food supply can be demonstrated, in particular the importance of foraging and hunting increased. Similar changes were also observed at other Early Chalcolithic tells on the Lower Danube. This is a typical pattern in subsistence crises, which in this case led to considerable transformative processes. Initial isotope analyses point to increasing warming and desertification, which may have led to food crises and subsequently to the abandonment of the tell
From Polishing to Burning: Deciphering a Middle Neolithic Hoard from Beringen Brouwershuis (Belgium) through Functional Analysis
No full textThe Koersel “Beringen Brouwershuis” hoard, distinguished by its well-documented and radiocarbon-dated context, offers a unique opportunity to explore the hoarding practices of the Middle Neolithic period in the Campine region of Belgium. As one of the few excavated hoards from this period, it provides rare contextual information about these hoarding practices. This study aims to provide new insights into the life cycles of buried lithic artefacts through a detailed functional and contextual analysis. By employing macro- and microscopic analytical methods, we examined residues and use-wear traces on 17 artefacts, including six polished axes, seven endscrapers, and four smaller tool fragments. The detailed functional analysis of these stone tools confirmed that they were hafted, used, and resharpened before being deposited. Moreover, it enabled the reconstruction of a unique biography for each individual artefact, demonstrating that each had a distinct life encompassing own set of lifecycles stages
The Lithic Assemblage of Varemeni Goulon (Kozani District, Northern Greece): Raw Material Exploitation, Tool Production, and Microwear Analysis
Get PDFThe present study: a) provides a comprehensive account of the assemblage of the Varemeni Goulon Neolithic site regarding raw material exploitation and tool production strategies, b) explores the tools’ functions through a detailed microwear analysis. Employing the chaîne opératoire approach allows us to determine the sequence of operations from raw material procurement to tool production, use, and discard. Traceology provides answers about the functions of the tools and the materials they were used on, highlighting otherwise undetectable aspects of their complex biographies. Microwear analysis at Varemeni Goulon demonstrates a range of stone tool functions, including cereal harvesting, reed and vegetal matter processing, bone and hide working, and the application of ochre in hide processing. This offers the opportunity to test the conventional lithic typology against the functional tool categories. No provenance analysis of the raw materials has been conducted. Nevertheless, the macroscopic identification of supra-regional raw materials in the assemblage denotes the external contacts of the prehistoric community and the social networks with which local people engaged.  
Michelsberg and Wartberg Ceramic Thin Sections in Comparison – An Approach
No full textDer Vergleich von Keramik des Jung- und Spätneolithikums im mitteldeutschen Raum steht im Fokus der vorliegenden Studie. Hierfür wird die Herstellungsweise von Keramikinventaren aus der Michelsberger Kultur derjenigen der chronologisch folgenden Wartberg-Gruppe von den Siedlungsplätzen Warburg-Ossendorf ’Gaulskopf‘, Kr. Höxter, und Wittelsberg, Fpl. 7, Lkr. Marburg-Biedenkopf, gegenübergestellt. Anhand von Dünnschliffuntersuchungen der Keramik zeichnet sich um 3000 v. Chr. ein Bruch in der Keramikentwicklung ab, der mit weiteren gesellschaftlichen Transfor- mationsprozessen korreliert.The comparison between the pottery of the Younger and Late Neolithic in Central Germany is the focus of the present study. For this purpose, the production process of pottery material from the Michelsberg culture and the chronologically following Wartberg group from the settlements Warburg-Ossendorf ’Gaulskopf‘, district of Höxter, and Wittelsberg 7, district of Marburg-Biedenkopf, are compared with each other. Based on thin section studies of the pottery, there are indications that there was a break in the pottery development around 3000 BC, which correlates with further social transformation processes
Everything Was Better in the Good Old Days: On the End of the LBK and the Emergence of Lengyel Culture Figurines
Get PDFDer Beginn des fünften Jahrtausends v. Chr. geht mit tiefgreifenden Veränderungen einher und läutet die Auflösung der Linearbandkeramik in kleinere postbandkeramische kulturelle Phänomene ein. Die Diskussion darüber, was diese Veränderung auslöste, dauert noch an, aber es ist bereits jetzt klar, dass in regional unterschiedlicher Weise alle gesellschaftlichen Aspekte betroffen waren, so etwa die Bevölkerungsdichte, der Hausbau, Keramik, die Verteilung von Feuerstein und anderes. Auch gewalttätige Ereignisse, die im Tod zahlreicher Individuen mündeten, kamen vor. In diesem Beitrag möchten wir Licht auf die anthropomorphen Figurinen am Ende der LBK werfen, die ebenfalls von Veränderungen betroffen sind: im Westen des Verbreitungsgebietes werden sie nicht weiter benutzt, während im Osten, besonders in der Lengyel-Kultur, die Zahlen figürlicher Funde rasant ansteigen. Lengyelfigurinen sind jedoch nicht einfach eine Fortführung von LBK-Figurinen. Sie zeigen zwar Einflüsse der benachbarten Vinča-Kultur, aber auch Charakteristika, die an die mehrere Jahrhunderte frühere Starčevo-Kultur erinnern, zum Beispiel verschobene Körperproportionen, betonte Hüften und ein breites Gesäß sowie typische und standardisierte Bruchmuster. Es scheint, dass die postbandkeramischen Gesellschaften, im Bemühen, mit den Umständen zurechtzukommen, unterschiedliche Strategien entwickelten: im Westen gab man den Gebrauch von Figurinen auf, während man im Osten hoffte, mit mehr Figurinen als je zuvor die Schwierigkeiten zu bewältigen, und so zu älteren Routinen zurückkehrte.The beginning of the 5th millennium cal BC saw profound changes, with the disintegration of the Linear Pottery culture (LBK) into smaller post-LBK cultural phenomena. The discussion about what brought about this shift is still ongoing, but it is clear that, although with regional variations, all aspects of society were affected, such as population density, house construction, pottery, flint distribution and other aspects. Violent events resulting in the deaths of numerous individuals also occurred. In this article, we seek to shed light on anthropomorphic figurines at the end of the LBK, which are similarly affected by changes: in the west, their use ceases, whilst in the east, especially in the Lengyel culture, the numbers of finds of these figurines increase dramatically. Lengyel figurines are, however, not just a simple continuation of LBK figurines. They show influences from the neighbouring Vinča culture, but also include traits that are reminiscent of the Starčevo culture several hundred years earlier, such as distorted body proportions and accentuated hips and buttocks, as well as typical and standardized breakage patterns. It seems that, in an attempt to cope, the post-LBK communities adopted different strategies: the west stopped using figurines, whereas the east hoped to manage the circumstances better with more figurines than ever before, thus returning to earlier practices