Abstract
Although not often discussed in an archaeological context, religion plays an important role in human migrations by working as an anchor of collective identity and distinction among the migrants. By establishing permanent religious structures – such as burials – the newcomers can also use religion as a tool to indicate an enduring presence in their new homeland. Remarkably, such practices can also be seen among the groups connected with the Corded Ware complex that migrated and settled in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea region roughly 5000 years ago. According to the material remains of the mortuary practices associated with this complex, these people did not travel alone; they carried with them a novel religion. Defined in this paper as a ‘steppe-originated religion’, this belief system continued mortuary practices known from the Pontic Steppe, while also incorporating material and ritual elements from different regions over the course of time. Despite this syncretism, the core ideas of the religion nevertheless persisted. As these ideas seem to relate to the mixing of past and present generations, as well as the merging of homeland and new land, this religion could have provided much-needed aid and comfort for a people on the move.
Highlights
5000 years ago, cord-decorated pottery and battle axes (Fig. 1) of the socalled Corded Ware Complex ( CWC) appeared in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea region (e.g., Lõugas et al 2007, Nordqvist and Häkälä 2014, Nordqvist 2016, 2018).1 According to recent genetic analyses (Saag et al 2017, Mittnik et al 2018), these pots and axes did not travel alone, but along with new genetic lineages – new people – who arrived in the area. the picture is still largely blurred, the genetic data allow us to move past the discussion of whether the migration event ever occurred, and to step into a more nuanced discussion of the rele vance of the different aspects of the reloca tions
By establishing permanent religious structures – such as burials – the newcomers can use religion as a tool to indicate an enduring presence in their new homeland. Such practices can be seen among the groups connected with the Corded Ware complex that migrated and settled in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea region roughly 5000 years ago
According to the material remains of the mortuary practices associated with this complex, these people did not travel alone; they carried with them a novel religion
Summary
5000 years ago, cord-decorated pottery and battle axes (Fig. 1) of the socalled Corded Ware Complex ( CWC) appeared in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea region (e.g., Lõugas et al 2007, Nordqvist and Häkälä 2014, Nordqvist 2016, 2018). According to recent genetic analyses (Saag et al 2017, Mittnik et al 2018), these pots and axes did not travel alone, but along with new genetic lineages – new people – who arrived in the area. 5000 years ago, cord-decorated pottery and battle axes (Fig. 1) of the socalled Corded Ware Complex ( CWC) appeared in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea region (e.g., Lõugas et al 2007, Nordqvist and Häkälä 2014, Nordqvist 2016, 2018).. According to recent genetic analyses (Saag et al 2017, Mittnik et al 2018), these pots and axes did not travel alone, but along with new genetic lineages – new people – who arrived in the area. The picture is still largely blurred, the genetic data allow us to move past the discussion of whether the migration event ever occurred, and to step into a more nuanced discussion of the rele vance of the different aspects of the reloca tions (cf Trabert 2019). In the field of migration studies these nuanced discus sions are a regular part of the ongoing debate, as they aim to understand issues related to migration and gender, explain community creation, and investigate migrant group identity, to mention but a few of their
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