Eastern Baltic Research Articles

The Globular Amphora Culture in the Eastern Baltic: New Discoveries

Abstract Until now, Šventoji in northwest Lithuania was considered the most northern site of the Neolithic Globular Amphora Culture (hereafter GAC; ca. 3400–2500 cal BC) in Europe. Recently, however, ceramics typologically resembling GAC ware were identified among the materials from the multi-period sites of Abora 1 and Iča in Latvia and further to the north from Tamula in southeast Estonia. Here we present the multi-disciplinary analyses of these ceramics, including their morphology, function and chronology, to ascertain whether they could represent sporadic migrations of GAC groups into the region or exchange and increasing social contacts with the indigenous hunter-gatherers during the period from ca. 3000–2600 cal BC. Overall, our results align with previous studies showing that GAC groups in the Eastern Baltic possibly reorientated their economy from animal husbandry towards fishing, as recently evidenced by the composition of zooarchaeological assemblages, and the organic residue analysis of ceramic vessels, which markedly differ from the GAC communities of Central Europe. Indeed, in several coastal and southern regions of Lithuania, it would appear that some GAC migrants replaced the indigenous Subneolithic forager groups, whilst in other areas, they had little to no impact on the local cultural and economic development.

Dnieper-Dvina basin at the end of 6th millennium BC and early ceramic traditions of the Circum-Baltic region

The most ancient pottery in the Eastern Europe appeared at the end of the 7th – first half of the 6th millennium BC and spread across a greater part of the Eastern Europe, including the Dnieper-Dvina basin by the middle of the 6th millennium BC. At the end of the 6th millennium BC new ceramic traditions appeared here, attributed to the Rudnya archaeological culture. The authors present an overview of the ceramic complex, bone industry, constructions, and chronology of the Rudnya culture. Similarities with ceramic complex of the Rudnya culture were found within various groups of the Narva culture. It could testify the change of vectors of cultural contacts at the end of 6th millennium BC manifesting destruction of the established network of cultural contacts that existed before in the 6th millennium BC. The Narva culture traditions probably spread eastwards from Eastern Baltic at the end of 6th millennium BC. Such a radical change of material culture might be regarded as a result not only of the cultural impulse, but probably arrival of new population from the western territories to the Upper Western Dvina area.

Comparative histopathology of livers from Baltic cod infected with the parasitic nematode Contracaecum osculatum

Infection levels with the parasitic nematode Contracaecum osculatum in Eastern Baltic cod have increased in the last decades. Eastern Baltic cod is transport host for this parasite that has a high affinity for the liver of the fish. The liver is a highly vital organ and damage to the liver tissue can result in reduced functionality of the organ. Previous studies have revealed that cod with high infections loads reveal impaired physiological performance, reduced nutritional condition and show signs of having a liver disease. Yet, little is known about the pathological changes and inflammatory reactions of the cod liver related to the infections. In this study, we performed histological examinations on 30 Baltic cod livers caught in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea (length; 38 ± 0.9cm, weight; 454 ± 34.8gram) and three Sound cod livers (length; 63 ± 2.9cm, weight; 3396 ± 300.2gram) to categorize the degree of inflammation and its relation to pathological changes in infected cod livers. We further investigated how C.osculatum infection levels varied with intensity of inflammation and co-infections. We found that high infection loads with C.osculatum caused severe inflammation in the liver tissue of cod and reduced fat content of the hepatocytes. Conspicuous amounts of glycogen were found in the muscle and intestinal epithelial cells of the nematodes and parasitic co-infections occurred more frequently in the most heavily infected livers.

New 14C data of megafaunal remains from Lithuania – implications for the palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the Middle Weichselian

Palaeobiological data, supplemented by new 14C dates in conjunction with palaeobotanical and lithological information, have allowed reconstruction of Middle Weichselian (MIS 3) environmental fluctuations in the southern Eastern Baltic region. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions implying non-glacial conditions during the Middle Weichselian (MIS 3) are supported by the spatial and temporal context of recently discovered remains of Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach and Rangifer tarandus Linnaeus, 1758. Recording both cold and warm climatic reversals of MIS 3, representatives of the megafauna thrived in an environment characterized by a heterogeneity of vegetation and climate. 14C dating shows that the majority of the megafaunal remains analysed represent the 38–45 cal kyr BP time-interval, which correlates with the Nemunas 2c cold interval (cryomer), and the 31–34 cal kyr BP or Mickñnai 3 thermomer. From pollen data, the palaeovegetation pattern varied from tree-less tundra to birch-predominating forest with an admixture of temporal tree species providing additional information about the diet and habitat preferences of these herbivores in the context of the MIS 3 climatic events.

Natural History and Exploitation of the Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758) during the Neolithic (ca. 4000–2000 cal. BC) in the Eastern Baltic Region

Compared with the history of seals in the Baltic Sea, the porpoise has received much less research attention. The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) has been quite rare in the eastern Baltic in recent centuries, but according to archaeological finds, its population was quite numerous here ca. 6000-4000 years ago (ca. 4000-2000 cal. BC). This paper deals with all known archaeological assemblages of porpoise so far discovered in the eastern Baltic (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), discusses the hunting strategies and studies the exploitation of this small cetacean by the Neolithic hunter-gatherers. Fauna historical aspects include new archaeological data in addition to those published previously. We consider whether these new data change the temporal and spatial pattern of porpoise hunting and examine how, in addition to the expected use of porpoise meat and blubber, the porpoise's toothed mandibles were used for patterning ceramics.

A long‐distance copper alloy trade to the North Eastern Baltic during the late pre‐Roman and Roman Iron Age (250 BCE–450 CE) explored with lead isotope MC‐ICP‐MS

AbstractThe North Eastern Baltic has no copper resources of its own, meaning that Cu alloy was imported either as raw material or as finished objects. The north‐eastern coastline of Estonia during the late pre‐Roman and Roman Iron Age was connected to the south by sea to the long‐distance ‘amber’ trade route and to the east by Russian river systems. This study quantitatively assesses the direction of the Cu alloy supply in the region before and after brass enters circulation at the beginning of the Roman Iron Age. After an initial portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) survey, 18 objects were chosen for Pb isotope analysis. This isotope analysis resolved a group of nine brass artefacts from the Roman Iron Age amongst a ‘melting pot’ of other Cu alloys. The similarity between the isotope ratios found in the Roman world suggests the presence of the same ‘melting pot’ in the North Eastern Baltic, possibly created by a large amount of Roman Cu alloy being traded north. No evidence for Cu alloy from Scandinavia or the Ural Mountains could be found. The hypothesis from this small study is that the Cu alloy entering Estonia was dominated by metal from Southern Europe from the late pre‐Roman Iron Age and the Roman period.

In the Northeasternmost Stands in Europe, Beech Shows Similar Wind Resistance to Birch

The ongoing shifts in natural vegetation zones predict the expansion of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) into the Eastern Baltic region, suggesting it will become a potential alternative to birch (Betula pendula Roth. and Betula pubescens Ehrh.) in forest regeneration. For a successful application of alternative forest regeneration material, an evaluation of susceptibility to natural disturbances (e.g., wind) is necessary for reliable projections of timber yield in the long term. This study compared the loading resistance of beech growing in the northeasternmost stands in Europe to local birch by applying the static tree-pulling test. Relationships between dimensions of aboveground parts and resistance against intrinsic wood damages (primary failure) and fatal (secondary) failure were similar between species. However, birch, which is more drought sensitive compared to beech, is suggested to have a higher susceptibility to post-storm legacy effects, supporting beech as a potential alternative to birch in terms of wind resistance.

Between Russia, Sweden, and Finland: The Åland Question Since 1809

This contribution addresses the strategical, political, and cultural significance of the Åland Islands between Russia, Sweden, and Finland from 1809 to the present day. During the first half of the 19th century, Russia fulfilled, with the conquest of the Åland Islands, one of its military goals which had been in place since the Petrine period, namely, to push forward the country’s military control as far as to the Western border of Finland in order to secure Russia’s capital St. Petersburg, and to threaten the capital of the kingdom of Sweden, Stockholm, in order to prevent a Swedish act of revenge for the loss of Sweden’s control of the Eastern Baltic during the Great Northern War. At the same time, the islands were, in a political and cultural sense, an important ingredient of the upcoming Swedish and Finnish national movements. After the loss of Finland, the countries had tried to find solace in national culture and past glories. In this respect, the question of why Sweden, during the Finnish Civil War, sent troops to the Åland Islands can be interpreted as part of Sweden’s anti-Russian military agenda as well as being part of its cultural mission to protect the islands against Finnish and Russian attempts to make the island part of Finnish or Russian culture, and to subdue the overwhelmingly-Swedishspeaking population in the context of a Finnish national state. This Swedish-Finnish opposition, though, turned, during the interwar period, into a secret collaboration against Russian military interests in the Eastern Baltic region, whereby the control of the Åland Islands played a central role. Despite minor yet critical situations, the islands have enjoyed relative calm ever since. However, the outbreak of Russia’s Ukrainian War threatens to cast doubt once again on the islands’ status.

BİR ORTA ÇAĞ KAYNAĞI OLARAK NOVGOROD KRONİĞİ: TARİHSEL DEĞERİ VE MUHTEVİYATI

Rus kronikleri ya da Rus yıllıkları Rusların Hıristiyanlığa geçişlerini müteakiben Bizans’ın yıllık yazma geleneğinden etkilenmeleri neticesinde ortaya çıkmıştır. XII. yüzyılda başlayan bu gelenek özellikle XIV. yüzyılda tüm Rusya’ya yayılmıştır. Rus yıllıkları, Türk-Slav/Rus münasebetleri konusunda bugün sahip olduğumuz bilgilerin ana kaynağıdır. Novgorod’da yazılan yıllık nüshaları Rus yıllıklarının en eski ve önemlilerindendir. Kilise ve manastırlarda yazılmış olsa da bu yıllıkların en eski nüshaları ne yazık ki zamanla kaybolmuş ve günümüze kadar ulaşamamıştır. XIV. yüzyılda Rus ülkesinin çeşitli yerlerindeki büyük manastırlarda çok sayıda yıllık yazılmış ve zamanla içinde Novgorod'da yazılan nüshaların da yer aldığı “yerli” yıllık geleneği oluşmuştur. 
 Novgorod Kroniği erken dönem Rusya tarihinin temel yazılı kaynaklarının en önemlisi ve en iyi bilinenidir. Novgorod'da kronik yazımı çok erken başladı, zira Novgorod Kroniği ilk Rus yıllığı olarak kabul edilen Povest Vremennıh Let (Geçmiş Yılların Hikayesi)’in Nestor Nüshasından (Nestor Kroniği) bir dizi öge içermektedir. Kroniği yazan ve koruyanların din adamları olması, bazı yazıcıların kendilerini salt rahip olarak adlandırmasının ötesinde eserin genelinde yoğun bir dini eğilim bulunmaktadır. Bu durumun doğal sonucu olarak Novgorod Kroniği kilise meselelerine bolca değinmektedir. Bu dini notlar dönemin politik konularına ve sosyal koşullarına ışık tutmaktadır. Kroniğin mevcut en eski kopyası, XIII. yüzyılın ikinci yarısına tarihlenen Synodal Nüshası (Sinod Parşömeni) olarak adlandırılır. İlk basımı 1841'de yapılmış olup, halen Devlet Tarih Müzesi'nde korunmaktadır.
 Orta Çağ tarihinin ana kaynaklarından biri olan Novgorod Yıllığı farklı kişilerin kaleminden çıkmış ve günümüze kadar ulaşmıştır. Novgorod Yıllığı, 1016-1471 yılları arasındaki hadiseleri konu almaktadır. Novgorod Kroniği, Nestor Kroniği’nin bıraktığı yerden Rus tarihini devam ettiren birkaç yerel kronikten biridir. Genel olarak tipik Rus yıllığı olmakla birlikte, tek düze bir siyasi devrimler kataloğu olma özelliği de taşımaktadır. Novgorod Kroniği, Rurikidler hanedanının knyazları (prensleri), şehrin valileri ve başpiskoposları hakkında bilgi vermektedir. Bu alan ve belirli konular için malzeme değeri yüksek olan yıllık, Kumanlar, Almanlar, Moğollar, Litvanyalılar ve Hanse Birliği ile ilgili detaylı bilgiler vermektedir. Söz konusu milletlerin Novgorod ve çevresine yapmış oldukları saldırılar, savaşlar yıllıkta bazen detaylı bazen ise önemsiz bir hadiseymiş gibi anlatılmaktadır. Kalka Savaşı, Tannenberg Savaşı, Kulikova Savaşı, Neva Muharebesi, Novgorod Yıllığı’nda anlatılan önemli savaşlardır. Novgorod Kroniği, on üçüncü yüzyılın başlarında, Konstantinopolis'in Latin haçlılara düşüşü hakkında ayrıntılı bilgi verirken, ülkeye çok daha yakın olan gelişme olarak bir diğer Latin Haçlıları Almanların gelip doğu Baltık'ta koloniler inşa etmesine daha az dikkat kesilmektedir. Yıllık eksik ve kronolojik olarak hatalı bilgiler vermekle beraber, Slav coğrafyası ve bu halklarla iletişim kuran milletlerin tarihlerinin ele alınması açısından doyurucu bilgiler içermektedir.

The genetic history of Scandinavia from the Roman Iron Age to the present

We investigate a 2,000-year genetic transect through Scandinavia spanning the Iron Age to the present, based on 48 new and 249 published ancient genomes and genotypes from 16,638 modern individuals. We find regional variation in the timing and magnitude of gene flow from three sources: the eastern Baltic, the British-Irish Isles, and southern Europe. British-Irish ancestry was widespread in Scandinavia from the Viking period, whereas eastern Baltic ancestry is more localized to Gotland and central Sweden. In some regions, a drop in current levels of external ancestry suggests that ancient immigrants contributed proportionately less to the modern Scandinavian gene pool than indicated by the ancestry of genomes from the Viking and Medieval periods. Finally, we show that a north-south genetic cline that characterizes modern Scandinavians is mainly due to the differential levels of Uralic ancestry and that this cline existed in the Viking Age and possibly earlier.

Bioenergetics modelling of growth processes in parasitized Eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua L.).

Changes in physiological processes can reveal how individuals respond to environmental stressors. It can be difficult to link physiological responses to changes in vital rates such as growth, reproduction and survival. Here, bioenergetics modelling can aid in understanding non-intuitive outcomes from stressor combinations. Building on an established bioenergetics model, we examine the potential effects of parasite infection on growth rate and body condition. Parasites represent an overlooked biotic factor, despite their known effects on the physiology of the host organism. As a case study, we use the host-parasite system of Eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) infected with the parasitic nematode Contraceacum osculatum. Eastern Baltic cod have during the past decade experienced increasing infection loads with C. osculatum that have been shown to lead to physiological changes. We hypothesized that infection with parasites affects cod growth negatively as previous studies reveal that the infections lead to reduced energy turnover, severe liver disease and reduced nutritional condition. To test this, we implemented new variables into the bioenergetics model representing the physiological changes in infected fish and parameterized these based on previous experimental data. We found that growth rate and body condition decreased with increased infection load. Highly infected cod reach a point of no return where their energy intake cannot maintain a surplus energy balance, which may eventually lead to induced mortality. In conclusion, parasite infections cannot be ignored when assessing drivers of fish stock dynamics.

Современное состояние восточнобалтийской популяции трески Gadus morhua callarias Linnaeus, 1758

A review of scientific literature describing the state and dynamics of the Eastern Baltic cod population over the past 30 years has been conducted. The Eastern Baltic cod is one of the most important commercial species in the Baltic Sea. An ecological regime shift in the early 1990s, resulting from a reduction in the frequency of large North Sea inflows, led to a de­crease in salinity and oxygen levels in the bottom layers of the deep basins of the Baltic Sea. This caused a sharp deterioration in the spawning conditions. Factors influencing the Eastern Baltic cod population and changes in the population under the influence of these factors are described. The decisive impact of North Sea inflows and their prolonged absence on the popu­lation's development, the influence of oxygen saturation levels on all life stages of cod, and the negative consequences of hypoxia for the feeding of Eastern Baltic cod are noted. Among the changes in the population, a decrease in the number of eggs in spawning areas during the peak spawning period, a reduction in the average individual sizes and weights of specimens, and a shift in the spawning peak to later dates are highlighted. The conclusion is drawn about the unsatisfactory state of the population and the impossibility of its recovery in the medium term, regardless of commercial catch rates.

Кони Бирки

The data presented in this article on horse burials in the Scandinavian burial ground of Birka (Sweden) suggest the existence of trade relations between the population of southeastern Scandinavia of the Viking Age and the western Baltic inhabitants of the Amber Coast. These contacts could be based on the supply of raw amber to the north of Europe. In parallel, Prussian horses were supplied to Scandinavia, equipped with authentic headbands for funeral ceremonies. This part of the Balto-Scandinavian contacts is extremely interesting, first of all, because the cult of the horse and its role in the funeral ceremony, associated with the solar cult of the Ashvin twins, is a specific feature of the spiritual culture of the Baltic population of the entire Eastern Baltic region. The representation of horse burials in the Scandinavian funerary antiquities of the Viking Age suggests the influence of the features of the Baltic spiritual culture on the cult of the northerners of Europe. In truth, the burial of a horse with riding equipment, which accompanied the grave of the leader, is known in Scandinavian legends about pre-Christian times.

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN COMPUTATIONAL MODELLING OF THE SUB-NEOLITHIC BOUNDARY: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER DYNAMICS GOVERNING THE ADAPTIVE MORPHOGENESIS OF CULTURE

The Sub-Neolithic hunter-gatherer-fisher (HGF) groups and Corded Ware (CW) agro-pastoralgroup interactions within the Lithuanian portion of the Neman Basin around ~3000 BC did not follow the same patterns of agriculturalisation seen elsewhere in Europe during Neolithization. The variation of interaction in this agricultural frontier zone provides valuable insight into the way information exchange between groups drives the exchange of intercultural information and how information exchange between groups ultimately the adaptive morphogenesis of culture. This article’s primary author has already studied this outlier behaviour and the Unified Agricultural Frontier Model (UAFM) was proposed in volume 45 of this journal (Troskosky et al. 2019). The article presented in this volume is a companion piece to the 2019 publication which further explains and tests the mechanics underlying the UAFM. The UAFM applies self-organised criticality (SOC) to the hypothesis that marked cultural shifts are most likely to occur in response to increased levels of stress affect within a society. Stress affect is defined as the dissonance between encultured expectations of reality and phenomenologically lived reality within a population. To test this hypothesis, The Arithmetic Logarithm Illustrating Cultural Exchange (ALICE) model was developed; it provides confirmation that information exchange drives the behaviour of the UAFM across frontier zones. This model provides strong computational confirmation that information drives the behaviour of the UAFM across frontier zones. Theoretically, ALICE supports a general model for information flow between different cultures, facilitating corresponding cultural changes across any frontier. It models how increased levels of stress affect within interacting groups can lead to shifts of societal behaviour marked by a pattern of periods of equilibrium alternating with periods of disequilibrium. The results from the ALICE model and logical extrapolation of their effects in the UAFM demonstrate support for the eight new archaeological testable governing dynamics for information-driven adaptive morphogenesis of culture. Keywords: Archaeology, Eastern Baltic, Neolithisation, Information Science, Computational Modeling, Self Organized Criticality, Frontier Zone Dynamics, Sub-Neolithic, Corded Ware, Cultural Morphogenesis

VĖLYVOJO BRONZOS AMŽIAUS EKONOMIKA RYTŲ BALTIJOS REGIONE: NAUJO MODELIO LINK

In this paper, we present the main results of interdisciplinary project that allowed us to formulate a new perspective on the economy of the Late Bronze Age in the Eastern Baltic region. New excavations at the Late Bronze Age fortified settlements of Garniai 1 (Utena district municipality) and Mineikiškės (Zarasai district municipality) lead us to analyse the economy of the communities in much greater detail and to formulate a more reliable economical model than before. This paper reviews the new results of archaeobotanical investigations of these fortified settlements, as well as δ13C and δ15N data of food remains in Late Bronze Age pottery, grains and animal bone collagen samples. These analyses allowed us to refine and clarify the likely dietary practices of consumers of certain products in the Eastern Baltic region. The paper also publishes new data on the elemental composition and lead isotopes of metalware, thereby adding to our earlier findings These studies show that metallurgy as a specialized activity did not play a significant role in the Late Bronze Age economy, but its emergence was driven by the economic changes of the period. In contrast, the production of high-level bone-antler artifacts reflects the activity of specialized craftsmen in Late Bronze Age settlements. The collection of a new large and varied dataset allows us to determine the lifestyle and dietary habits of the people living in these settlements. By developing a new model of the Late Bronze Age, we present a picture of the interwoven economies of agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting, fishing, gathering, metallurgy and bone craftsmanship as a whole, asking what might have influenced the distinctive development of the economy of the eastern Baltic Sea region during the Late Bronze Age. Key words: Late Bronze Age economy, fortified settlements, paleobotany, archaeozoology, diet, specialized craftwork, communication.

Zooarchaeology of the Late Bronze Age Fortified Settlements in Lithuania

The economic model of the Lithuanian Late Bronze Age (1100–500 cal BC) has long been based on zooarchaeological collections from unstratified, multi-period settlements, which have provided an unreliable understanding of animal husbandry and the role of fishing and hunting. The opportunity to re-evaluate the previously proposed dietary and subsistence patterns arose after zooarcheological assemblages of Garniai 1 and Mineikiškės fortified settlements, dating only to the Late Bronze Age, were collected in 2016–2017 and 2020–2021. The new analysis revealed that the communities in these sites were mainly engaged in animal husbandry of small ungulates such as pigs, sheep/goats, which differed from western Lithuania and the rest of the Eastern Baltic. Moreover, it has been observed that hunting and fishing significantly declined after the Early Bronze Age (1700–1100 cal BC). Lastly, unusual traits for the Baltic region were identified including exceptionally highly fragmented bones and the consumption of molluscs, which could be attributed to the exploration of additional food sources in times of deprivation.

Multi-isotopic analysis of zooarchaeological material from Estonia (ca. 200-1800 CE): Variation among food webs and geographical regions.

To better comprehend the dietary practices of past populations in the Eastern Baltic region we have created temporally and geographically restricted baselines for the time period of 200-1800 CE. In this multi-isotopic analysis, we report new δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values for 251 faunal bone collagen samples from various archaeological contexts in Estonia representing the most comprehensive set of Iron Age, Medieval and Early Modern Period faunal stable isotope values to date. The results map out the local carbon and nitrogen baselines and define isotopic ranges of local terrestrial, avian and aquatic fauna. We also demonstrate the potential application of sulfur stable isotope analysis in archaeological research. The results demonstrate a clear distinction between δ13C and δ34S values of marine and terrestrial species, however, freshwater fish display notable overlaps with both marine and terrestrial ranges for both δ13C and δ34S values. Herbivores show variation in δ34S values when grouped by region, explained by differences in the local biotopes. This study is the first attempt to connect the Eastern Baltic isotopic baselines and provides more detailed temporal and geographical references to study the local ecologies and interpret the human data.

Seasonal Migrations and Population Dynamics of the Long-Eared Owl (Asio otus, Strigiformes, Strigidae) Based on 60-Year-Long Trapping and Ringing in the Eastern Baltic

Seasonal Migrations and Population Dynamics of the Long-Eared Owl (Asio otus, Strigiformes, Strigidae) Based on 60-Year-Long Trapping and Ringing in the Eastern Baltic

Source-sink dynamics drove punctuated adoption of early pottery in Arctic Europe under diverging socioecological conditions

What drives the adoption of pottery amongst prehistoric foragers in high-latitude environments? Following the long-running interests of archaeology in explaining the origin and dispersal of new technologies, recent years have seen growing efforts to understand what drove the emergence and expansion of early hunter-gatherer pottery use across northern Eurasia. However, many regional dimensions to this continental-scale phenomenon remain poorly understood. Initial pottery adoption has often been explained as a generic cultural response to warming climates and the growing diversity of food resources, yet resolving challenges of food security during seasonal shortfalls or general climatic downturns may have provided alternative motivations. It is also becoming clear that many regions experienced more complex patterns of pottery adoption and that many resist simplistic monocausal interpretations. In this paper we deploy a Human Ecodynamics framework to examine what drove the punctuated adoption of two early pottery traditions into Arctic Maritime Europe, which were separated by a multi-millennial ceramic hiatus – Early Northern Comb Ware (ENCW) and Asbestos Tempered Ware (ATW). Our multi-proxy approach involves the revision of pottery chronologies to clarify the timing and ecological context for each dispersal, combined with analysis of technological and functional dimensions of the ceramic traditions to understand the contrasting social organization of these technologies. Our results confirm that ENCW expanded at a time of increased locational investment and ecological abundance in the region, while ATW spread in a series of smaller and more intermittent waves in the context of a major ecological downturn and alongside a return to a high-mobility lifestyle. Finally, we use the concept of “source-sink dynamics” to suggest that both dispersals were driven by the same underlying process. This involved major climatic fluctuations triggering small-scale population transfers from lake and riverine settings of western Russia, Finland and the Eastern Baltic region via interior areas and through to the Arctic Norwegian coastline, a persistent process that is also well-documented in later historical periods. Our results highlight the crucial importance of bridging-scale case studies as these have the “unsettling” potential to highlight deeper problems of equifinality. In this case, they reveal that two broadly similar material traditions spread into the same regions, albeit in the context of strikingly different environmental and behavioural conditions.

Ordovician of the Eastern Baltic palaeobasin and the Tornquist Sea margin of Baltica

Abstract This paper summarizes recent knowledge on the palaeontology, biostratigraphy, correlation, sea-level and climate history and isotopic geochemistry of the Ordovician rocks in the western and central parts of the East European Craton, in the area extending from the southern margin of the Fennoscandian Shield to the western margin of the Ukrainian Shield. The regional chronostratigraphic standard is briefly summarized and its correlation to the global standard of the Ordovician is addressed. A two-part correlation chart of 10 areas with unique local Ordovician successions is aligned with the most recent international correlation standard of the Ordovician System and presented against the regular timescale. An updated summary of the evolution of the marine assemblages is provided, the principal gaps in the existing extremely rich palaeontological database are identified and the main bioevents are discussed.