Journal of Neolithic Archaeology
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Palynologische Untersuchungen zum Bestattungsplatz Wangels LA 69
Get PDFBei dem vorliegenden Beitrag handelt es sich um einen Bericht zu palynologischen Untersuchungen im Rahmen archäologischer Ausgrabungen des Instituts für Ur- und Frühgeschichte der Universität Kiel am Fundplatztes Wangels LA 69, Kreis Ostholstein. Die Auswertung der archäologischen Ergebnisse zur Chronologie und Genese dieses mehrphasigen neolithischen Bestattungsplatz erfolgte durch Brozio (2016). Demnach wurde im frühen Mittelneolithikum, c. 3360 cal BC, ein megalithische Gangrab vom Typ „Holsteiner Kammer“ mit Rundhügel errichtet. Diese wurde im Laufe des Mittelneolithikums zu einem Langbett erweitert. Der Nachweis von subfossilen Bodenhorizonten, inklusive Hakenpflugspuren, unter der ersten Grabanlage sowie in Sodenpackungen des Langbettes gab Anlass für die begleitenden pollenanalytische Untersuchungen. Diese erlaubten einen Einblick in die lokale Landnutzung und Vegetationsverhältnisse während unterschiedlicher Nutzungsphasen. Konnte aufgrund der bisherigen archäologischen Ergebnisse nicht eindeutig geklärt werden, ob es sich bei den Pflugspuren um rituelle oder profane Handlungen handelte, so unterstützen die vorliegenden Ergebnisse die letztere Deutung. Der Nachweis von Offenland- und Ackerbauanzeigern erlaubte hierbei die Ansprache eines frühneolitischen Ackerhorizontes unter der Grabanlage. Der Vergleich mit ähnlichen Untersuchungen von Paläoböden unter Grabhügeln in den Niederlanden, Dänemark und Schleswig-Holstein legt nahe, dass die Errichtung auf ehemaligen Nutzflächen, und damit die Transformation von profanem zu sakralen Orten, ein typisches Phänomen trichterbecherzeitlicher Grabanlagen ist.This paper reports on palynological investigations within the framework of archaeological excavations of the Institute for Pre- and Early History of the University of Kiel at the site Wangels LA 69, district Ostholstein. Brozio (2016) analysed the archaeological results on the chronology and genesis of this multi-phase Neolithic burial site. According to this, in the early Middle Neolithic, c. 3360 cal BC, a megalithic passage grave of the type "Holsteiner Kammer" with a round hill was erected. In the course of the Middle Neolithic this was extended to a long barrow. The evidence of subfossil soil horizons, including ard marks, under the first tomb as well as in sod bricks of the long barrow was the reason for the accompanying pollen analytical investigations. These allowed an insight into the local land use and vegetation conditions during different phases of use. While the archaeological results obtained so far did not make it possible to clarify clearly whether the ard marks were of ritual or profane character, the present results support the latter interpretation. The evidence of open land and arable farming indicators allowed the identification of an early Neolithic arable horizon under the tomb. The comparison with similar investigations of paleo soils under burial mounds in the Netherlands, Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein suggests that the erection on former cultivated land, and thus the transformation from profane to sacred sites, is a typical phenomenon of funnel-beaker graves
Transformations of semi-mobility? The Younger Neolithic in the Altmark
Get PDFDuring the Younger Neolithic (2800–2200 cal BC) different trans- formational processes took place in the Altmark region (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany). Paleo-ecological investigations indicate a significant increase in the human impact on the landscape. We probably are dealing with a highly mobile and translocal society that used smaller seasonal stations and whose economy was based on livestock farming, hunting and fishing as well as crop cultivation. In addition to ecological changes, there are also social changes recognisable in the archaeological material, which are most evident in the funeral practices. After a phase of relatively standardised burials within megalithic tombs a shift to new funeral practices becomes apparent. Sites like Brunau and Lüdelsen also indicate a mixture of different ceramic styles, indicating a strong cultural exchange in this region at that time
Front matter
No full textIn the context of an Indian and German workshop and a Graduate School course of scholars interested in megaliths and societies, a joint publication of contributions was planned as a sign of cooperative work on monuments and societies both in Europe and India. Consequently, the papers published here are a joint effort of the editors from Kohima and Kiel. While after gaining a first impression of a mosaic of very valid contents, this book might be handled as a kind of informative tool on mainly North East Indian megaliths, primarily concerning new questions on material culture, megaliths and societies in the mentioned spatial frame. The publication represents the cooperation of the Kiel Graduate School “Human Development in Landscapes”, Nagaland University, the Kiel Collaborative Research Center “Scales of Transformation: Human-environmental Interaction in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies”, and the Nordic Graduate School “Dialogues with the Past”.
As the speakers of the CRC, it is our pleasure to particularly thank Tiatoshi Jamir and Maria Wunderlich, who successfully merged the contributions to the book presented here. For the organization of the Kohima workshop and the Graduate School course, we especially express our thanks to Julianne Rustad, Tiatoshi Jamir and Maria Wunderlich. Our gratitude is also extended to Maria, Tiatoshi, Agnes Heitmann and Eileen Küçükkaraca for their scientific and technical editing
Non- and Minimally-Invasive Methods to Investigate Megalithic Landscapes in the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site (Ireland) and Rousay, Orkney Islands in North-Western Europe
Get PDFThe paper summarizes results of an on-going project in the Boyne Valley in Ireland and in Orkney in the north of Scotland. The research of the Romano-Germanic Commission and our partners aimed to investigate the interaction of social, economic, cultural and environmental phenomena in different types of landscapes in a diachronic perspective. Our exploration of the landscapes was based on geophysical prospection, remote sensing and sedimentological analysis, and we adopted a systematic approach that integrated the various approaches in a GIS. In the Boyne Valley large areas were investigated on the periphery of the monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. The field work on the Orkney Islands is focussing on tracing settlement patterns connected to chambered tombs, on the Island of Rousay. The use of a similar research design in both regions produces compound databases, something that is crucial for comparing trajectories of change in Neolithic land use, and in understanding those changes
Megalithic Builders of Odisha: Living Megalithic Tradition among the Munda Communities, Sundargarh District
Get PDFThe state of Odisha is one of the most important regions for tribal groups and we find 62 major types of ethnic communities belonging to different language families. Although numbers of scholars have widely reported on different aspects of tribal religion, beliefs, practices and a few kinds of literature give some information about the living megalithic tradition, we do not have adequate data on their distribution pattern in this region. However, the present work is based on the recent work on the living megalithic tradition of Munda communities. Up to now, many papers have been published on the Mundas but no one has reflected on the living megalithic tradition. Finally, the paper, still at its preliminary stage, gives us some information about their distribution and some other information related to the funeral rituals and megalithic tradition
A Typological Classification of Megaliths of Mizoram
Get PDFThe practice of raising megalithic monuments is a tradition of the Mizos in early society. Since the purpose and significance of the megalithic tradition in society differed from tribe to tribe and from culture to culture, the Mizos used wood or stone, or both, as memorials to the dead and to the living. Different types of megaliths were available throughout the state, some of which were upright stones, alignments, table stones, cairns, and the like. Therefore, there was a need to undertake a thorough study of megaliths in Mizoram. Thus the paper attempts to classify the megalithic monuments of Mizoram based on typology/megalithic structure
Megalithic Monuments of Nagas: An Ethnographic Study
Get PDFThe practice of setting up megalithic monuments among the Nagas was widespread and associated with their social, economic and ritual ties. It is also an important attribute of identity. With no writtenrecords, it is the presence of such monuments that gives us the understanding of the past and present. Among the archaeological remains, megaliths form an important asset for reconstructing the prehistory and cultural heritage of the Nagas. The paper attempts to present a brief report on the megalithic traditions from different dialect-speaking villages: Chizami (Khezha) in Phek District, Nsong and Nzauna (Zeme) in Peren District, Sumi (Sumi) in Phek District, which have been selected from various communities that apply megalithic practices. The variation in rituals and other aspects associated with megalithic practices and the types of monument are observed and recorded. The data presented here is the outcome of the ethnoarchaeological investigations in the above-mention villages
Geomagnetic investigations at Monte da Contenda, Arronches, Portugal – Results from the 2018 campaign
Get PDFIn light of the current interest in climate change and its effects on modern economies, several projects have highlighted the role of climate forcing on past societies. In particular, there has been focus on the role of climate forcing in the Iberian Peninsula, during the 4.2 k event, which roughly coincides with the Chalcolithic to Bronze Age transition (c. 2200–2000 BCE).While much of this research has focused on the South-eastern regions, given its long and rich history of archaeological research, some attention has shifted to the Southwest Iberia, which has revealed in recent years a clearer picture of its societies during the Chalcolithic period. More specifically, Southwest Iberia has disclosed very interesting social dynamics when it comes to ditched-enclosure sites, dynamics that came to a rather abrupt end around the same time of the 4.2 k event. The current paper reports the results of the 2018 geomagnetic survey campaign at the ditched-enclosure site of Monte da Contenda, in Arronches, Portugal. While these results are not directly related to climate forcing per se, they do provide more insight into the Chalcolithic communities that could have been directly affected by climate events.Whereas the first campaign, in 2013, revealed a very complex ditch system but was unable to expose the site’s full layout, the 2018 campaign was able to reveal the site’s ditch systems in their entirety. Many of the assumptions established in the first campaign concerning the layout of the site were confirmed during this second campaign, namely that the ditch system is delimited to the south by the ribeira das Argamassas and that the site contains two distinct ditch systems, comprising a total of 17 to 19 ditches, establishing Monte da Contenda as the site with the highest number of ditches currently known in Portugal
Hierarchy and Balance: The Role of Monumentality in European and Indian Landscapes - An Archaeological and Anthropological Perspective
Get PDFThe use of ethnographic analogies for the construction of explanatory patterns and scientific narratives has a long history within archaeological research. While appropriate critique was raised with regard to the way analogies were used, the rise of critical perspectives within recent archaeological debates and discourses clearly highlights the need for a critical and reflective use of comparative analyses which will help us to go beyond a perception of archaeology as a cultural-historical science. The diversity and variability of the meaning of monumentality and megalith building in modern-day India shows the potential of such an approach and the importance of the integration of the perspectives of local communities without a direct link to scientific discourses. Monumentality and megalithic construction, due to the complexity and variance of this specific phenomenon, constitute a good example for the potential benefit and gain of the integration of comparative, ethnoarchaeological perspectives
Ideology and Symbolism of Traditional Architecture: A Case of House Structures and Social Stratification of the Villages of Chozuba and Runguzu, Chakhesang Naga
Get PDFThe social and cultural memories existing in the Naga oral histories relating to megalithic culture elucidates important information on the ideology of erecting megalithic monuments, social organization, rituals and their economic usages. The well-defined cultural values of erecting megalithic monuments also appear to have a relationship with craft specialization to the point of perpetuating the memory of a person who has gained a higher status. This paper discusses briefly the Feast of Merit that coincides with the stone dragging ceremony and the status men earn in terms of representations adorning their houses in the Chozuba and Runguzu villages of the Chakhesang tribe