THE MIDDLE–LATE NEOLITHIC TRANSITION AT KOUPHOVOUNO

The site of Kouphovouno, just south of Sparta, is one of the main Neolithic sites in Laconia. It was first settled in the Middle Neolithic period and developed into a large village with remains occupying some 4–5 hectares. A joint team from the British School at Athens and the Ecole française d'Athènes carried out excavations at the site in 2001–6. There is evidence for occupation during the Bronze Age, and for an extensive Late Roman villa, but this article concentrates on the chronology of the site during the Middle and Late Neolithic phases. The evidence from stratigraphic sequences, pottery typology, seriation and Bayesian analysis of the radiocarbon dates is brought together to present a detailed chronological sequence covering the periodc.5800–5000bc. In particular the analysis relies on the results from two deep soundings, one excavated in Area C carried down to the natural sediments underlying the site and exposing the earliest period of occupation, and the second in Area G covering the later Middle Neolithic and much of the Late Neolithic phase. The findings from Kouphovouno are placed more generally in the context of finds from other sites in the Peloponnese and in particular in relation to the important sequence from Franchthi Cave. On the basis of the evidence it is argued that the transition from Middle Neolithic to Late Neolithic in southern Greece was not abrupt, as had previously been thought, but showed a gradual evolution. This finding has implications for our understanding of the process of transformation that southern Greece underwent in the course of the later sixth millenniumbc.

Download Full-text

Chronology of Greece and South-east Europe in the Final Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society ◽

10.1017/s0079497x00002048 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 65 ◽

pp. 319-336 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mats Johnson

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Radiocarbon Date ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

East Europe ◽

East European ◽

South East Europe ◽

Stratigraphic Sequences ◽

Southern Greece ◽

Of Greece

Final Neolithic to Early Bronze Age chronology in Greece remains obscure due to a lack of stratified deposits and radiocarbon dates. In this paper the Greek evidence is considered in the light of typological parallels, stratigraphic sequences, and the larger series of radiocarbon dates available from the south-east European cultures, and a tentative chronology for Greece and south-east Europe is presented. The evidence does not support the earlier notion of an overlap between the Thessalian Rachmani period and the Early Helladic period of southern Greece, but rather suggests that Rachmani is essentially contemporary with the southern Greek Final Neolithic. The Final Neolithic–Early Bronze Age transition in southern Greece shows affinities to Petromagoula in Thessaly and the Boleráz culture of Europe. Several radiocarbon dates place the Boleráz period in the early 5th millennium BP, suggesting that dates from FN–EBA transitional contexts in Greece may, in the future, help to fill the existing early 5th millennium gap in the Greek radiocarbon date series.

Download Full-text

Radiocarbon Dating of Aghios Antonios, Potos, and Intersite Chronological Variability in South Thasos, Greece

Radiocarbon ◽

10.2458/azu_rc.57.17778 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 807-823 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yannis Maniatis ◽

Nerantzis Nerantzis ◽

Stratis Papadopoulos

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Northern Greece ◽

Population Movements ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

The North ◽

Chronological Sequence ◽

Hilltop Settlement ◽

In The Beginning ◽

Early Late ◽

Of Greece

Radiocarbon dates obtained for the coastal hilltop settlement of Aghios Antonios Potos in south Thasos are statistically treated to define the absolute chronology for the start and the end of the various habitation and cultural phases at the site. The location was first occupied during the Final Neolithic (FN) between 3800 and 3600 BC, extending this much contested phase to the lowest up to now record for Thasos and the northern Greece. The site is continuously inhabited from Early Bronze Age I until the early Late Bronze Age (LBA; 1363 BC) when it was abandoned. Comparison with other sites in Thasos and particularly with the inland site of Kastri Theologos showed that the first occupation at Aghios Antonios came soon after the abandonment of Kastri in the beginning of the 4th millennium. In fact, after the decline and abandonment of Aghios Antonios in the LBA, the site of Kastri was reinhabited, leading to the hypothesis that part of the coastal population moved inland. The presumed chronological sequence of alternate habitation between the two settlements may evoke explanations for sociocultural and/or environmental dynamics behind population movements in prehistoric Thasos. A major conclusion of the project is that the 4th millennium occupation gap attested in many sites of Greece, especially in the north, is probably bridged in south Thasos, when the data from all sites are taken together. The mobility of people in Final Neolithic south Thasos may explain the general phenomenon of limited occupational sequences in the FN of north Greece.

Download Full-text

Late Bronze Age Apsidal and Oval Buildings in Greece and adjacent areas

The Annual of the British School at Athens ◽

10.1017/s0068245400020979 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 84 ◽

pp. 269-288 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. Mazarakis-Ainian

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Rapid Review ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Neolithic Period ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

In The Beginning ◽

Building Plans

Apsidal and elliptical buildings are characteristic of rural societies. In Greece their tradition goes back to the late Neolithic period. Apsidal houses become common in the EH and especially the MH periods, while oval buildings do not occur as often. It is generally acknowledged that curvilinear plans went out of fashion at the end of the MH period and that they reappeared in the beginning of the EIA. This statement is fundamentally correct for rectangular constructions prevail throughout the Mycenaean era. Yet an attentive survey of LBA sites in Greece proves that curvilinear buildings were still constructed in certain regions. A rapid review of these sites could be beneficial, for it might help in elucidating some of the reasons of the resurgence of these particular building plans shortly after the final collapse of the Mycenaean civilization.

Download Full-text

Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-15560-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Anja Furtwängler ◽

A. B. Rohrlach ◽

Thiseas C. Lamnidis ◽

Luka Papac ◽

Gunnar U. Neumann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Structured Populations ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Neolithic Period ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Genetic Studies ◽

Genetic Changes ◽

Complex Process ◽

Southern Central

Abstract Genetic studies of Neolithic and Bronze Age skeletons from Europe have provided evidence for strong population genetic changes at the beginning and the end of the Neolithic period. To further understand the implications of these in Southern Central Europe, we analyze 96 ancient genomes from Switzerland, Southern Germany, and the Alsace region in France, covering the Middle/Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. Similar to previously described genetic changes in other parts of Europe from the early 3rd millennium BCE, we detect an arrival of ancestry related to Late Neolithic pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe in Switzerland as early as 2860–2460 calBCE. Our analyses suggest that this genetic turnover was a complex process lasting almost 1000 years and involved highly genetically structured populations in this region.

Download Full-text

Archaeology, genetics and a population bottleneck in prehistoric Finland

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00115364 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 88 (342) ◽

pp. 1132-1147 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tarja Sundell ◽

Juhana Kammonen ◽

Petri Halinen ◽

Petro Pesonen ◽

Päivi Onkamo

Keyword(s):

Population Bottleneck ◽

Genetic Profile ◽

Neolithic Period ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Finnish Population ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Combined Use ◽

History Of ◽

Stone Artefact

The long-term history of prehistoric populations is a challenging but important subject that can now be addressed through combined use of archaeological and genetic evidence. In this study a multidisciplinary team uses these approaches to document the existence of a major population bottleneck in Finland during the Late Neolithic period, the effects of which are still detectable in the genetic profile of the Finnish population today. The postglacial recolonisation of Finland was tracked through space and time using radiocarbon dates and stone artefact distributions to provide a robust framework of evidence against which the genetic simulations could be compared.

Download Full-text

The Chalcolithic Radiocarbon Record and Its Use in Southern Levantine Archaeology

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200038510 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 1223-1246 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Margie Burton ◽

Thomas E Levy

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Social Institutions ◽

Time Frame ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Southern Levant ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Local Contexts ◽

Chalcolithic Period ◽

Chronological Sequence

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Chalcolithic period (5th–4th millennium BCE) in the southern Levant was a time of significant settlement expansion and increasing social complexity. Important technological and social developments during this era set the stage for the later rise of fortified sites and nascence of urbanization in the Early Bronze Age. Controversy surrounding the chronology of Chalcolithic settlement and the reconstruction of social trajectories has stimulated an interest in building a database of radiocarbon dates to measure the tempo of change and help resolve these issues. To facilitate social evolutionary research, this paper reviews and updates published 14C data for the southern Levantine Chalcolithic. The now-substantial database supports the generally accepted time frame for this archaeological period and allows synchronic comparisons across diverse geographic subregions in the southern Levant. In addition, it helps to temporally place the emergence of sophisticated technologies and the development of complex social institutions within the Chalcolithic period. However, radiometrically based attempts at pan-regional internal periodization of the Chalcolithic and fine-tuning of protohistoric events such as site establishment and abandonment are frustrated by the lack of precision in 14C dates, which limits their ability to resolve chronological sequence. Improved delineation of Chalcolithic social trajectories can be achieved most effectively by focussing research efforts on stratigraphic and typological investigations of deeply-stratified settlement sites such as Teleilat Ghassul and Shiqmim within their local contexts.

Download Full-text

Late Neolithic and Late Bronze Age lithic assemblages associated with a cairn and other prehistoric features at Stoneyhill Farm, Longhaven, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, 2002-03

Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports ◽

10.9750/issn.1773.3803.2010.45 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

Author(s):

Torben Ballin ◽

Ian Suddaby ◽

M Cressey ◽

M Hastie ◽

A Jackson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Lithic Technology ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Archaeological Record ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Lithic Assemblage ◽

Lithic Assemblages

Prehistoric remains were recorded by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) in 2002-03 during a programme of fieldwork at the landfill site within the boundaries of Stoneyhill Farm, which lies 7km to the southwest of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. These included a clearance cairn with a Late Bronze Age lithic assemblage and a burial cairn, with Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age lithics and Beaker ceramics. Other lithic scatters of similar date had no certain associations, although pits containing near-contemporary Impressed Wares were nearby. Additional lithic assemblages included material dated to the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. What may be proto-Unstan Wares in an isolated pit were associated with radiocarbon dates (barley) of the first half of the fourth millennium bc. These findings represent a substantial addition to the local area's archaeological record and form an important contribution to the understanding of lithic technology and ceramics in earlier prehistoric Scotland.This paper is dedicated to the memory of Ian Shepherd, whose site visits enlightened this and other projects undertaken by one of the authors (IS).

Download Full-text

Morphological Analysis and Dating of Pottery from the Posolskaya Site (Based on the Excavations of E. A. Khamzina in 1959)

Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University Geoarchaeology Ethnology and Anthropology Series ◽

10.26516/2227-2380.2019.29.25 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 25-37

Author(s):

O. I. Goriunova ◽

◽

A. G. Novikov ◽

D. А. Markhaeva ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Regional Differences ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Compositional Structures ◽

The Republic ◽

Characteristic Features ◽

The One ◽

Almost All ◽

The Bronze Age

The analysis of pottery materials of Posolskaya site (excavations by E. A. Khamzina in 1959), which is located on the southeast coast of Lake Baikal (Kabansk district, the Republic of Buryatia), is carried out in this article. Based on morphological features, several groups of pottery with a set of characteristic features are identified. A comparison of them with the materials of supporting multilayer objects on the coast of Baikal and Cis-Baikal area, in general, made it possible to determine the relative and absolute chronology of these groups. It was determined that pottery complexes of layers 2 and 3 contain artifacts of different cultural and chronological periods from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in a mixed state. They contain materials of the Middle and Late Neolithic (Posolskaya and Ust-Belaya ceramic types), the Early Bronze Age (pottery with pearls, with fingernails and Northern Baikal type) and the Late Bronze Age (Tyshkine-Senogdinsk type). Reticulated pottery, recorded in small quantities, was found in all complexes of the Neolithic era of the region. The pottery studies showed, on the one hand, its morpho-typological proximity with similar pottery in the south of Central Siberia as a whole. On the other hand, there were some regional differences (thickening of the corolla in bulk on Posolskaya type pottery in two versions: from the outside and from the inside; a variety of compositional structures on vessels with an external thickening of the corolla was revealed, expressed in simplification of the ornamental design; pottery combining features of Posolskaya and Ust-Belaya types was distinguished. A series of radiocarbon dates from stratified complexes of multilayer objects on the Baikal coast made it possible to determine chronological ranges for almost all pottery groups identified at Posolskaya site. Posolskaya type pottery in two of its variants corresponds to a chronological interval of 6750–6310 cal BP; Ust’-Belaia type (focusing on the dates of Ulan-Khada and the Gorelyi Les) – 5581–4420 cal BP; pottery with pearls and constructions from wide lines of the retreating spatula – 4500–3080 cal BP, pottery with finger pinches corresponds to 3370–3230 cal BP; Northern Baikal type – 3346–3077 cal BP; Tyshkine-Senogdinsk type – 2778–1998 cal BP.

Download Full-text

Neolithic Thessaly: radiocarbon dated periods and phases

Documenta Praehistorica ◽

10.4312/dp.44.3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 34-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Agathe Reingruber ◽

Giorgos Toufexis ◽

Nina Kyparissi-Apostolika ◽

Michalis Anetakis ◽

Yannis Maniatis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Neolithic Period ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Central Greece ◽

Absolute Dating ◽

The Bronze Age

Thessaly in Central Greece is famous for settlement mounds (magoules) that were already partly formed in the Early Neolithic period. Some of these long-lived sites grew to many metres in height during the subsequent Middle, Late and Final Neolithic periods, and were also inhabited in the Bronze Age. Such magoules served as the backbone for defining relative chronological schemes. However, their absolute dating is still a topic of debate: due to a lack of well-defined sequences, different chronological schemes have been proposed. New radiocarbon dates obtained in the last few years allow a better understanding of the duration not only of the main Neolithic periods, but also of the different phases and sub-phases.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text