Late Neolithic Site Research Articles

A contribution to research on the knapped lithic assemblage from the Late Neolithic site of Altheim in Lower Bavaria

The lithic artefacts from Altheim, being regarded as essential for the interpretation of the site, have for a verylong time attracted attention. Here we concentrate on the discoveries made during the excavation of sections of ditches in 2013-2020. Certain earlier observations were confirmed by the latest excavations, namely the high proportion of arrowheads among the flaked stone tools. A large number of the arrowheads were burnt. Many of them have broken tips, and all the analysed arrowheads with broken tips bear diagnostic impact fractures: stepterminating bending fractures or spin-off fractures specifically in the shape of small fractures on the edge between one surface of the arrowhead and the surface of the fracture of the tip. These suggest an angle of impact of the arrow into a hard surface of about 60°-70°. Broken and burnt arrowheads were found in the solid context of the structures. The context suggest that these arrowheads can be connected with conflict.

Individual or communal? Exploring the social dynamics of ceramic production at the Lengyel circular-enclosure site of Těšetice-Kyjovice – Sutny, South Moravia

Although ceramic vessels form the majority of artifact assemblages in the Neolithic, little is known about their production beyond the assumption that they were made in a domestic context. Characterizing the scale of ceramic production is important for understanding Neolithic social and economic processes, particularly at sites with enclosure systems that indicate an increased degree of social organization. Nevertheless, characterizing the complexity and social entanglements of ceramic production is a difficult task in the absence of primary production locales.In this study, we provide a working hypothesis and use ceramic and clay petrographic data to highlight the variability in ceramic technological practices, and in turn, identify the organization of ceramic production at the Late Neolithic (Lengyel I; 4750–4500 BCE) site of Těšetice-Kyjovice – Sutny, South Moravia, Czech Republic. The site is characterised by a large circular enclosure, the construction of which required a high level of social cooperation. It is still under scrutiny whether the cooperation required for building the enclosure system was only temporary and related to this construction activity, or if it reflects a higher degree of social organization in general.By understanding ceramic production, we may clarify the complexity of the most common production processes that took place at the site. Large-scale ceramic and clay petrographic data provide information on the first steps of the chaîne opératoire in ceramic fabrication, which can be used to assess the organization of production. A systematic analysis of a large number of ceramic samples, representing all basic typological and macroscopically distinguishable fabric groups, revealed a high degree of individuality in choices of raw materials and tempers. Ceramic petrographic data, compared with the petrographic data of local sediment sources, further highlighted individuality in raw material and temper preferences, and even mixing of raw materials was identified.Our analyses suggest that Lengyel culture potters likely produced their vessels on a household level, with no evidence suggesting non-domestic production. These data, in conjunction with ceramic petrographic data from Hungarian Late Neolithic sites, suggest that Late Neolithic communities were self-sufficient in terms of utilitarian pottery production. Ceramic petrographic data also indicate interaction between the inhabitants of Těšetice and other Lengyel culture communities in the vicinity, perhaps further indicating a higher degree of social organization at the site.

Wood charcoal from the late Neolithic site of Yingpanshan, southwest China: Past vegetation and plant resources utilization

Despite the increasing archaeobotanical studies on the prehistoric southeastern Tibetan Plateau, past woodland use strategies in this region remain unknown. Here we conduct an analysis of wood charcoals recovered from the late Neolithic site of Yingpanshan (5300–4500 BP) in order to understand past vegetation and wood utilization in the north of this region. The results show a great taxonomic diversity of woody species, as well as a landscape that was characterized by the predominance of Bambusoideae, Tsuga and Pinus, followed by Prunus, Quercus and Betula. These major taxa seem to have a high availability in the surrounding environment of the settlement, given their ecological requirements and contemporary distribution. There was a preferential use of the major taxa as fuel and timber. The anthracological data, combined with the carpological remains retrieved from the site, demonstrate the exploration of multiple plant food resources, with edible woody species possibly serving as fruits and vegetables. This study suggests the significance of integration of charcoal analysis with other archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological evidence for gaining an accurate picture of the land use practices and their environmental settings on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Reconstructing Late Neolithic animal management practices at Kangjia, North China, using microfossil analysis of dental calculus

Examination of plant microfossils (phytoliths and starch granules) preserved in dental calculus allows for the direct identification of some components of prehistoric diets. In this article, the authors present the results of microfossil analysis of dental calculus from wild and domestic animals at the Late Neolithic site of Kangjia in the Central Plains, an area critical in the emergence of early Chinese states. Consumption of cooked plant foods by domestic pigs and dogs, and of domestic crops by wild animals, at this site hints, the authors argue, at an interdependent relationship between animal management, agricultural production and ritual practices that contributed to the political transformations of Late Neolithic China.

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.

A Late Neolithic enclosure system at Gönc (County Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, north-eastern Hungary)

AbstractGönc-Kenderföldek has since long been known as a Late Neolithic site, where a rich and diverse find assemblage from the Late Neolithic (Lengyel, Tisza and Csőszhalom cultures) was collected in the course of the field surveys conducted in its area. The exact location of the site was determined during the past years. Described and discussed in this study is the geomagnetic survey of site, which revealed sections of an enclosure system of four slightly oval ditches.

Neolithic Traditions on the Northern Periphery of the Dalmatepe Culture

The purpose of the study is to reveal the factors that determine the features of the Neolithic-Chalcolithic transition in the South Caucasus and the spread of the Dalmatepe culture in the region during this period.
 The novelty of this study lies in the confirmation of the Neolithic traditions of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivantepe layer of the Dalmatepe period, as well as the identification of the boundaries and distinctive features of the northern periphery of the Dalmatepe culture.
 The results of the study indicate that Nakhchivantepe was the main center of Dalmatepe culture in the South Caucasus. Pottery samples found in the nearby settlements of Uchan Agyl, Uzunoba, Bülovgaya, as well as in the settlement of Godedzor on the territory of Zangazur, make it possible to include the Nakhchivanchay river valley and the Zangazur ridge in the northern periphery of the Dalmatepe culture.
 The settlement of Nakhchivantepe is the main center of this periphery and demonstrates a transition from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic culture in its stratigraphy. The pottery found in the settlement is divided into four main categories: simple chaff-tempered pottery, surface-manipulated pottery, red-slipped pottery, and painted pottery.
 Simple chaff-tempered pottery (Group I) reflects the characteristics of the Kültepe culture (6372-5200), which appeared in the Neolithic period in the Nakhchivanchay valley. Neolithic traditions are also traced in the typology of simple ceramic vessels. Other groups of ceramics (II-IV) are similar to the materials typical for the Dalmatepe culture sites. However, in contrast to the south, ceramics with surface-manipulated ornaments are even more ancient on the northern periphery of the Dalmatepe culture. Some of the specimens are similar to the surface-manipulated ceramics of the Late Neolithic sites of Mil-Karabakh. The findings of this study confirmed the influence of the Azerbaijani Neolithic cultures on the Dalmatepe culture and identified the factors responsible for its spread.

The results of the study of vertebrate fauna from the Late Neolithic site Pomazkino IV (the Kolyma River, Yakutia, Eastern Siberia)

The taxonomic composition of bone remains from the Neolithic site Pomazkino IV, located in the middle reaches of the Kolyma River, has been determined. The material is the result of excavations by archaeologist V.A. Kashin. We have identified bone remains lying together with artifacts of the Late Neolithic Ymyyakhtakh culture. The species composition is represented by typical representatives of the East Siberian fauna. The osteological material of fish, birds and mammals has been determined. It has been established that most of the bone remains belong to birds, among which representatives of the order Anseriformes, swan, bean goose and geese of indeterminate species were reliably identified. These birds could be caught in the summer during molting. Birds played an important role in the nutrition of the people who lived on the territory of this site. The main game mammals were artiodactyl elk and reindeer. At the Pomazkino IV site, there are also numerous bone remains of a mountain hare. Among the representatives of the order of carnivores, a single bone of a wolverine has been identified. An abundance of fish bones has been found, among which crucian carp has been identified. Apparently, on the territory of the Middle Kolyma, as well as in other regions of Eastern Siberia, active fishing began only from the Late Neolithic.

A First Detailed Study of an Austrian Neolithic Pile Dwelling’s Bryophyte Flora

ABSTRACT The circum-alpine pile dwellings, ranging from the Neolithic period to the Bronze Age, offer a vast amount of well-preserved botanical material for archaeobotanical studies. Mosses are a common find in these waterlogged sediments, yet they are rarely analysed in detail. The case study of the recently excavated Mooswinkel pile dwelling at the Austrian lake Mondsee will give an insight into the study of moss remains. 16 different species from various habitats have been identified in the layers of the late Neolithic site. The analysis shows what possible uses the mosses could have served and from where they were gathered by the pile dwellers.

Shijiahe and its Implications for Understanding the Development of Urbanism in Late Neolithic China

The late Neolithic site of Shijiahe in the middle Yangtze River Valley of China is important for understanding variation in the development of urbanism in China. Here, a core sector developed that was centred on the walled Shijiahe locus, c. 180 ha in size, and surrounded by a moat. Our paper is the first English publication synthesizing decades of scholarship about Shijiahe and explaining its significance for the development of urbanism. The available data reveal characteristics of urbanism not known elsewhere in China. We discuss possible ritual and economic strategies for increasing socio-political integration among the dispersed clusters of settlement. We also discuss evidence for methods of transportation and communication between different settlement loci.

The Broad-Spectrum Revolution at 50: Increasing dietary diversity reflects the heterogeneity of domesticated landscapes

The area of North-East Poland was in prehistory, and still is today, an area with easy access to amber as a raw material, as is evidenced in part by numerous Late Neolithic (3rd millennium) amber workshops located in the Gulf of Gdańsk and Żuławy Wiślane (Vistula Fens). Given this fact, it is surprising that only a few finished amber products have been recovered from this area. Among them are unique ornaments from the Late Neolithic sites Ząbie 10, Supraśl 3, and Supraśl 6. The preliminary analysis showed that these amber artifacts differ from the products manufactured by local groups located in the territory of modern Poland. The selected artifacts were subjected to in-depth stylistic and technological analysis to identify their provenance, taking also into consideration the type of raw material used in their production by means of FTIR analysis. Stylistic analysis showed that several specimens have analogies amongst the amber beads known from the Bell Beaker phenomenon. However, most of the beads under study are unique, and there are no analogies among any Neolithic ornaments in Europe. In addition, it was found that the specimens from Ząbie 10, Supraśl 3, and Supraśl 6 had perforations drilled with a metal tool, not a flint drill bit, which was previously unheard of in this part of Europe. The FTIR analysis revealed the use of local amber, including its different varieties i.e., succinite, gedano-succinite and gedanite. It also revealed its varying state of preservation. This may be useful for exploring the environmental context in which these artifacts were deposited.

Life, Death and Teeth of Late Neolithic Sheep and Red Deer Excavated at Ness of Brodgar, Orkney Islands (UK)

ABSTRACT The faunal remains from the late Neolithic site of Ness of Brodgar on the Orkney Islands (UK) provide a unique opportunity to investigate past adaptations of animal husbandry strategies to the Northern island environment, as well as the potential management of red deer. In this study, sheep and red deer mandibles and loose teeth (dP4 & M3) from the Ness of Brodgar were studied to construct age-at-death profiles, and analysed for δ13C, δ15N and δ18O. The mortality profile showed that around half of the analysed sheep were slaughtered when they reached maturity (i.e. after 2–4 years of life), consistent with a husbandry regime targeted at meat production. The stable isotope evidence indicates seaweed consumption in winter by several sheep (domesticates), but not by red deer (wild, possibly managed fauna). This dietary difference may have resulted from anthropogenically mediated influences, e.g. restriction of red deer habitats to upland areas. The varying extent of seaweed consumption between individual sheep and between Neolithic Orkney sites suggests differences in sheep husbandry practices across Orkney, indicating that the adaptation to consume seaweed was not ubiquitous on Orkney in the Neolithic, and did not follow a linear development.

New archaeomagnetic directions from Late Neolithic sites in Shandong province, China

SUMMARY Archaeomagnetism provides important constraints to help us understand the past behaviour of the geomagnetic field. For archaeologists, archaeomagnetic dating has become a potential supplement to traditional dating methods (e.g. radiocarbon dating). Although China has a long history with numerous archaeological discoveries, the collection of archaeomagnetic data remains scarce. In this paper, we provide new archaeomagnetic directions from four late Neolithic (c. 2000 BC) sites in Shandong province, China. After a careful characterization of magnetic mineralogy and a detailed alternating-field demagnetization of the oriented samples, a total of nine archaeomagnetic directions (each with both declinations and inclinations) were obtained, which fill the large gap at c. 2000 BC in the Chinese palaeomagnetic secular variation (PSV) curve. Combining these new results with previously published data, we updated the Chinese PSV curve for the last 7 kyr. We have compared the updated curve with several global geomagnetic models (e.g. pfm9k.1a, ARCH10k.1, CALS10k.1b). Comparisons show that the CALS10k.1b model does not yield a reasonable fit of the data, and the fit becomes worse for older intervals. This poor fit could be explained by the fact that the CALS10k.1b model consists of a large amount of sedimentary data. Therefore, the PSV pattern is difficult to determine due to the strong aliasing effect. On the contrary, the ARCH10k.1 model gives a much better fit than other models because its data are mostly from archaeological materials and the data are mainly from the Northern Hemisphere. The field intensity and PSV are potentially correlated, with a weak field corresponding to an enhanced PSV. However, due to the lack of data for certain time intervals, the proposed correlations need to be further tested. To explore if PSV exhibits longitudinal symmetric or latitudinal antisymmetric patterns like those of the geocentric-axial-dipole (GAD) model, we compiled and compared data from three East Asia countries (China, Korea and Japan) and from four areas (East Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East, and Australia and New Zealand) of which the latitudes are between 30° and 40°. In the East Asia region, the PSV patterns shown in each data set are consistent because of the geographic proximity of these three countries. However, when comparing the PSV curves from the four global areas, we suggest a potential declinational minimum between 0 AD and 2000 AD. Although further confirmation and investigation are needed, this declination minimum could be diachronous, sweeping from East Asia to Australia and New Zealand, and then North America. Future studies should focus on adding more reliable and precisely dated data to better delineate the PSV trends. Archaeomagnetic dating is promising when a PSV curve can be continuously reconstructed.

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.

Micro Plant Remains Reveal the Function of Grooved Pottery Vessels From the Late Neolithic Meishan Site in Central China

From 6,000 calendar years before the present (cal BP) onward, grooved pottery vessels occurred in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in succession. After a thousand years, it was introduced into central China and became popularized there around 4,000 years ago. It has been proposed that the function of the grooved vessels was to process plant foods, replacing the previously used stone slabs and rollers in terms of ethnographic investigation, but there is a lack of solid and direct evidence although little evidence of starches has been provided. Here we report our study on the sherds of grooved vessels from the Meishan site in central China (late Longshan and Erlitou period). The combined starch and phytolith analyses were first used together to examine the residues on the sherds. Starches from geophytes, millets (Setaria italica and Panicum miliaceum), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and phytoliths from the glumes and leaves of these crops plus rice (Oryza sativa), seem to suggest that the grooved pottery vessels were likely to be used to grind geophytes and dehusk grain seeds. But, incorporating the extremely low proportion of grooved vessels to entire pottery tools at the site, we hypothesize that the invention of grooved vessels may have been related to the success of rice domestication and may have been used as tools to pound by-products of crops, leaves, and husks somehow.

Provenance studies on Late Neolithic amber ornaments from North-East Poland

The area of North-East Poland was in prehistory, and still is today, an area with easy access to amber as a raw material, as is evidenced in part by numerous Late Neolithic (3rd millennium) amber workshops located in the Gulf of Gdańsk and Żuławy Wiślane (Vistula Fens). Given this fact, it is surprising that only a few finished amber products have been recovered from this area. Among them are unique ornaments from the Late Neolithic sites Ząbie 10, Supraśl 3, and Supraśl 6. The preliminary analysis showed that these amber artifacts differ from the products manufactured by local groups located in the territory of modern Poland. The selected artifacts were subjected to in-depth stylistic and technological analysis to identify their provenance, taking also into consideration the type of raw material used in their production by means of FTIR analysis. Stylistic analysis showed that several specimens have analogies amongst the amber beads known from the Bell Beaker phenomenon. However, most of the beads under study are unique, and there are no analogies among any Neolithic ornaments in Europe. In addition, it was found that the specimens from Ząbie 10, Supraśl 3, and Supraśl 6 had perforations drilled with a metal tool, not a flint drill bit, which was previously unheard of in this part of Europe. The FTIR analysis revealed the use of local amber, including its different varieties i.e., succinite, gedano-succinite and gedanite. It also revealed its varying state of preservation. This may be useful for exploring the environmental context in which these artifacts were deposited.

The comb tradition of ceramics ornamentation of the Srednevolzhskaya Neolithic culture in the forest-steppe Volga region (general characteristics)

The paper presents the result of the analysis of tableware, decorated with a comb stamp, of the Srednevolzhskaya Neolithic culture in the forest-steppe Volga region. To determine the characteristic features of the considered ceramic complexes, their statistical processing was carried out in order to systematize information on most of the Late Neolithic sites in the region. The source base of the study includes 836 conventionally identified vessels of the Srednevolzhskaya culture, which were directly analyzed by the authors. It should be noted that due to objective reasons the given quantitative indicators may slightly differ from those in the corresponding publications. In order to identify the local features of the ceramic complexes, the monuments considered in the work can be geographically divided into two microregions - the basins of the Samara and Sok rivers. The analyzed materials were also graded according to the representativeness of the collections. To determine any significant patterns of development, the leading role is played by highly and fairly representative complexes of the sites Lebyazhinka IV, Vilovatoe, Lebyazhinka I, Ivanovka, Luzhki II, the rest is of secondary importance. Due to the high fragmentation of the material, the authors do not insist on the absoluteness of the data presented, the quantitative and percentage indicators may change slightly, however, as for the complexes of the representative sites noted above, the adjustments will not be significant.

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.

Take a seed! Revealing Neolithic landscape and agricultural development in the Carpathian Basin through multivariate statistics and environmental modelling.

The Carpathian Basin represents the cradle of human agricultural development during the Neolithic period, when large parts were transformed into 'cultural landscapes' by first farmers from the Balkans. It is assumed that an Early Neolithic subsistence economy established along the hydrologic systems and on Chernozem soil patches, which developed from loess deposits. However, recent results from soil chemistry and geoarchaeological analyses raised the hypothesis that extensive Chernozem coverage developed from increased land-use activity and that Early Neolithic 'cultural' groups were not restricted to loess-covered surfaces but rather preferred hydromorphic soils that formed in the floodplains. This article performs multivariable statistics from large datasets of Neolithic sites in Hungary and allows tracing Early to Late Neolithic site preferences from digital environmental data. Quantitative analyses reveal a strong preference for hydromorphic soils, a significant avoidance of loess-covered areas, and no preference for Chernozem soils throughout the Early Neolithic followed by a strong transformation of site preferences during the Late Neolithic period. These results align with socio-cultural developments, large-scale mobility patterns, and land-use and surface transformation, which shaped the Carpathian Basin and paved the way for the agricultural revolution across Europe.

Exploring commensality, household and solidarity. Evidence of a medium-scale community gathering place in Neolithic Kleitos 1, north-western Greece

This paper describes the cooking installations found inside a specific building, Building C, in the Late Neolithic site of Kleitos 1, their morphological and functional diversification, how they changed and evolved throughout time, and their spatial arrangements. Building C provided the stratigraphic information required by the authors to discern two distinct chronological phases, during which a significant change took place in the characteristics and organisation of the cooking facilities in the building. Building C underwent a transformation from a household unit during phase A to a medium-scale gathering place, capable of hosting a certain number of people, in Phase B. The identification of Building C as a medium-scale gathering place is based on the quantity and quality of its cooking facilities in comparison both to findings in other buildings on the site and to two well-explored Neolithic contexts of large-scale gatherings in Northern Greece, Makriyialos and Promachon-Topolniča. This is the first time a medium-scale gathering place has been recorded in Neolithic Greece. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of multi-scalar gatherings and the broader variability witnessed in social dynamics and site organisation in the Late Neolithic period of Northern Greece (late 6th to early 5th millennium cal BC).