Journal of Neolithic Archaeology

Turning West: On the Disappearance of Figurative Representations in Neolithic West-Central Europe

2024-04-16T12:34:19+02:00

At 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?

2024-10-22T16:05:40+02:00

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 4^th 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.

Tell Sultana-Malu Roșu: First Results and Interpretation on Site Formation, Absolute Dating, Subsistence Economy and Material Culture from the Excavation in 2021

2023-12-22T19:43:32+01:00

The 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.

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

2023-05-26T18:30:03+02:00

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.

From Polishing to Burning: Deciphering a Middle Neolithic Hoard from Beringen Brouwershuis (Belgium) through Functional Analysis

2025-02-26T22:19:55+01:00

The 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

2024-11-15T15:27:45+01:00

The 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.