scholarly journals Multi-isotope evidence for the emergence of cultural alterity in Late Neolithic Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. eaay2169 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fernández-Crespo ◽  
C. Snoeck ◽  
J. Ordoño ◽  
N. J. de Winter ◽  
A. Czermak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Histories ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Isotope Evidence ◽  
Restricted Region ◽  
Isotope Study ◽  
Neolithic Europe ◽  
Cultural Alterity

The coexistence of cultural identities and their interaction is a fundamental topic of social sciences that is not easily addressed in prehistory. Differences in mortuary treatment can help approach this issue. Here, we present a multi-isotope study to track both diet and mobility through the life histories of 32 broadly coeval Late Neolithic individuals interred in caves and in megalithic graves of a restricted region of northern Iberia. The results show significant differences in infant- and child-rearing practices, in subsistence strategies, and in landscape use between burial locations. From this, we posit that the presence of communities with distinct lifestyles and cultural backgrounds is a primary reason for Late Neolithic variability in burial location in Western Europe and provides evidence of an early “them and us” scenario. We argue that this differentiation could have played a role in the building of lasting structures of socioeconomic inequality and, occasionally, violent conflict.

scholarly journals Neolithic genomes reveal a distinct ancient HLA allele pool and population transformation in Europe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Immel ◽  
Christoph Rinne ◽  
John Meadows ◽  
Rodrigo Barquera ◽  
András Szolek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Human Leukocyte ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Leukocyte Antigen ◽  
Cultural Transformations ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome

AbstractThe Wartberg culture (WBC, 3,500-2,800 BCE) dates to the Late Neolithic period, a time of important demographic and cultural transformations in western Europe. We perform a genome-wide analysis of 42 individuals who were interred in a WBC collective burial in Niedertiefenbach, Germany (3,300-3,200 cal. BCE). Our results highlight that the Niedertiefenbach population indeed emerged at the beginning of the WBC. This farming community was genetically heterogeneous and carried a surprisingly large hunter-gatherer ancestry component (40%). We detect considerable differences in the human leukocyte antigen gene pool between contemporary Europeans and the Niedertiefenbach individuals whose immune response was primarily geared towards defending viral infections.

The Emergence of Cremations in Eastern Fennoscandia: Changing Uses of Fire in Ritual Contexts

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarkko Saipio
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Mortuary Ritual ◽  
Cultural Layers ◽  
Germanic Languages ◽  
Neolithic Cultures

Since the 1980s, a rapid increase in the number of Mesolithic and Neolithic cremation burials discovered has prompted a substantial re-evaluation of the position of cremation as a prehistoric mortuary ritual in northern Eurasia. Sporadic but persistent appearances of cremation in a wide variety of cultural contexts from early Mesolithic to late Neolithic have undermined the traditional models seeing cremation and inhumation as two radically different ways to treat the deceased. In studies of north-western Europe, from British Isles to southern Scandinavia, it is now widely recognized that inhumation and cremation co-existed in many Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures traditionally treated as textbook cases of mortuary practices emphasizing the corporeal integrity of the deceased. Importantly, the unexpected appearances of cremation are only one part of a wider challenge to the traditional assumption of dominance of primary burial in Mesolithic and non-megalithic Neolithic cultures of northern Europe. One important aspect of this challenge are finds of scattered burnt and unburned human bones in Mesolithic and Neolithic cultural layers, suggesting that articulated pit inhumations may actually represent exceptional cases (e.g. Hallgren 2008; Larsson 2009). North-eastern Europe still remains a white area in regional studies of pre- Bronze Age appearances of cremation in northern Europe. This border generally coincides with the language barrier between Germanic languages and various ‘eastern’ languages in terms of local archaeological research traditions. On the other hand, the border also roughly coincides with many genuine differences in archaeological record. Therefore, there is an obvious danger that differences in archaeological research histories and differences in archaeological phenomena become intermingled, creating ill-founded generalizations and assumptions. This chapter examines the earliest known cases of cremation in Eastern Fennoscandia, the area consisting of Finland, the Kola Peninsula, and Russian Karelia (Fig. 11.1). It is currently the easternmost part of northern Europe where confirmed cases of Mesolithic and Neolithic cremation have appeared so far. Such cases are currently few and little studied but they have a potential to redefine the whole study of prehistoric mortuary rituals in the area. In most of Eastern Fennoscandia acidic soil usually does not preserve any unburned bone material older than about a thousand years.

scholarly journals Strontium and oxygen isotope evidence for the origin and movement of cattle at Late Neolithic Durrington Walls, UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 5181-5197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Evans ◽  
Mike Parker Pearson ◽  
Richard Madgwick ◽  
Hilary Sloane ◽  
Umberto Albarella
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Isotope Evidence

scholarly journals Trace-Element and Pb Isotope Evidence on Extracting Sulfides from Potassic Melts beneath Longmenshan and Molabushan Volcanoes, Wudalianchi, Northeast China

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Rasskazov ◽  
Yi-Min Sun ◽  
Irina Chuvashova ◽  
Tatyana Yasnygina ◽  
Chen Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Element ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Volcanic Field ◽  
Lava Flows ◽  
Pb Isotope ◽  
Linear Pattern ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mantle Sources ◽  
Isotope Evidence ◽  
Isotope Study

In the Wudalianchi volcanic field, eruptions started with low-Mg potassic lava flows 2.5–2.0 Ma ago and later changed to both low- and moderate-Mg potassic compositions. Volcanic rocks from the Molabushan and Longmenshan volcanoes record an unusually wide range of Pb abundances (from 3.7 ppm to 21 ppm relative to predominant range of 10–15 ppm). To determine the cause of these, we performed a comparative trace-element and Pb isotope study of rocks from these volcanoes and older lava flows. On a uranogenic lead diagram, older low-Mg lavas from lithospheric mantle sources plot on a secondary isochron with a slope corresponding to an age of 1.88 Ga. This contrasts with moderate-Mg volcanic rocks from the Molabushan cone, interpreted to have been derived from a recent convective mantle source, which define a flat linear pattern. Low-Mg rocks from the Molabushan flow have lead isotopic compositions that indicate mixed Gelaqiu and Molabu sources. Relative to rocks from the Molabushan cone, moderate-Mg lavas and slags from the East Longmenshan volcano have modified compositions characterized by Pb, S, and Ni abundances, Ni/Co, Ni/MgO ratios as well as 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, Ce/Pb, Th/Pb, and U/Pb ratios. We infer that the older Wudalianchi magmas were likely derived from a Paleoproterozoic lithospheric fragment, related to the evolved primordial mantle, and that later magmas were generated in the convecting mantle. These were influenced by segregation of small amounts of sulfides.

scholarly journals Upper Pliensbachian – Toarcian (Jurassic) palaeoenvironmental perturbations in a temporal and regional context: an extended <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr, δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O belemnite isotope study from Bulgaria

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 315-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Metodiev ◽  
I. P. Savov ◽  
D. R. Gröcke ◽  
P. B. Wignall ◽  
R. J. Newton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Carbonate Platform ◽  
Short Pulse ◽  
The Other ◽  
Temporal Context ◽  
Sr Isotope ◽  
Anoxic Event ◽  
Isotope Study ◽  
Δ13c And Δ18o ◽  
Zonal Boundary

Abstract. The Upper Pliensbachian–Toarcian (Jurassic) sedimentological, palaeontological and geochemical (belemnite 87Sr/86Sr, δ13C and δ18O) record is examined in two Eastern Tethyan (Bulgarian) locations. This interval contains the well-known Early Toarcian ocean anoxic event (T-OAE) and its manifestation and temporal context is examined in Bulgaria. Many of the features characteristic for the SW European sections were identified: collapse of carbonate platform productivity at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary, the T-OAE (a short pulse of anoxic deposition in the Falciferum ammonite Zone), an Early Toarcian rapid warming event seen in the belemnite δ18O record that peaked around the Falciferum/Bifrons ammonite zonal boundary. The long-recognized positive δ13C excursion in the late Falciferum ammonite Zone is also seen but a precursor, sharp δ13C negative excursion seen around the Tenuicostatum/Falciferum ammonite zonal boundary in many organic carbon records is not evident in the belemnite data, a curious absence noted from other belemnite records. Subsequent fluctuations of the 87Sr/86Sr, δ13C and δ18O suggest there may be a further perturbation of the global isotopic systems. On the other hand, belemnite Sr isotope values from Bulgaria are in accord with those seen in Western Europe and hence its value for chronostratigraphy.

The orientation of rondels of the Neolithic Lengyel culture in Central Europe

Antiquity ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (318) ◽  
pp. 910-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emília Pásztor ◽  
Judit P. Barna ◽  
Curt Roslund
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Neolithic Europe

AbstractThe rondels – circular earthworks of late Neolithic Europe – have a repeated form highly suggestive of deliberate design and symbolism. The concentric ditches are cut by two, three or most often four causeways at right angles. Here the authors investigate the orientation of the causeways in 51 rondels belonging to the Lengyel culture and conclude that they correlate well with the sunrise. The idea of a solar cult receives some corroboration from patterns on contemporary pottery.

scholarly journals Unravelling ground stone life histories> the spatial organization of stone tools and human activities at LN Makriyalos, Greece

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Tsoraki
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Ground Stone ◽  
Communal Areas

Unlike previous studies of ground stone technology in the Greek Neolithic, this paper follows a more contextualised approach by looking at contexts of deposition of ground stone from Late Neolithic Makriyalos, Northern Greece. The patterns attested in the distribution of ground stone objects between domestic and communal areas will be discussed in terms of the spatial and social contexts of tool use, curation and deposition, contributing to wider discussions about the way acts of production, consumption and discard were structured within different contexts of social practice.

scholarly journals Between the 3rd and 2nd Millennia BC: Exploring Cultural Diversity and Change in Late Prehistoric Communities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Soares Lopes ◽  
◽  
Sérgio Alexandre Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Monumental Architecture ◽  
Multiple Points ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The University

'Between the 3rd and 2nd Millennia BC: Exploring Cultural Diversity and Change in Late Prehistoric Communities' is a collection of studies on the cultural reconfigurations that occurred in western Europe between the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. It brings together seven texts focusing on the evidence from the West of the Iberian Peninsula, and one on the South of England. The texts have their origin in a landmark meeting held at the University of Coimbra in November 2018, where scholars explored the grand narratives explaining the differences between what are traditionally considered Chalcolithic (or Late Neolithic) and Bronze Age communities. The contributions look at key aspects of these grand narratives through regional perspectives, asking the following questions: is there clear data to support the idea of an intensification of social complexity towards the emergence of the Bronze Age chiefdoms? What is the role of monumental architecture within this process? How do we best discuss the different levels of architectural visibility during this period? How can we interpret collective and individual burials in relation to the emergence of individual/territorial powers? In answering these questions, the papers explore regional diversity and argue that regional specificities resist a general interpretation of the historical process at stake. In light of this resistance, the book emphasizes that cultural singularities only become visible through contextual, medium, or low-scale approaches. The recognition of singularities challenges grand narratives, but also carries the potential to expand our understanding of the changes that occurred during this key moment of Late Prehistory. The book thus offers readers the opportunity to think about the diversity of archaeological evidence in combination with an exploration of the available range of approaches and narratives. The critical intertwining of multiple points of view is necessary, because it gets us closer to how elusive the cultural differences of prehistoric communities can be. This elusive dimension is precisely what can force us to constantly rethink what we see and what questions we ask.

scholarly journals GIS-based landscape analysis of megalithic graves in the Island of Sardinia (Italy)

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-141
Author(s):  
Riccardo Cicilloni ◽  
Marco Cabras
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Task ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Direct Relationship ◽  
Simple Type ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Cost Surface ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Significant Area

One of the most important megalithic groups in Western Europe in terms of number and characteristics is the group of over 200 monuments of various types in Sardinia. It now seems to be confirmed that the rise of the megalithic phenomenon was during the culture of San Michele of Ozieri (Late Neolithic, 4000-3300 B.C.E.). The Sardinian dolmen graves, however, had a maximum distribution during the Chalcolithic, as evidenced by most of the finds from excavations. The phenomenon also shows a close relationship beyond Sardinia and especially with the monuments of Catalonia, Pyrenees, non-coastal departments of French-midi, Corsica and Puglia.About 90 dolmen graves of various types have been investigated, namely the simple type, “corridor” type, “allée couverte” type, and others of uncertain attribution, located in central-western Sardinia, and particularly in a significant area of ca. 3500 km2 coinciding with the historical regions of Marghine-Planargia, Middle Valley of Tirso and Montiferru. This includes some 40% of all Sardinian dolmens. Locational trends and relationships with regard to landscape elements were studied with the aid of GIS methodologies such as viewshed and cost surface analysis. This allowed an evaluation of the role of visual dominance on the surroundings in relation to waterways and natural access routes.These dolmens enjoy an isolated positional character, being found more often in high plateaus, but also on low plateaus and hills. Although different concentrations are found in dolmenic graves, these do not seem to have any direct relationship among them, but their influence is apparently directed towards travel routes and sensitive elements of the landscape that have capabilities of territorial demarcation.The particular location emphasizes the significance of these monuments as territorial markers for segmentary societies. It seems that a dolmen was constructed according to the territory immediately surrounding it. This reinforces the hypothesis of there being a secondary task, in addition to that of burial, to symbolize a message or landmark for those who moved towards "another" territory: a sign of belonging.

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