Late Neolithic Settlement Research Articles

New data on the Late Neolithic settlement structure in South-East Transdanubia

The paper presents the recent survey results achieved at four Late Neolithic sites with rondels in Baranya County, Hungary (Villánykövesd-Jakabfalusi út mente, Zengővárkony-Igaz-dűlő, Szemely-Hegyes, Belvárdgyula-Szarkahegy). The combined use of non-destructive archaeological prospecting methods (aerial survey, field survey, magnetometer survey) and occassional trial trenching revealed new pieces of information that change our view of the Late Neolithic settlement structure in the region. Such observations are: the fact that rondels are present at virtually every major site in South-East Baranya the presence of special structural elements known only in South Transdanubia, like U-shaped blocking of entrances, special gate structures the large size of rondels when compared to other areas of longer history of research, like Lower Austria and Slovakia. These phenomena suggest the existence of a local „architectural style“ and may be indicative of a local group within the Lengyel Culture sphere.

L’habitat du Néolithique final de Quinssaines, Le Bournadiau : approche spatiale et fonctionnelle d’un site au Nord-Ouest de l’Allier

A late Neolithic settlement was explored during excavations in the northeast of the Allier département, at Bournadiau near Quinsaines, in 2007. Despite erosion, the excavation revealed a ditch and traces of two buildings. The ceramic assemblage and the stone tool industry, partly imported from Grand Pressigny, illustrate the contacts between the inhabitants and the cultural groups from Western-Central (Artenac) and Northern France (Gord). An unusual deposit of seventeen Grand Pressigny flint objects, discovered in the foundations of a small building, provides information about the redistribution process of such products and shows that the site probably functioned in collaboration with the Grand Pressigny workshops area. Management of the imported raw material appears to have been an important activity on the site. The flint industry is analysed from typological, technological and functional points of view in order to gain the best possible understanding from this unique find.

AĞRI OVASI, ERMENİSTAN KESİMİNDE NEOLİTİK BİR YERLEŞİM AKNASHEN KHATUNARKH: 2004-2009 KAZILARININ SONUÇLARI

This paper presents the preliminary results of the excavations (2004-2009) of Aknashen-Khatunarkh, a Neolith­ic site in the plain of Ararat. More than 300 m 2 has been excavated of this tell, which is about 100 m in diam­eter and 3,5 m in height. The cultural layer, more than 4 m thick, was subdivided preliminarily into five hori­zons, the upper one (I) belonging to the Early Chalcolithic and the others (II-V) to the Late Neolithic. A series of 14 C dates enables dating the Neolithic horizons to the first half of the 6th millennium. On the basis of a multidisciplinary study of artefacts (obsidian chipped stone-more than 22.000 pieces, antler and bone industry, ground stone, pottery, etc) and of floral andfaunal remains, the main features of the mate­rial culture and economic life ofthis Late Neolithic settlement are brought to light. The culture represented at Aknashen-Khatunarkh has manycommon characteristics with contemporarycultures in the southern Caucasus (Shulaveri-Shomutepe culture, andKultepe of the Nakhchevan).

Extraordinary Floods of 4100−4000 a BP recorded at the Late Neolithic Ruins in the Jinghe River Gorges, Middle Reach of the Yellow River, China

Holocene palaeohydrological investigations were carried out in the middle reach of the Jinghe River that drains the central part of the Loess Plateau. A set of palaeoflood slackwater deposits was found interbedded in the Holocene loess-soil sequence within the cliff riverbanks. Both the sedimentary criteria and the analytical results show that this sediment was sourced from a suspended sediment load of floodwater. The major cultural layer of a late Neolithic settlement (4300−4000 a BP) occurring at the same site is blanketed by this flood deposit directly. Slopewash with pottery shards, charcoal and burnt earth occurs in between the palaeoflood slackwater deposit beds. It indicates that each of the slackwater deposit beds has recorded one individual flood event, and that these extraordinary floods occurred when the late Neolithic people occupied the riverbank terrace land. This pre-historical settlement was abandoned after the floods eventually due presumably to repeated inundation by overbank floodwater. The flood events were OSL dated to between 4100 and 4000 a BP and checked by archaeological dating of the anthropogenic remains retrieved from the sequences. Peak discharges of the floods were estimated to between 19,500 and 22,000 m 3 s − 1 , which is several times gauged maximum floods. During the 4200–4000 a BP climatic event, severe droughts were documented in China's monsoonal regions and great floods were known from an ancient legend. This study provides a well-dated sediment record of pre-historical floods which occurred at the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the Yellow River basin. It shows that extraordinary floods were part of the abrupt climatic variability during the 4200−4000 a BP climatic event. The highly variable, unstable and catastrophic climate typified by both droughts and floods resulted in settlement abandonment, and possibly the decline of the highly developed late Neolithic civilizations in China's monsoonal regions.

Whose Bones are those? Preliminary Comparative Analysis of Fragmented Human and Animal Bones in the “Death Pit” at Domuztepe, a Late Neolithic Settlement in Southeastern Turkey

Kansa S.W., Gauld S.C., Campbell S. & Carter E. 2009. — Whose Bones are those? Preliminary Comparative Analysis of Fragmented Human and Animal Bones in the “Death Pit” at Domuztepe, a Late Neolithic Settlement in Southeastern Turkey. Anthropozoologica 44(1): 159-172.A unique feature at the mid-6th millennium BCE settlement at Domuztepe, Turkey, is a large pit filled predominantly with fragmented human and animal bones. Previous studies have established that the “Death Pit” animal bone assemblage is characterized by specific features not found in the daily refuse from the rest of the site. The present study seeks further understanding of the Death Pit through a preliminary comparison of the animal and human bone assemblages, including element preservation, degree of fragmentation and breakage patterns. Spatial models of animal and human bones in the Death Pit provide insight into depositional sequencing and the nature of the probable feasting activities that produced this assemblage. Our initial osteological results show that the near identical processing of humans and animals suggests of cannibalism. However, a lower occurrence of fragmentation on human skulls, together with depositional differences between animals and humans, also suggests that conceptual differences between human and animal were maintained.

北ヨルダン，タバカト・アル＝ブーマ遺跡における後期新石器集落の構造

北ヨルダン，タバカト・アル＝ブーマ遺跡における後期新石器集落の構造

Social dimensions of the Late Neolithic settlement of Polgár-Csőszhalom (Eastern Hungary)

Social dimensions of the Late Neolithic settlement of Polgár-Csőszhalom (Eastern Hungary)

A Late Neolithic vertebrate food web based on stable isotope analyses

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen, and stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of the bone's structural carbonate, were performed on 120 individuals representing 33 vertebrate species, including a single human bone find, collected from the Late Neolithic settlement at Pestenacker, Bavaria, Germany. We were thus capable of reconstructing a rather complex food web and could also address particular issues, such as whether humans influenced the diet of their domestic animals as opposed to their wild relatives, or whether humans perhaps had to compete over food with their domesticates. A rather unexpected result was that freshwater fish, which could be captured in the nearby river Lech, a major tributary of the Danube, contributed to the human diet only occasionally. As for mammals, it was also possible to recognise different trophic levels for birds and aquatic vertebrates, applying stable isotope analyses to both bone collagen and structural carbonate. In the case of fish, δ18O values at least revealed a physiological regularity in terms of temperature preference, besides diet. Conceivably, variability of δ18O in surface water as reflected, for example, by species that avoided human settlements, may help to characterise past ecosystems and to define site catchment exploited by Neolithic man in the course of food acquisition. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene fluvial development of the Upper Tigris Valley (Southeastern Turkey) as documented by archaeological data

This study was carried out to elucidate the Holocene development of the valley of the Tigris River between Bismil and Batman, which will be inundated by the reservoir waters of Ilısu Dam to be built in Upper Tigris Valley, and to collect the geoarchaeological data of the mounds located there. In the Tigris Valley +4–5 and +2–3 m terraces were formed in the Holocene. According to geoarchaeological data obtained from the mound located on the +4–5 m terrace, it was determined that the Tigris River has been flowing in the same bed from the Neolithic Age. The floodplains of the +4–5 m terrace occurred as a result of floods which took place in three different cycles. The first caused the formation of Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene channel and floodplain material composed of coarse gravel and sandy silt. On this floodplain with a relative altitude of +2 m above river level, Late Neolithic settlements (6000–5500 BC) were formed. The second cycle is represented by the formation of Early Chalcolithic (5500–4000 BC) floodplain material. There were Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age (4000–2650 BC) settlements formed on this floodplain with a relative altitude of 3–3.5 m above river level. The third and the final cycle is represented by 1–2 m thick yellowish-orange flood deposits which started to form from the end of Early Bronze Age I. These cover the Early Bronze Age I cemetery (2800–2650 BC) and settlements belonging to earlier periods, as in the case of Aşağı Salat Mound.

Tell Sabi Abyad: The Late Neolithic Settlement: Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria. Peter M. M. G. Akkermans

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsTell Sabi Abyad: The Late Neolithic Settlement: Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria. Peter M. M. G. AkkermansChristopher EdensChristopher Edens Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 59, Number 4Oct., 2000 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/468867 Views: 1Total views on this site Copyright 2000 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Death, fire and abandonment

AbstractThis article offers an interpretation of the structure and meaning of a mortuary ritual at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Remains of this funeral have been uncovered in the ‘Burnt Village’, a late neolithic settlement largely destroyed by fire. The possibly intentional and ritual burning of the settlement is related to the mortuary ritual; it is suggested that here we have evidence for an extended ‘death ritual’ ending, but also transforming, human and material life. Death, fire and abandonment, then, seem to have been closely related. Some examples suggest that these relations also existed at other neolithic sites in the Near East.

Tell Sabi Abyad, the Late Neolithic Settlement: Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria

Tell Sabi Abyad, the Late Neolithic Settlement: Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria

Habitats pré- et protohistorique dans l'enceinte de l'abbaye de Maillezais (Vendée)

Abstract The excavation of the refectory of Maillezais Abbey (Vendée) has revealed a Late Neolithic settlement (Poitou marshlands culture) and the plan of a Gaulish hut.

Tell Sabi Abyad: The Late Neolithic Settlement: Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria. Peter M. M. G. Akkermans, ed.

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsTell Sabi Abyad: The Late Neolithic Settlement: Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria. Peter M. M. G. Akkermans, ed.Alan H. SimmonsAlan H. Simmons Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research Volume 312November 1998 A journal of the American Schools of Oriental Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/1357675 Views: 1Total views on this site Journal History This article was published in the Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research (1921-2021), which is continued by the Bulletin of the American Schools of Overseas Research (2022-present). Copyright 1998 The American Schools of Oriental ResearchPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Tell Sabi Abyad: The Late Neolithic Settlement. Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria I-II. By Peter M. M. G. Akkermans.

<i>Tell Sabi Abyad: The Late Neolithic Settlement. Report on the Excavations of the University of Amsterdam (1988) and the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (1991-1993) in Syria I-II</i>. By Peter M. M. G. Akkermans.

The Late Neolithic of the Southern Levant : hiatus, settlement shift or observer Bias ? The perspective from Wadi Ziqlab

While the predominant view of the Late Neolithic in the southern Levant remains that population density was well below that of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, several sources of bias may have caused researchers to underestimate both population levels and the importance of this period. As a result of geomorphological and other factors, surveys have underrepresented sites at the foot of slopes and on stream terraces which may have been the prefered locations for Late Neolithic settlements. Most of the pottery consists of very fragile plain ware that rarely survives on the surface, and ceramic analysts have concentrated on rare decorated sherds rather than on the technology of whole ceramic assemblages. Similarly, apart from projectile points, sickle blades and a few other infrequent tools, analysts have virtually ignored the bulk of the lithic assemblages of this period, which consist predominantly of utilized flakes. This oversight, in particular, prevents us from gaining a full understanding of the important economic, technological and probably social changes that accompanied the end of the PPNB. Here we use data from the Wadi Ziqlab Project in Jordan to address these problems. Key-Words : PPNB. Late Neolithic, Levant. Jordan, lithics, pottery, settlement, survey, design theory, farmsteads.

Dimini and the ‘DMP’: faunal remains and animal exploitation in Late Neolithic Thessaly

Hourmouziadis' recent analysis of the extensive excavations at Dimini has isolated a series of residential subdivisions or ‘domestic areas’ within the Late Neolithic settlement. Faunal remains from the ‘central court’ and from five surrounding domestic areas suggest a remarkably uniform pattern of animal exploitation. Individual domestic units kept cows, goats, pigs, and especially sheep; sheep and pigs, at least, seem to have been raised principally for meat. The lack of domestic specialization in stock husbandry has implications for understanding both of the ‘neolithic mode of production’ and of the role of specialization in the emergence of the élite which occupied the central court.

Radiocarbon Chronology of Late Neolithic Settlements in the Tisza-Maros Region, Hungary

We investigated chronological questions of five Late Neolithic settlements in the Hungarian Tisza-Maros region. Fifty new radiocarbon dates provide an internal chronology for the developmental phases of the tell settlements, and place them into the wider framework of the southeastern European Neolithic. An example is presented of how a unique type of stratigraphic excavation helps the interpretation of radiocarbon data, which are in contradiction with the stratigraphic position of the samples.

Radiocarbon Dates from Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlements at Hemmed, Højgård and Trappendal, Jutland, Denmark

Radiocarbon Dates from Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Settlements at Hemmed, Højgård and Trappendal, Jutland, Denmark

Archaeology at Barton Court Farm, Abingdon, Oxon: an Investigation of Late Neolithic, Iron Age, Romano-British and Saxon Settlements

Archaeology at Barton Court Farm, Abingdon, Oxon: an Investigation of Late Neolithic, Iron Age, Romano-British and Saxon Settlements