A Ritual Feature with Bell Beaker Elements in a Late Neolithic Hunter-Gatherer Campsite in North-Eastern Poland

European Journal of Archaeology ◽

10.1017/eaa.2020.52 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-23

Author(s):

Dariusz Manasterski ◽

Katarzyna Januszek ◽

Adam Wawrusiewicz ◽

Aleksandra Klecha

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Cultural Change ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Archaeological Record ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Western Group ◽

North Eastern ◽

Bell Beaker ◽

The Bronze Age

The ephemeral nature of religious practices and rituals makes them challenging to trace in the archaeological record of Late Neolithic hunter-gatherer communities in central and eastern Europe. A ritual feature with Bell Beaker elements discovered in north-eastern Poland, a region occupied by hunter-gatherer groups of the Neman cultural circle, is thus exceptional. Its syncretic character indicates its role as a harbinger of wider cultural change that led to the emergence in this region of the western group of the Bronze Age Trzciniec cultural circle.

The Northwest Belgian Bronze Age Barrow in Context: A Review of the 14C Chronology from the Late Neolithic to Bronze Age

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200049535 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 56 (02) ◽

pp. 479-488

Author(s):

Jeroen De Reu

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Trade Networks ◽

The North ◽

The North Sea ◽

Sudden Appearance ◽

Bell Beaker ◽

Building Practice ◽

The Bronze Age

To formulate a solid chronology of the northwest Belgian Bronze Age barrow phenomenon, a critical review of the available radiocarbon dates was necessary. The resulting14C chronology of the barrows was compared with the14C chronologies of the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker graves, the Bronze Age metalwork depositions, the evidence of barrow reuse, and the Bronze Age longhouses. This research revealed interesting patterns concerning the appearance and disappearance of the barrow phenomenon. The earliest14C-dated barrows are dated during the Late Neolithic and coincide with the presence of the Bell Beaker culture in the region. The peak of the barrow-building practice occurred between 1700 and 1500/1400 cal BC, a period of flourishing trade networks in the regions along the North Sea basin. The period around 1500 cal BC is characterized by the disappearance of barrow-building practices and the sudden appearance of ritual depositional practices, reflecting changes in society.

The Northwest Belgian Bronze Age Barrow in Context: A Review of the 14C Chronology from the Late Neolithic to Bronze Age

Radiocarbon ◽

10.2458/56.16959 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 479-488 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jeroen De Reu

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Trade Networks ◽

The North ◽

The North Sea ◽

Sudden Appearance ◽

Bell Beaker ◽

Building Practice ◽

The Bronze Age

To formulate a solid chronology of the northwest Belgian Bronze Age barrow phenomenon, a critical review of the available radiocarbon dates was necessary. The resulting 14C chronology of the barrows was compared with the 14C chronologies of the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker graves, the Bronze Age metalwork depositions, the evidence of barrow reuse, and the Bronze Age longhouses. This research revealed interesting patterns concerning the appearance and disappearance of the barrow phenomenon. The earliest 14C-dated barrows are dated during the Late Neolithic and coincide with the presence of the Bell Beaker culture in the region. The peak of the barrow-building practice occurred between 1700 and 1500/1400 cal BC, a period of flourishing trade networks in the regions along the North Sea basin. The period around 1500 cal BC is characterized by the disappearance of barrow-building practices and the sudden appearance of ritual depositional practices, reflecting changes in society.

The Bronze Age Cultures in Central and Eastern Europe

Technology and Culture ◽

10.2307/3102614 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 299

Author(s):

Ralph M. Rowlett ◽

Marija Gimbutas

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

The Bronze Age

Trace Elemental Characterization of Maltese Pottery from the Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age

Open Archaeology ◽

10.1515/opar-2017-0012 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Frederick S. Pirone ◽

Robert H. Tykot

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Cultural Change ◽

Principal Component ◽

Interaction Networks ◽

Chemical Compositions ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Ceramic Samples ◽

Trace Elemental ◽

Middle Bronze Age ◽

The Bronze Age

AbstractThe aim of this research was to determine the provenance of Maltese ceramics and to determine the role pottery played in Maltese prehistoric trade and interaction networks. This study involved 236 Maltese ceramic samples, 19 geological clay samples from Ġnejna Bay & Selmun along with 18 ceramic samples from Ognina, Sicily, and four Sicilian clay samples from the outskirts of Siracusa that were nondestructively analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer in order to determine their trace elemental compositions (Th, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Nb). The results of this analysis were statistically analyzed using principal component analysis in order to ascertain relationships in the chemical compositions among the samples. The results of this analysis indicate that the majority of all the Maltese ceramic samples have a local Maltese provenance and that pottery played a more significant role in defining the nature of Malta’s trade relationships during the Bronze Age. The following study has provided new insights into Malta’s role in trade and interaction networks from the late Neolithic to the Bronze Age and has allowed for new ideas in explaining the cultural change observed from the Temple Period to the Bronze Age.

Female exogamy and gene pool diversification at the transition from the Final Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age in central Europe

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1706355114 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 114 (38) ◽

pp. 10083-10088 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Corina Knipper ◽

Alissa Mittnik ◽

Ken Massy ◽

Catharina Kociumaka ◽

Isil Kucukkalipci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Material Culture ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Central Europe ◽

Dna Analysis ◽

Human Mobility ◽

Isotope Ratios ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Bell Beaker ◽

The Bronze Age

Human mobility has been vigorously debated as a key factor for the spread of bronze technology and profound changes in burial practices as well as material culture in central Europe at the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. However, the relevance of individual residential changes and their importance among specific age and sex groups are still poorly understood. Here, we present ancient DNA analysis, stable isotope data of oxygen, and radiogenic isotope ratios of strontium for 84 radiocarbon-dated skeletons from seven archaeological sites of the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker Complex and the Early Bronze Age from the Lech River valley in southern Bavaria, Germany. Complete mitochondrial genomes documented a diversification of maternal lineages over time. The isotope ratios disclosed the majority of the females to be nonlocal, while this is the case for only a few males and subadults. Most nonlocal females arrived in the study area as adults, but we do not detect their offspring among the sampled individuals. The striking patterns of patrilocality and female exogamy prevailed over at least 800 y between about 2500 and 1700 BC. The persisting residential rules and even a direct kinship relation across the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age add to the archaeological evidence of continuing traditions from the Bell Beaker Complex to the Early Bronze Age. The results also attest to female mobility as a driving force for regional and supraregional communication and exchange at the dawn of the European metal ages.

Evidence for Prehistoric Salt Extraction Rediscovered in the Hungarian Central Mining Museum

The Antiquaries Journal ◽

10.1017/s0003581511000023 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 91 ◽

pp. 27-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony Harding ◽

Attila Szemán

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Salt Mine ◽

Medieval Period ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Early Medieval Period ◽

North Eastern ◽

Eastern Austria ◽

The Bronze Age ◽

Shed Light

AbstractThis paper describes a group of wooden objects (a trough, ladder, mallet and other pieces) found in 1817 in a salt mine in north-eastern Austria-Hungary, now Ukraine, which have recently come to light in the Hungarian Central Mining Museum in Sopron. It presents new radiocarbon dates indicating that the objects date to the Bronze Age, except for one that belongs to the early medieval period. Their function is briefly considered in the context of recent excavation and survey work in Romania, and specifically the remarkable discoveries from Băile Figa near Beclean, northern Transylvania, where several similar troughs and other objects have been found. Taken together, the finds shed light on the scale of salt exploitation in central and eastern Europe in prehistoric times.

Establishing the Middle Sea: The Late Bronze Age of Mediterranean Europe (1700–900 BC)

Journal of Archaeological Research ◽

10.1007/s10814-021-09165-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francesco Iacono ◽

Elisabetta Borgna ◽

Maurizio Cattani ◽

Claudio Cavazzuti ◽

Helen Dawson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Organization ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Long Range ◽

Human Mobility ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Archaeological Record ◽

Mediterranean Europe ◽

Northern Shore ◽

Comparative Survey ◽

The Bronze Age

AbstractThe Late Bronze Age (1700–900 BC) represents an extremely dynamic period for Mediterranean Europe. Here, we provide a comparative survey of the archaeological record of over half a millennium within the entire northern littoral of the Mediterranean, from Greece to Iberia, incorporating archaeological, archaeometric, and bioarchaeological evidence. The picture that emerges, while certainly fragmented and not displaying a unique trajectory, reveals a number of broad trends in aspects as different as social organization, trade, transcultural phenomena, and human mobility. The contribution of such trends to the processes that caused the end of the Bronze Age is also examined. Taken together, they illustrate how networks of interaction, ranging from the short to the long range, became a defining aspect of the “Middle Sea” during this time, influencing the lives of the communities that inhabited its northern shore. They also highlight the importance of research that crosses modern boundaries for gaining a better understanding of broad comparable dynamics.

Cultural change and population dynamics during the Bronze Age: Integrating archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence for Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683619857237 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (10) ◽

pp. 1607-1621 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jutta Kneisel ◽

Walter Dörfler ◽

Stefan Dreibrodt ◽

Stefanie Schaefer-Di Maida ◽

Ingo Feeser

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Material Culture ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Cultural Change ◽

Food Production ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Northern Germany ◽

Social Phenomena ◽

Boom And Bust ◽

The Bronze Age

In archaeology, change in material culture is viewed as indicating social or cultural transformation and is the basis of our typo-chronological classification of phases and periods. The material culture from northern Germany reveals both quantitative and qualitative changes during the Bronze Age. At the same time, there is also evidence for ‘boom and bust’ cycles in population density/size, as indicated by changing human impact on the environment in several Bronze Age palaeoenvironmental records. These demographic fluctuations may relate to the observed changes in social phenomena in aspects of ideology, technology, food production and habitation. For example, innovations in food production, such as the adoption of new crops and agricultural techniques, could have led to population growth. While usually viewed by archaeologists as a ‘negative’ development, population stress or collapse may have favoured the emergence of new cultural phenomena. In order to test the cause-and-effect relationship between population dynamics and sociocultural change, we synthesise the archaeological evidence – qualitative and quantitative information from settlements, deposition finds (hoards), burials, material culture and architectural remains – for the Bronze Age in northern Germany, mainly Schleswig-Holstein, and compare it with the boom and bust pattern seen in the palaeoenvironmental record. The synchronicity of changes at ca. 1500 BC and ca. 1100 BC reflects the relationship between phases of major sociocultural transformation in the archaeological datasets and booms and busts in the palaeoenvironmental record of the region seen as a proxies for palaeo-demography. This sets the stage for a better understanding of the transformation of practices and relationships in the Bronze Age communities of the region.

Big-Men and Small Chiefs: The Creation of Bronze Age Societies

Open Archaeology ◽

10.1515/opar-2017-0023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rune Iversen

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Southern Scandinavia ◽

The Creation ◽

Characteristic Features ◽

Early Late ◽

The Bronze Age ◽

Big Men

AbstractThis paper investigates to what extent the significant material changes observable at the end of the Neolithic reflect transformations of the underlying social dynamics. Answering this question will help us to understand the formation of Bronze Age societies. The analysis concerns southern Scandinavia with a certain focus on Denmark. The assumption is that the creation of Bronze Age societies must be understood as a long formative process that partly originated in the culturally-heterogeneous Middle Neolithic. Four aspects seem to have been essential to this process: the rise of the warrior figure, the reintroduction of metal, increased agricultural production, and the establishment of one of the characteristic features of the Bronze Age, the chieftain hall. These aspects do not appear simultaneously but are introduced stepby- step starting out in the late Middle Neolithic and early Late Neolithic to fully develop around 2000 BC. Consequently, this paper argues that the final Late Neolithic (LN II, c. 1950-1700 BC) was de facto part of the Earliest Bronze Age.

New evidence for prehistoric copper metallurgy in the vicinity of Bor

Starinar ◽

10.2298/sta1666173k ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 173-191

Author(s):

Aleksandar Kapuran ◽

Dragana Zivkovic ◽

Nada Strbac

Keyword(s):

Material Culture ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Copper Ore ◽

North Eastern ◽

Metallurgical Furnaces ◽

Copper Metallurgy ◽

New Evidence ◽

The Bronze Age

The last three years of archaeological investigations at the site Ru`ana in Banjsko Polje, in the immediate vicinity of Bor, have provided new evidence regarding the role of non-ferrous metallurgy in the economy of the prehistoric communities of north-eastern Serbia. The remains of metallurgical furnaces and a large amount of metallic slags at two neighbouring sites in the mentioned settlement reveal that locations with many installations for the thermal processing of copper ore existed in the Bronze Age. We believe, judging by the finds of material culture, that metallurgical activities in this area also continued into the Iron Age and, possibly, into the 4th century AD.