Late Neolithic Settlement Research Articles

Vester Hedegaard. A Late Neolithic Settlement with House Remains, Offering Pits, Carbonised Grain and Animal Bones in Northern Jutland

Abstract A settlement with six houses and two offering pits is presented in the article. The settlement is roughly dated to the Late Neolithic II (c.1950–1700 BCE). It contained comprehensive subsistence material, including carbonised grain, food crust and burned bones of a cow and a smaller mammal. The two animals were possibly trapped in a house fire and interpreted as evidence of livestock stalling during the Late Neolithic. The material forms the basis of an interpretation of the subsistence, which is suggested to have consisted of cereal cultivation enhanced by intensive fertilisation with dung from domestic animals. This cultivation cycle ensured stable food production on the lean soils of the area during the occupation. Analysis of the food crust indicates that fruit wine was also consumed in the settlement.

Dolsko – Spodnje Škovce and a new insight into the settlement, chronology, ceramic style(s), and subsistence strategies of the Late Neolithic Sava group in Slovenia

Radiocarbon dates, analysis of ceramic finds, animal bones, fruits/seeds and wood (charcoal) from settlement features of the Sava group of the Lengyel Culture at the site of Dolsko – Spodnje Škovce in central Slovenia are presented and discussed in this paper. The aim of the study was to place the excavated material culture in its regional and supra-regional context in order to improve the understanding of Late Neolithic settlement features, chronology, pottery style(s) and subsistence strategies in settlements throughout the area of distribution of the Sava group. This is the first synthesis of archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data from the 5th millennium cal BC sites in Slovenia, including the evaluation and comparison of plant macro-remains and animal bones, and the first synthesis of data on technological and typological aspects of pottery production in the settlements obtained using the same analytical approach. Uncertainties regarding the chronology of different variations of a pottery style and subsistence strategies are emphasized.

Multiscale and Multitemporal Remote Sensing for Neolithic Settlement Detection and Protection—The Case of Gorjani, Croatia

The decade of research concentrating on the area of Eastern Slavonia revealed an abundance of large and complex Middle and Late Neolithic sites. It changed profoundly how we perceive Middle and Late Neolithic settlements, including space, size and organization. The vast majority of these sites were detected through aerial reconnaissance and satellite image analysis. The observation of the sites was followed by intensive field surveys, which confirmed their attribution to the Middle and Late Neolithic period by surface finds. On those confirmed sites in the vicinity of Đakovo, Croatia, a magnetic survey was conducted on five sites, and the results confirmed the presence of large-scale Middle and Late Neolithic settlements with complex spatial organization and enclosure(s). The most complex remains so far are the sites Gorjani, Kremenjača and Topole, which we present in this paper, where one or two settlements remain covering an area of 70 hectares which is currently in the process of formal protection as a cultural landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The special focus of this paper is the application of remote sensing in the detection, archaeological confirmation and protection of the site of Gorjani Topole.

Lead isotopic compositions link copper axes from Kietrz (Poland, 3500–3350 BC) to Slovak and Balkan copper mines

AbstractChemical and lead isotope analyses aided by metallographic examination of copper axes found at the Late Neolithic settlement of Kietrz in southwestern Poland provide new evidence for the origin of copper and metal trade routes in the region. Our results indicate that metal used for the axes could be sourced from copper mines in modern Slovakia, Bulgaria and perhaps Serbia. The evidence from this study confirms that the Funnel Beaker people from Poland became parties to a metal trading network that connected much of continental Europe in the mid‐4th millennium bce and provides a better understanding of how these contacts provided the background for the technological and socio‐economic developments of the Baden era.

The Middle and Late Neolithic settlement of Saint-Julien-lès-Metz in Moselle, Lorraine (Abridged version)

The preventive archaeological excavation of Saint-Julien-lès-Metz took place some twenty years ago, and the artefacts were completely restudied following the publication of this relatively well-preserved site. The site as a whole illustrates three Neolithic periods from sometimes unprecedented angles, and represents a major contribution to our understanding of village communities in Lorraine. The three recognised settlements span the 5th to 3rd millennia and are separated by chronological gaps. The first documented occupation dates back to the first part of the Middle Neolithic. The main features of this period are two buildings and a succession of polylobed pits, typical of sites from the Grossgartach culture. They provide an unprecedented vision of a structured plateau settlement. The second is dated to the second half of the Middle Neolithic. A sequence of polylobed pits is the only remaining feature of a Bischheim settlement. These structures are recurrent features on contemporaneous Lorraine sites. The last occupation dates from the Final Neolithic. A combustion structure and a silo are the only remaining elements of a probable Bell Beaker settlement.La fouille de Saint-Julien-lès-Metz réalisée dans un cadre préventif s’est déroulée il y a une vingtaine d’années et sa publication a conduit à la reprise complète des études de mobiliers. Le site se caractérise par un état de conservation relativement bon. L’ensemble illustre trois périodes du Néolithique sous des angles parfois inédits et constitue un apport majeur pour la compréhension des communautés villageoises lorraines. Les trois occupations reconnues s’étendent du Ve au IIIe millénaire et sont séparées par des hiatus chronologiques. La première occupation attestée remonte à la première partie du Néolithique moyen. Deux bâtiments et une succession de fosses polylobées sont les éléments principaux de ce gisement. Ils sont caractéristiques des sites de la culture de Grossgartach et offrent une vision inédite d’un habitat structuré en plateau. La deuxième est datée de la seconde partie du Néolithique moyen. Une succession de fosses polylobées est le seul élément de ce qu’il reste d’un habitat Bischheim. Ces structures sont récurrentes sur les sites lorrains contemporains. La dernière occupation est datée du Néolithique final. Une structure de combustion et un silo sont les seuls éléments restants d’un probable habitat campaniforme.

Combining Residue and Macroscopic Use-wear Analysis of Quartz Objects in Kraakanmäki 3 Late Neolithic Settlement Site, Western Finland

Microscopic remains of plants, hairs, blood, bone, and sinew have been detected on Stone Age implements as evidence of the ways the tools were used. Together with use-wear analysis, microresidues enable us to obtain additional information of artefact biographies. However, the preservation of residues is not a straightforward issue. Although bones, plant matter, and wood have a tendency to decompose rapidly in acidic podzol soils, the acidity favours the preservation of keratinous tissues such as hairs and feathers. Because the analysis of microresidues has not been applied on Finnish quartz artefacts, this paper presents a preliminary testing of the method in a Late Stone Age settlement site in Kraakanmäki 3, western Finland. As a result, we found microscopic remains of hairs, feathers, and plants, which enable us to speak for the careful handling of quartz and stone tools at the excavations for further analyses.

The times they are a-changing. Reconsidering the occupation history and character of a 3rd millennium BCE settlement in the Lower Rhine Area

A re-analysis of soil micromorphology samples and radiocarbon dates was undertaken at the Middle to Late Neolithic settlement of N11, Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, in the Netherlands. The site, located on crevasse deposits of the river Rhine, was previously dated between 3200 and 2500 BCE. Our re-analysis allows us to place the occupation firmly in the 3rd millennium BCE, which holds implications for our understanding of a pivotal transformation process in Northwest European prehistory. At the same time, it presents us a very informative picture of domestic activities including both the remains of combustion next to a dwelling structure, dating to the first phase of occupation, and the dumping of organic waste with varying degrees of intensity throughout the whole habitation period. Finally, we have shown that a combined approach of archaeological soil micromorphology and a critical analysis of radiocarbon dating, can strengthen interpretations of site chronology and characterising socio-cultural processes.

Settlement base of the Neolithic banded flint mines in Krzemionki Opatowskie – an outline of the issues

The analysis of the Middle and Late Neolithic settlement pattern confirms the thesis of the significant role of the middle Kamienna river basin in the region of the Sandomierz Upland and the Iłża Forehills as the settlement base for banded flint mines in the area of Krzemionki Opatowskie. Some of the settlements of the Funnel Beaker culture located in the northern and central part of the Sandomierz Upland could be related to exploitation and processing of the: banded and the Świeciechów flint raw materials. The area of the right-bank tributaries of the Kamienna river is considered a settlement base for the prehistoric banded flint mines of the Globular Amphora culture. The surface survey and test excavation carried out in the middle course of the Kamienna river in the Iłża Forehills, as well as archaeological excavations in the mining field, showed the existence of quite numerous sites from the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.

A Contribution to the Study of Social Inequality in the Late Neolithic of the Central Balkans

The social inequality represents one of the major problems of the contemporary world and an important anthropological subject. The transition to agriculture is often viewed as an important turning point for the development of social inequality in (pre)history. For this reason, the study of the social inequality in the Neolithic communities is of particular importance for the understanding of the origins and the development of this phenomenon. This paper represents an empirical contribution to the study of social inequality in the Late Neolithic in the Central Balkans (5300-4500 BCE). The aim is to quanitfy and estimate the levels of inequality between households in three Late Neolithic settlements: Belovode, Pločnik, and Drenovac. In line with the current methods for the estimation of social inequality from archaeological remains, this study relies on the house floor area as a proxy for household wealth. The house floor area measurements are based on the geophysical surveys data published in the literature with around 1000 house floor area measurements available for the analysis. The Gini index is calculated for each site based in the distribution of house floor area. The results suggest that the social inequality on all three sites was relatively low, as the Gini values range from 0.18 to 0.22. These values fit well with the Gini estimates based on the previous research of the social inequality in the Neolithic and Eneolithic period in the Central Balkans. When compared to the cross-cultural variation based on the ethnographic, historical and archaeological sources from the literature, these values are low compared to other horticultural and agricultural communities. One potential explanation for such low values is that the agricultural production in the Late Neolithic of the Central Balkans was labor-limited rather than land-limited, which usually results in the low potential for social inequality, as hypothesized and shown by Bogaard et al. (2019). On the other hand, we must keep in mind that the wealth is measured by proxy which is suitable for the detection of statistical trends in cross-cultural comparisons, but may be less reliable for individual cases. Moreover, it is not certain that the individual house is the basic social unit, as it is possible that the basic social unit for a corporate group which includes extended families living in several houses. Therefore, the result which suggests low levels of social inequality should be taken as a hypothesis which needs to be tested further with other classes of evidence.

The Analysis of Soil and Environmental Conditions in the Late Neolithic Settlements of the Lower Volga Region

The Analysis of Soil and Environmental Conditions in the Late Neolithic Settlements of the Lower Volga Region

Severe traumatic lesions in the Late Neolithic cattle from the site of At‐Vršac, Serbia

AbstractThis paper aims to assess the etiology and differential diagnosis of severe pathological lesions in wild and domestic cattle from the Late Neolithic site of At‐Vršac in the northeast part of the present‐day Serbia. Excavations of this multilayered site revealed the remains of a Late Neolithic settlement belonging to the Vinča culture network of the Central Balkans. An aurochs metacarpal bone, two domestic cattle fragments of fused ulna and radius and of tibia, all with massive bone proliferations were recovered during the archaeological excavations in 1976. Paleopathological study was undertaken using an interdisciplinary approach, including AMS dating, radiography, computed tomography (CT), and histopathology. The results show severe oblique healed fracture with secondary pronounced bone reaction in the aurochs metacarpal bone and in the domestic cattle ulna–radius, while traumatic alteration infected with disseminated osteomyelitis was found in the domestic cattle tibia. These pathologies of wild and domestic cattle are discussed to reveal the level of environmental and human influence on the origin and development of the lesions in the Late Neolithic cattle.

Spatial Distribution and Evolution of Ancient Settlements From the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in Dalian Area, China

The research on the spatial distribution and evolution of ancient settlements from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age in Dalian area is of great significance for a profound understanding of the prehistoric human-land relationship in Dalian area. The results showed that: ① The number of settlement sites in Dalian area showed an overall upward trend from the Mid-Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Most sites during the three periods studied were to be found 0–50 m above sea level (asl), with a significant increase in the number of sites located >50 m asl during the Bronze Age. In terms of gradient of slope, all settlements were concentrated on coastal plains or in low-altitude, hilly areas on relatively gentle slopes ranging between 0 and 6°. Settlements from each period faced in all directions, and were mainly located in river valleys or low-altitude mountain valleys with low terrains.② The proximity of ancient settlements to river courses during the Mid Holocene evolved, with Mid and Late Neolithic settlements usually distributed in the range beyond 3 km of the river buffer zone; the distribution of Bronze Age sites was relatively uniform, reflecting an increasing demand for water resources; the density of settlements was clustered between the Mid Neolithic and the Bronze Age, Neolithic sites being both the smallest in number and the most concentrated. ③ The spatiotemporal distribution and evolution of settlements in the Dalian area were influenced by the contemporary climate: the Mid Neolithic climate was warm and humid, and settlements were distributed principally on the various islands near present-day Dalian, and especially Guanglu Island; the Late Neolithic climate became increasingly drier and cooler, stimulating cultural advances and a slight increase in the number of ancient settlements, which gradually developed in the areas in and around present-day Dalian; during the cold and dry Bronze Age, the number of settlements across the Dalian region reached their peak, and it is widely distributed in various areas of Dalian. To a certain extent, this reflected a continuous improvement in the ability of the human population to adapt to the natural environment.

The well-preserved Late Neolithic dolmen burial of Oberbipp, Switzerland. Construction, use, and post-depositional processes

Excavation of the Late Neolithic dolmen of Oberbipp BE, Steingasse in the Swiss Central Plateau provided a unique opportunity for a comprehensive study of the archaeological and anthropological evidence. In multidisciplinary studies, we investigated the processes at work during construction, use, and abandonment of the megalithic structure, as well as the dietary habits, subsistence strategy, and possible mobility of the Neolithic population. Archaeological methods included micromorphology, archaeobiology, typology, use-wear analysis, and geology. The anthropological investigation was complemented by an analysis of stable isotope ratios and palaeogenetics. Local topography and the cover of alluvial sediments ensured an extraordinary conservation of the monument. It allowed the preservation of the human remains of at least 42 individuals of both sexes and all ages. The observation of the sedimentary and post-depositional processes, supplemented by an extensive series of radiocarbon dates, allowed us to reconstruct the history of the dolmen in its environment and the definition of at least two deposition phases. We found genetic evidence of lactase intolerance, a local population with a mixed ancestry of early Anatolian farmers and Western hunter-gatherers, and a crop-based diet. Sparse remains of a nearby Late Neolithic settlement sustain the interpretation that this is the burial site of a local farming community. Evidence of higher mobility of females and kinship over three generations solely in the paternal line suggests a virilocal community. Bone-altering pathologies support the assumption of a caring society.

A hydrological tipping point and onset of Neolithic wetland occupation in Pestenacker (Lech catchment, S Germany)

The reconstruction and understanding of tipping points in environmental systems have become an important issue for the global geoscientific community. This study focuses on the reconstruction of the Holocene deposition history of the Loosbach valley at the Pestenacker site, a Late Neolithic wetland occupation in the northern Alpine forelands of Central Europe (South Germany). Since 2011, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage ‘Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps’. This study aims to reconstruct a potential passing of a Middle Holocene hydrological tipping point in the Loosbach valley and its interrelation with the Late Neolithic onset of valley occupation at that time. In this context, we make use of chronostratigraphical data sets about the Holocene fluvial dynamics of Loosbach stream from available archaeological excavation reports and spatially enlarge the local model of Holocene stream evolution with high-resolution direct push cross-sections from the proximate fen stratigraphies.As a result, the onset of the Late Neolithic settlement phase corresponds with a local hydrological tipping point at the wetland site of Pestenacker. Increased cooling and climatic humidity led to stream incision into the valley floor that resulted in draining, a local decrease of the groundwater table and the end of fen formation. As an apparently contradictory result of this process, increased water availability and run-off correspond with increased edaphic aridity on the valley floor. The latter may have made it possible to settle the valley floor during the late Neolithic.

Examining Late Pastoral Neolithic Settlement at Silanga (GvJm52), Lukenya Hill, Kenya

ABSTRACT Close relationships between human and animal living spaces have been a central element of the settlements of pastoralist communities in eastern Africa since the introduction of herding c. 5000 BP. The spatial organisation of pastoralist architecture and material deposits within settlements has been the subject of much ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological research designed to identify variation in social practices and cultural contexts. However, baseline questions regarding settlement layout have proven difficult to examine archaeologically due to poor preservation of household features such as hearths and postholes. New magnetometry data from the late Pastoral Neolithic (PN) settlement site of Silanga (GvJm52) in southern Kenya, combined with unpublished excavation data, delineate several potential structures and middens c. 1900–1600 BP. Our data suggest that living structures may have been associated with individual dumps and corrals, similar to the pattern proposed for the PN site of Luxmanda, Tanzania, and contrasting with centralised refuse disposal at the PN site of Prolonged Drift, Kenya. Findings from Silanga may also contrast with the well-known pattern of centrally located livestock spaces seen in ethnographically documented pastoralist settlements in East Africa. The evidence reported here demonstrates the potential of integrated spatial analyses for examining settlement management practices during the PN.

Remains of a Late Neolithic settlement from site 7 in Krzyż Wielkopolski 7

The research conducted at site 7 in Krzyż Wielkopolski has provided evidence of long-term occupation of this area from the Late Palaeolithic (Sviderian) to the modern era. Undoubtedly the most intensive occupation is related to the Early Mesolithic communities of the Preboreal and Boreal Periods. However, pottery fragments, flint tools, and perhaps also belemnite artefacts, all associated with societies of the Corded Ware culture, prove Late Neolithic settlement at the site. That is the focus of this article. Based on the macroscopic analysis of pottery fragments, two technological groups were distinguished, suggesting heterogeneity of the collection. This may indicate at least two stages of settlement related to Corded Ware culture communities.

Records of fire and its controls on coastal plain of Laizhou Bay, China since 5000 years

Disentangling fire and its controls over thousands of years ago is a major challenge in the study of paleofires. In this paper, we synthesize sedimentary charcoal and black carbon from the coastal plain of Laizhou Bay, China to improve our ability to reconstruct fire history in the past 5000 years, and to assess the controls of fire using principal component analysis and multiple regression approach. The results show that there were three distinct fire episodes at the intervals of 5300–5100 yr BP., 1190–1060 yr BP., and 300–0 yr BP., based on the Changyi (CY) profile. A large-scale fire episode was synchronous with a rapid climate variability that occurred 5300 yr BP., which had frequent drought and cold epoch. High fluxes of black carbon and charcoal were closely related to mass migration and the use of fire for land reclamation from 1190 to 1060 yr BP. Subsequently, anthropogenic biomass burning for cereal cultivation has reached a higher level over the past 300 years. However, between 4600 and 4000 yr BP. the shifts in the frequency of high-magnitude floods and climate aridity consequently resulted in the decline of fire-episode frequency and the abandonment of the late Neolithic settlements in the study region.

The Hamin Mangha Site: Mass Deaths and Abandonment of a Late Neolithic Settlement in Northeastern China

The Hamin Mangha Site: Mass Deaths and Abandonment of a Late Neolithic Settlement in Northeastern China

Test excavation of the “pseudo-ditch” system of the Late Neolithic settlement complex at Öcsöd-Kováshalom on the Great Hungarian Plain

In 2018, the RGK’s research team led by Knut Rassmann undertook the magnetometer survey of the Late Neolithic site of Öcsöd-Kováshalom over a roughly 65 ha large area. An enclosure system of three concentric semi-circular ditches was detected around the tell-like mound that formed the core of the settlement. In order to resolve these issues, we organised a small field school excavation with the support of the RGK and with the participation of the archaeology students of the ELTE Institute of Archaeological Sciences between July 13 and 25, 2020. We opened an 8×2 m trial trench across the north-eastern part of the innermost ditch appearing on the magnetogram. We uncovered a ditch segment with a V-shaped cross-section, a width of 315 cm and a depth of 295 cm. We recovered a total of 17,430 finds with a weight of 194.4 kg (pottery sherds, daub, animal bones, bone tools, chipped and polished stone implements, quern stones, mussels, and ochre). In our preliminary report, we made a reconstruction of infilling process based on the quantitative distribution of the finds (frequency and weight data) and the different characteristics of the fill layers.

The economic and social importance of saline soils and saltwaters during the Late Neolithic of the Pannonian Plain and the Central Balkans

The importance of salt in human and animal diets suggests that the local resources of saline soils, watercourses, and marshes with saline water had to be well known to past populations. Based on the analysis of the environs of a large number of Late Neolithic and Early Eneolithic sites, this research assumes the great importance of such resources. This paper examines the spatial relationships between settlements and these resources, in the example of five Late Neolithic settlements from the territories of the Pannonian Plain and the Central Balkans. The goals of the research are to provide an initial step in the reconstruction of potential locations for salt exploitation, and provide a better understanding of each settlement and, subsequently, its role and function in the local Neolithic settlement system. The research considers previously published results of the pedological analysis of the settlement environments and archaeological investigations of the settlements. If certain micro-regions and regions did not provide possibilities for the extraction of salt for both animal and human utilisation, salt, and probably cattle, had to be procured through exchange networks. However, if livestock could not be grazed in areas abundant in salt, then salt would have to be added to the animals? diet. We conclude that Late Neolithic settlements should not be observed in isolation, but rather ?s parts of wider settlement systems including exchange networks with salt as a major commodity. This represents one of the crucial factors for the understanding of cultural development during the 5th millennium BC.