Site of Corded Ware Culture in Kavske, Sub-Carpathian Region: Change of Interpretation

Fra grænselandet mellem to kulturer

Jættestuen Jordhøj

We aim to identify maternal genetic affinities between the Middle to Final Neolithic (3850-2300 BC) populations from present-day Poland and possible genetic influences from the Pontic steppe. We conducted ancient DNA studies from populations associated with Złota, Globular Amphora, Funnel Beaker, and Corded Ware cultures (CWC). We sequenced genomic libraries on Illumina platform to generate 86 complete ancient mitochondrial genomes. Some of the samples were enriched for mitochondrial DNA using hybridization capture. The maternal genetic composition found in Złota-associated individuals resembled that found in people associated with the Globular Amphora culture which indicates that both groups likely originated from the same maternal genetic background. Further, these two groups were closely related to the Funnel Beaker culture-associated population. None of these groups shared a close affinity to CWC-associated people. Haplogroup U4 was present only in the CWC group and absent in Złota group, Globular Amphora, and Funnel Beaker cultures. The prevalence of mitochondrial haplogroups of Neolithic farmer origin identified in Early, Middle and Late Neolithic populations suggests a genetic continuity of these maternal lineages in the studied area. Although overlapping in time - and to some extent - in cultural expressions, none of the studied groups (Złota, Globular Amphora, Funnel Beaker), shared a close genetic affinity to CWC-associated people, indicating a larger extent of cultural influence from the Pontic steppe than genetic exchange. The higher frequency of haplogroup U5b found in populations associated with Funnel Beaker, Globular Amphora, and Złota cultures suggest a gradual maternal genetic influx from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Moreover, presence of haplogroup U4 in Corded Ware groups is most likely associated with the migrations from the Pontic steppe at the end of the Neolithic and supports the observed genetic distances.

Refshøjgård – Et bemærkelsesværdigt gravfund fra enkeltgravskulturen

It is noted that some researchers have associated the migration of ancestors of Indo-Europeans to Europe with the Yamna cultural and historical community. It is established that based on a comparison of genomic markers from the remains of the Volga-Ural group of Yamna culture and representatives of European populations from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age, Western geneticists recently proposed their concept of mass migration of bearers of Yamna culture to Central Europe, which led to the emergence of Corded ware culture. It is noted that from the archaeological point of view, neither this large-scale migration nor the origin of the «Corded ware culture people» from the «Yamna culture people» can be traced. It has been suggested that the formation of Corded ware cultures took place along with the formation of Yamna cultural community on a unified genetic substrate. It is noted that the similarity of genetic determinants in YCHC and CWC is not the result of the formation of one culture from another, but indicates a common genetic basis, which arose from complex processes of interaction between agricultural and steppe populations, which later developed according to individual cultural trajectories. The advance of the Yamna population to the west is considered as an intrusion into the local environment, not as its mass migration to Central Europe. It is assumed that there was a «trade colonization» with the formation of enclaves, covering the newcomers and the local population, with a gradual advance to the west. This is supported by the fact that in Central Europe about 20 burials of Yamna culture have been studied, which do not form a unified complex but occur in cemeteries of different cultures. It has been established that the main movement of the population of the Yamna culture to the west was along the Danube and partly through Transylvania, where the sites of CWC are unknown. The initial area from which the intrusion was carried out is the North-Western Black Sea region. It is concluded that such statistical information gives reason to doubt the mass migration of bearers of Yamna culture from the Volga-Ural watershed to Central Europe. It is noted that instead the migration of the Seredniodniprovska culture, which settled on the territory of the Northern Sub-Carpathian region and the Sokal Ridge, is much more clearly expressed. It has been established that the population of this culture joined the local CWC environment, forming syncretic sites with features of two and sometimes three (Yamna/Catacombna) cultures. It is known that after Seredniodniprovska culture the representatives of Catacombna culture penetrated Central Europe in the north-western direction. Their presence is most clearly traced in the environment of Strzyżowska culture. It has been established that the movement of the Babyne culture population to the territory of the Sub-Carpathian region, and especially to the Western Volhynia – to places where flint outcrops are localized, the environment of Horodok-Zdovbytsia and Strzyżowska cultures is increasingly observed. Key words: Yamna culture, Corded ware culture, Catacombna culture, Seredniodniprovska culture, Strzyżowska culture, migration, intercultural contacts, barrow, burial.

IntroductionCharcoal and bones are materials commonly used for the radiocarbon dating in geological and archaeological research.The difficulties with 14 C dating of charcoal and wood may be associated with the origin of analysed fragments, the conditions of the sediments, such as pH or humidity.As far as bones are concerned, the difficulties with radiocarbon dating may be connected with their state of preservation, collagen presence and the possible contamination by carbon from other sources.In some cases, despite the standard method of chemical pretreatment, it may be necessary to customise the applied treatment to the investigated material.The results of radiocarbon dating of bones and wood were compared with the relative chronology established by archaeologists, based usually on the typology of artefacts or pottery.The presented results of analyses refer to the territory of Wielkopolska (Great Poland), including among others, prehistoric and early medieval settlement sites in Suchy Las, ki Wielkie, Szczodrzykowo, Trzcielin, Snowidowo, erniki and Zielcin (fig.1).Samples of bones and pieces of wood selected for dating come from different periods of time and various cultures distinguished in archaeology, from the Funnel Beaker culture and the Lusatian culture to the developed phases of the Early Middle Ages (fig.2).The history of the settlement in Wielkopolska, a historical Polish district comprising the basin of the central Warta River, is quite complex (Kobusiewicz, 2008).The origins of occupation in the area, recognised by archaeologists, date back to the late Paleolithic, about 12-10 millennia BC.The Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-gatherer communities lived here in the period between 9 and 3 millennium BC.The first agricultural societies appeared in the Neolithic, namely 6-3 millennium BC (the Linear Pottery culture, the Funnel Beaker culture, the Globular Amphora culture, the Corded Ware culture).They were followed by communities of the early Bronze Age (the Iwno culture, the ntice culture and the Trzciniec culture), the developed Bronze Age societies (the Lusatian culture), early Iron Age cultures (the Pomeranian, the Jastorf and the Przeworsk), the cultures of the period of the Roman influences (the Przeworsk and the Wielbark), and finally the early Medieval settlement, when the Polish statehood began to emerge. www.intechopen.comRadiometric Dating 58 Some of these archaeological cultures, such as Lusatian or Przeworsk, are characteristic only for the selected area of Central Europe, among others the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.Pozna, which currently is the capital of Wielkopolska, obtained city rights in 1253, but it fulfilled the role of a centre, the most import stronghold already since the times of Duke Mieszko I of the Piasts dynasty, in the end of the 10th century.

Excavation works conducted at three sites (No. 3, 5, and 13) in connection with the construction of the Kazimierza Wielka bypass in 2019–2020 uncovered remnants of prehistoric settlements in the form of settlement pits and graves containing lithic inventories in various states of preservation. These inventories were primarily crafted from flint raw materials, predominantly of Cracow Jurassic, and to a lesser extent, Świeciechów flint, with occasional uses of chocolate flint and obsidian, and in a few instances, other types of rocks. The analysis of these inventories was conducted based on morphological and technological criteria. Individual pieces exhibit macro traces of use in the form of use-wear and gloss. The dating of lithic materials relied on correlating them with pottery found in the features, and in the case of isolated grave complexes along with co-occurring portable artefacts. The time span of the analysed lithic materials, encompassing tools and chip debitage, was associated with two chronological horizons. The older Neolithic phase relates to the settlements of communities belonging to the Linear Pottery and Funnel Beaker cultures, as well as individual grave complexes associated with the Funnel Beaker and Corded Ware cultures. The younger phase encompasses sparse waste pits of the Mierzanowice culture and the Trzciniec culture, containing inventories with uncharacteristic features. An isolated burial should be linked to individuals of the first of these cultures. An important element of the analyses conducted was the study of use-wear traces. Microscopic observations provided information on how stone tools were used by Neolithic and Early Bronze Age communities. Broader conclusions were drawn from the analysis of funerary materials associated with the Corded Ware culture, which additionally offered valuable information about burial customs, particularly the practice of placing flint tools alongside the deceased.

Bayesian analysis of a large corpus of radiocarbon measurements from central and eastern Europe has been performed in order to revisit and modify archaeological models of the spatio-temporal development of three Eneolithic cultures (the Funnel Beaker, the Globular Amphora and the Corded Ware cultures). While the results place the origins of the Funnel Beaker and the Corded Ware cultures in central-eastern Poland, it was impossible to specify the place of origin of the Globular Amphora complex.

VIRVELINĖS KERAMIKOS KULTŪRA LIETUVOJE 2800–2400 cal BC

The Corded Ware Culture complex in Sweden involves a special form of social structure called the Battle Axe Culture. Among well-known features, such as single graves, there are also other forms of expression. A special form of find is illustrated by a place with a significant accumulation of deliberately burned or otherwise destroyed objects. This mass deposit includes both well-known object forms and items indicative of far-reaching contacts. This kind of deposit practice has continuity dating back more than a millennium. The earliest part of the Late Middle Neolithic (Younger Neolithic I) appears to be a period of multicultural elements that included a continuation of the Funnel Beaker Culture with evident influences from the Pitted Ware Culture. Another form of expression relates to the so-called palisade constructions. Aspects of relations within southern Scandinavia, involving influences from the Corded Ware Culture and older cultural forms, are discussed. It is suggested that a tradition based on Funnel Beaker Culture has a longer existence in parts of Scania, the southernmost part of Sweden, than in the rest of southern Sweden.

The aim of the article is to present and characterize the collection of flint axes made of Cretaceous flint from the interfluve of the Bug River and Neman that morphologically resemble the forms from the Neolithic cultures of the Polish Lowland (the Funnel Beaker Culture, Globular Amphorae Culture and Corded Ware Cultures). This group of objects consists of 10 items found in the Podlasie region. The presented axes are a small part of a large collection (50 flint axes) exhibited in the Museum of Podlasie in Bialystok. A new term for local Cretaceous flint has been introduced for the purpose of this study. Until now, this type of flint was known as Northeastern Flint, and although research to define this term has been done, it has never been fully finalized. Because of that, the author of this study has coined a new and more suitable term: Cretaceous flint from the interfluve of the Bug River and Neman. This includes a group of Cretaceous flints from the Podlasie area and contains all the local variations of it: Mielnik flint, Rybniki flint, flint from the Cretaceous beds and marls and Krasne Siolo flint

The article presents the history and the most important results of archaeological research on the so-called Prokopiak’s Mount at Opatowice in the Kujawy region. Archaeologists from the Adam Mickiewicz University conducted surveys and excavations there for several years - from 1983 to 1998. Remains of settlements and graves discovered on the hill come mainly from the 4 th and 3 rd mill. BC and represent several units of the archaeological taxonomy: the Funnel Beaker culture, the Globular Amphora culture, the Corded Ware culture, the Neman culture, and the Proto-Bronze group. Since 2006, a special series of monographs of individual sites has been published. To date, five volumes have been published, and more are being prepared. Thanks to meticulous investigations as well as comprehensive and multifaceted scientific analyzes, the Prokopiak’s Mount at Opatowice is one of the best-recognized micro-regions of Late Neolithic settlement in Kujawy and is a reference point for extensive comparative research. This applies, for example, to the local scale of absolute chronology, various components of material culture, forms of settlements and camps, ceremonial and funeral practices, as well as economic activities.

Sociokulturel betydning af tragtbægerkulturens tidligneolitiske flintøkser

The Kalisz region is famous for a great number of Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and Early Medieval settlement sites and cemeteries. Far less numerous and known mostly from surface research and accidental discoveries, Stone Age sites were rarely excavated. This paper discusses the camps of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and the finds of individual flint artifacts that may be attributed to them based on technological and typological features. Their chronology, and in some cases their cultural affiliation, was determined. The Neolithic saw the development of communities related to Linear Pottery and post-Linear Pottery groups, as well as Funnel Beaker and Globular Amphorae cultures. At the end of the Neolithic period, these areas were inhabited by the Corded Ware culture. Given the poor recognition of the Stone Age settlement in the Kalisz region, interdisciplinary research aimed at processing archival and newly discovered materials should be undertaken.

The feature of historical and cultural development of the North-Western Pontic region at the end of the 4th—3rd millennium BC are the relations of its population with the bearers of foreign cultures. First of all it concerns the Budzhak culture which is the part of the Yamna cultural and historical area. The integration process in the Late Chalcolithic Age led to the formation the Budzhak culture of Yamna cultural and historical community based on local protobudzhak horizon. The most significant were the connections with Corded Ware culture, Globular amphorae culture, as well as with the cultures of the Carpatho-Danube. Contacts are manifested in two aspects — ceramics of the Budzhak culture (imports, imitations) and in the presence of Yamna culture burials (or with the features of it). They were found in different territories, in South-Eastern and Central Europe. The analysis of the material culture of Budzhak population suggests the establishment of contacts with the Corded Ware culture in the first half of the 3rd millennium BC. This allows us to reconstruct the possible ways along which the movements and contacts of different population groups took place. There has been no invasion of the steppe «Kurgan culture» into the west but trading colonization, based on was an exchange of natural resources — metals of Balkan-Carpathian area and salt from estuaries Northwestern Black Sea. The archaeological situation with the climatic fluctuations allowed the author to create the new model of correct cultural and historical processes in South-Eastern Europe in the 4th—3rd millennium BC, to evaluate both migration and trade colonization of new territories and adaptive capabilities of the ancient population of the North-Western Black Sea. The relations of Budzhak and Corded Ware cultures lasted for quite a while and were substantial in nature.