Storage in the Central European Neolithic: A view from the US Southwest

Abstract

This paper takes a comparative approach to consider the role of storage technology in early agricultural communities in the Central European Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in light of research in the US Southwest. In particular, it outlines likely technological and social factors underlying storage type and location, with particular consideration of surface versus underground storage, and visible versus private storage. Several interpretations of LBK patterns and how they might be evaluated derive from this comparison. In particular, some types of LBK longhouses may have had two storage areas at opposite ends, with grain stored at the back or northwest end of the house, and perhaps fodder in the front southeast end. In addition, the limited use of underground storage in the LBK implies stable and secure settlements composed of relatively autonomous households, though this pattern undoubtedly varied regionally and perhaps deteriorated over time. These conclusions are not intended as definitive, but rather as suggesting directions for further investigation of variation in space and time in the early Central European Neolithic.