Vinge and Jasonsminde – Two East Danish Settlements from the Second Half of the Late Neolithic

Abstract

This 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.