Neolithic Early Bronze Age Research Articles

Non-metric dental characteristics of the Cis-Olkhon Glazkovo population (based on the materials of the Tuakhane IX burial ground)¹

The new updated cultural and chronological periodization of the Cis-Baikal region, suggesting the absence of continuity between the Kitoy and Serovo–Glazkovo culture, actualizes the problem of the origin of the late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations of the region. The purpose of this study is to reveal the biological affinities of the Cis-Olkhon Glazkovo population from the Tuakhane IX burial ground based on the analysis of non-metric dental morphology data. The original data set includes dental characteristics of 12 individuals from the Tuakhane IX burial place, including 2 males, 3 fe­males, 4 children and 3 individuals whose sex and age could not be determined. In the study both the extended battery of dental traits generally accepted by Russian researchers and ASUDAS scale were used. The results of the analysis reveal that while the Tuakhane IX Glazkovo group morphologically undoubtedly belongs to the Eastern mongoloid population and its morphological specificity is similar to the Late Neolithic Serovo and Early Bronze Ages Glazkovo populations of the Cis-Baikal area. Significant differences between the Serovo–Glazkovo groups from the Kitoi groups were demonstrated. This confirms the results of the archaeological and genetics studies which argued for a lack of continuity between Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age populations in the Cis-Baikal region. The dental data indicate the migration of Far Eastern groups from Primoye to the Cis-Baikal area and their significant influence on the dental morphology of the Late Neolithic Serovo people. Remarkably, the Glazkovo sample from Tuakhane IX is characterized by the similar morphologic specificity. Also the specific trait combination that differentiates Glazkovo people from the Neolithic Baikal and Far East groups was identified and which, apparently, can be the result of a gene flow from the Ymyyakhtakh Early Bronze Age populations of Yakutia to the Glazkovo people. In addition, dental data support the hypothesis about possible migration of the Cis-Baikal tribes to the Western Siberian forest-steppe, which has been repeatedly put forward on the basis of results of archaeological and anthropological studies.

Faire gras à Molène: dairy products and ruminant fats detected by lipid and isotopic analysis of pottery dating to the Final Neolithic-Early Bronze Age from the island site of Beg ar Loued (Molène, western Brittany, France)

The subsistence strategies of early farming communities have been highlighted since the beginning of the Neolithic, thanks to numerous studies on lipid residues from ceramic vessels conducted in various parts of continental Europe. However, after the Early Neolithic, evidence of subsistence strategies along the northern Atlantic coast are still lacking, especially for island contexts. This paper presents the results of lipid residue analysis of 129 potsherds from Beg ar Loued (Molène, France), an island site dating primarily to the Early Bronze Age (c. 2700-2600 to 1800 BCE). Aiming to understand the use of vessels, vessel treatment and culinary practices on the settlement, analyses of visible charred residues, sherds and ceramic surfaces/coating layers were carried out using chromatographic (n = 174) and isotopic techniques (n = 24) after lipid extraction by solvent (n = 174) or acid methanolysis (n = 31). The results demonstrate the extensive use of terrestrial products (ruminant carcass and dairy) in pottery, including occasional plant products (with possible mixtures of different waxes), while the detection of aquatic products is limited. Thus, combined with evidence from faunal remains at the site, the results indicate that terrestrial resources like ruminant meat and dairy products were preferentially processed in vessels, and aquatic products mostly without the use of ceramics. These findings demonstrate the significance of lipid residue analysis for studying the role of pottery in food production and consumption at sites along the Atlantic coast.

A Methodological Approach for Intra – Site Analysis of Prehistoric Settlements

During the IGEAN (Innovative Geophysical Approaches for the Study of Early Agricultural Villages of Neolithic) project, more than 20 Neolithic-Early Bronze Age (EBA) settlements in the area of Thessaly, Central Greece, were investigated through various geophysical approaches. The prehistoric settlements of Almyros2, Almyriotiki, Perdika1 and Rizomilos2 have been selected to be studied in-depth about their intra-site spatial organization. Here, for sake of conciseness, only the results about Almyros2 and Perdika1 will be presented, assuming these settlements belong both to the Middle Neolithic period. This study aims to propose a combined methodological approach in order to examine if such settlements were conceived following a determined spatial organization. Four different technologies have been implemented, including geophysical prospection, space syntax, 3D modelling and 3D visibility analysis. The promising results obtained from the combination of such technologies, hopefully, will encourage specialists to adopt, compare and develop integrated methodologies more often, especially when excavations are limited.

Ранние комплексы поселения Айлинка VIII

The article discusses the results of a reconnaissance study of the Aylinka VIII site, located on the right-bank terrace of the Shish River, the right tributary of the Irtysh River, in the territory of the village of Aylinka. During the work, materials from several cultural and chronological periods were revealed. The earliest complex is represented by fragments from thick-walled, flat-bottomed profiled dishes, ornamented mainly with shallow rounded indentations forming multidirectional straight lines. The section of the corolla is beveled inwards and slightly bent. The profile of the bottom part is concave, with a protrusion along the edge of the bottom, ornamented with indentations. Such ceramics have parallels in the materials of the sites from the Baraba forest-steppe, which were attributed by V.V. Bobrov to the Boborykino culture, and later by V.I. Molodin to the Baraba Early Neolithic culture (the 7th millennium BC). Another ceramic complex from the site is represented by fragments of vessels of the Ekaterininskaya culture, ornamented mainly by horizontal rows of oblique combed and smooth stamps and pits. The last of the early ceramics complexes contains flat-bottomed dishes of the Early Bronze Age, ornamented with a comb stamp. During the excavations, a collection of stone products was also obtained, which was represented mainly by the products made of quartzite (plates, scrapers), and a microplate made of jasper. The multilayered nature of the site and the priority choice of the studied habitat by the population during the Neolithic-Early Bronze Age were established. Probable pits of dwellings associated with early horizons of habitation have been identified. The Early Neolithic ceramic complex presented in the publication not only closes the gap between the Mesolithic and the Late Neolithic in the Middle Irtysh region, but also expands the area of distribution of the sites with flat-bottomed Neolithic ceramics in the southwestern Siberia. Its correlation with any archaeological culture is currently within the framework of the discussion that has unfolded in the recent years about the cultural affiliation of the complexes with flat-bottomed profiled Neolithic ceramics in the territory.

Mobility and Alterity in Iberian Late Prehistoric Archaeology: Current Research on the Neolithic–Early Bronze Age (6000–1500 BCE)

Archaeological investigations of late prehistoric Iberia between the Neolithic and Bronze Age (6000–1500 BCE) have long been a battleground between indigenist and exogenous models, and understandings of mobility and alterity have played an important role in these debates. Prior to the development of radiocarbon dating, key cultural transformations, such as megaliths, copper metallurgy, fortified hilltop settlements, and Beakers, were generally associated with nonlocal peoples, migrants, or colonizers. With the incorporation of radiocarbon dating to Iberian archaeological contexts in the 1980s and the determination of the antiquity of many of these cultural changes, the pendulum swung in the other direction, with a marked shift toward viewing autochthonous origins for these watershed transitions. In recent years, developments in strontium isotope analyses, genetics, and raw material characterization studies have provided new evidence for the mobility of peoples and things, and diffusionist models, sometimes without critical theorization, have once again reemerged.

The Emergence of Coercive Societies in Northwestern Scandinavia During the Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age

AbstractThis paper discusses how coastal societies in northwestern Scandinavia were able to rise in power by strategically utilizing the natural ecology and landscape in which they were situated. From two case studies (the Norwegian regions of Lista and Tananger), it is shown that it was possible to control the flow of goods up and down the coast at certain bottlenecks but that this also created an unstable society in which conflict between neighboring groups occurred often. More specifically the paper outlines an organizational strategy that may be applicable cross-culturally.

New insights into Late Bronze Age settlement and farming activity in the southern Burren, western Ireland

This paper is a palaeoenvironmental investigation into prehistoric farming activity in the southern Burren, a distinctive karst landscape in western Ireland, from the Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age (ca 4600–10 bc). This archaeologically rich landscape has been exploited by humans since the Neolithic and both the archaeological record and published pollen records from the area attest to its importance in early prehistory, specifically from the Early Neolithic–Early Bronze Age. Pollen, macrofossil and loss-on-ignition analyses were undertaken on a sediment core extracted from Lough Inchiquin, a large lake immediately south of the Burren. Previous investigations in this region all focused on small lake basins which provided only local signals of land-use offering conflicting insights into the land-use dynamics of later prehistory. With a scarcity of known archaeological evidence for Late Bronze Age activity in this region, the current narrative has been one of decreasing importance at this time. Through the establishment of a robust chronology, this paper presents the palaeoenvironmental evidence for human activity, focused on anthropogenic indicators, in conjunction with the archaeological data, from the Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age, to provide a detailed account of landscape change. The new data provide a more regional signal of land-use across the wider Burren landscape than previous studies and highlight an intense period of exploitation from ca 1210–560 bc that resulted in a Late Bronze Age Landnam.

Étude d’un fossé et d’architectures en terre fondés au milieu du 3e millénaire av. J.-C. sur le plateau des Costières (Garons, Gard, France)

The purpose of this paper is the detailed study of one of the excavations that has marked the evolution of Fontbouïsse of MITRA III located in Garons (Gard, France) whilst focussing on the development and the disappearance of enclosures in the south of France. The site located near to a site known as Puech Ferrier, an unpublished enclosure of MITRA III excavated in 2011, was first excavated in 2012 within the framework of preventive archaeology. This exploration of a 5000 m ² surface revealed the southern part and the entrance of an installation delimited by at least two ditches which succeed one another, dating to a period between the 27th and 24th centuries BC that includes the development of the culture of Fontbouïsse, the Campaniforme (Bell Beaker) and the emergence of the early Bronze (BA2). A network of three concentric ditches, the innermost enclosure being the oldest, makes up the first enclosure, where an interruption in the ditches allows access to the site. A later much larger wider and deeper ditch cuts across the first enclosure. The paper focusses on the study of this ditch and its fill, which is the only enclosed site dating to the Late Neolithic in the south of France. Observed over nearly 90 m, this ditch delimits the southern part of the site. It contains fragments of mudbrick over a silty ashy layer the anthracological spectrum of which contains mainly by oak. Based on the results of stratigraphic and soil micromorphology, a phased filling of the ditch can be proposed. Micro-and macroscopic characterization of the earthen elements found in the ditch have specified the nature of the cob and wattle and daub and the demolished structure they came from. The findings reveal that the ditch remained open for a relatively short period of time, after which a cob structure, perhaps a wall, was installed, the base of which is preserved in a portion of the ditch. The ditch was then filled in by the destruction of another earthen and wood structure. This architecture could have been used to strengthen the monumental aspect of the enclosure, the hypothesis being that it copied a layout observed on other Fontbuxien settlements. A violent fire subsequently destroyed this ditch-wall enclosure and a possible adjoining building. Following on from this event, the ditch was re-dug before being filled in after the site is abandoned. The exact dating of the ditch and the destruction of the earthen wall remain imprecise. Some elements found in the lower ditch fill date to the first phase of the Fontbouïsse culture. They stylistically refer productions from the plain of Hérault and Gard. However, the destruction of the earthen architecture is dated by radiocarbon analysis and pottery found in the upper layers and the discovery of a sherd with international style decoration gives a later dating range of between 2450 and 2250 cal. BC. This enclosure and its destruction constitute a milestone in Fontbouïsse and Late Neolithic chronology. Its foundation and destruction occur within a short space of time. The events that occurred during the history of MITRA date the initial foundation and development of the concentric enclosures and the site''s total overhaul, which happened shortly before its abandon. The entrance identified at Mitra III, the new ditch with its earthen architecture that cut across the first enclosure around 2500 cal. BC questions our knowledge of the development and disappearance of enclosures at a pivotal period (Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age) in southern France.

The Stone Tidal Fish Weirs of the Molène Archipelago, Iroise Sea, Brittany, Western France: a long‐term tradition with early megalithic origins

This reports on a project that combined evidence gleaned from aerial photographs, place-names, interviews, topography, LIDAR data, and sonar bathymetry to locate stone tidal fish weirs in the Mol`ene Archipelago. The results were verified by diver and pedestrian visual surveys. Models of Holocene sea-level change allowed a group of possibly Late Mesolithic–Early Neolithic weirs to be recognized, with a second group broadly dated to the later Neolithic–Early Bronze Age. The construction of these long megalithic structures is compared to the funerary monuments for which the Mol`ene Archipelago is well known, in terms of technique, cost, and societal organization.

Stature and the Neolithic transition– Skeletal evidence from southern Sweden

Human stature is a variable often used to study health changes in present and past populations. In this study possible differences in stature from the late Mesolithic-Early Bronze Age, based on skeletal data from southern Sweden, are investigated. The sample comprises n=203 femora where maximum lengths were evaluated using non-parametric testing. Sex was assessed primarily using criteria on the pelvis and secondarily through statistical testing of sexual dimorphism. Measurements of the vertical diameter of the femoral head, femoral anterior-posterior and medial-lateral were evaluated using an iterative discriminant analysis. Results confirm a significant difference in femoral length between archaeological culture groups for both sexes. Male femoral lengths evidence a significant increase in the Battle Axe Culture that remained high throughout the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. Only a minor increase in male stature associated with the transition to agriculture could be noticed; stature then remained constant until the Pitted Ware Culture. There was no change in female stature following the Neolithic transition. Female stature then increased gradually throughout the Neolithic, but decreased somewhat in the later part of the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age. These findings suggest that the transition to agriculture did not affect health in any profound way, and that the high stature in the BAC-Early Bronze Age are dependent on a mix of genetic influx, population increase and good nutrition and health, possibly linked to an intensification and consolidation of the agro-pastoral economy.

Experimental and Use-wear Examinations of Flint Knives: Reconstructing the Butchering Techniques of Prehistoric Lithuania

Eksperimentiniai ir trasologiniai titnaginių peilių tyrimai. Skerdimo technologijų priešistorinėje Lietuvoje rekonstrukcijaTiriant Lietuvos akmens amžiaus medžiagą, gausiai aptinkama titnaginių skelčių su utilizacinėmis žymėmis darbinėse kraštinėse. Dažnai skeltės būna papildomai apdorotos įvairių tipų retušu, kuris byloja apie dirbinio panaudojimą. Neišlikus organinės kilmės medžiagų, suprasti tikrąją dirbinio paskirtį tampa itin nelengva. Tokių titnaginių skelčių, kurios tipologiškai išskirtos kaip peiliai, Lietuvoje randama tyrinėjant vėlyvojo neolito–ankstyvojo bronzos amžiaus paminklus. Jų išskirtiniai technologiniai gamybos ypatumai konstatuoja tam tikrą dirbinio funkciją. Šiame straipsnyje, remiantis Lietuvos vėlyvojo neolito ir ankstyvojo bronzos amžiaus paminkluose rastais titnaginiais peiliais, siekiama atkurti priešistorės gyvūnų skerdimo technologijas. Tikslui įgyvendinti taikyti eksperimentiniai ir trasologiniai tyrimo metodai. Remdamiesi tyrimo rezultatais, pateikiame naujų įžvalgų apie titnaginių peilių naudojimą ir metalo dirbinių efektyvumą apdorojant gyvūnų skerdeną.

Y-chromosomal DNA analyzed for four prehistoric cemeteries from Cis-Baikal, Siberia

The Lake Baikal region of Siberia was home to two temporally distinct populations from Early Neolithic, EN (7500–7000cal BP) to Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age, LN-EBA (5570–3725cal BP). The EN group was separated from the LN-EBA group by a ~1500-year gap (hiatus), and during this hiatus no human remains have been recovered from the Lake Baikal area. Examination of the paternal lineage through Y-chromosomal polymorphisms is a novel approach to BAP and will facilitate the assessment of the paternal continuities and/or discontinuities within and between the EN and the LN-EBA groups, and complement the previously examined maternal data. Several new ancient DNA extraction and PCR amplification techniques were optimized to address the technical challenges during sample analysis. Each sample was extracted twice in duplicate on different occasions to authenticate the results. Thirteen Y-chromosomal Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers were examined via the SNaPshot multiplex PCR reaction to determine Y-chromosomal haplogroups of males. Results have been obtained from 16 males from the EN cemeteries Lokomotiv and Shamanka II representing haplogroups K, R1a1 and C3, and 20 males from the LN-EBA Ust'-Ida and Kurma XI cemeteries representing haplogroups Q, K and unidentified SNP (L914). For those males belonging to haplogroup Q, further experiments were obtained to examine sub-haplogroups of Q, and the results showed that those males belong to sub-haplogroup Q1a3. The paternal Y-chromosome results suggest a discontinuity between the EN and LN-EBA populations. The significance of this research lies on the utility of DNA analysis in making inferences about the pre-historic social structure.

Evaluating the biological discontinuity hypothesis of Cis-Baikal Early versus Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age populations using dental non-metric traits

The aim of this study is to assess dental non-metric trait frequencies of Middle Holocene hunter–gatherer populations from the western Lake Baikal region of Siberia, the Russian Federation, for evidence of population discontinuity. Mortuary practices, cranial morphology, and mitochondrial DNA data have led to the hypothesis of a discontinuity event between the Early Neolithic (EN; ∼7500–7025 cal BP) and Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age (LN–EBA; ∼5500–3700 cal BP) populations. Dental non-metric traits are highly heritable and can be used to infer biological affinity between populations. Mean measure of divergence results find that dental non-metric trait frequencies vary between archaeological periods in statistical terms, but the extent of difference is minor. In the LN–EBA sample, several, but not all, trait frequencies shift towards the range characteristic of populations with Western European genetic admixture. Gene flow from a population to the south of the Baikal region is the most likely explanation for this shift, although the role of genetic drift and the impact of small sample sizes cannot be discounted. Two cemeteries along the Angara River on either side of the discontinuity event have the most similar dental non-metric trait patterns. The similarity of traits between the EN site of Lokomotiv and the LN component of the site of Ust'-Ida I could suggest population continuity or genetic admixture between groups in this area. Dental non-metric trait data are shown to be an informative avenue for assessing past population events, revealing trends not detected by other data types, and directing research into our reconstruction of the history of these groups away from the shores of Lake Baikal to along the Angara River.

Revisiting osteoarthritis in the Cis-Baikal: Understanding behavioral variability and adaptation among middle Holocene foragers

This examination of osteoarthritis (OA) focuses on better understanding behavioral variability among the middle Holocene foragers of the Cis-Baikal, Siberia, particularly as it pertains to a unique period of diachronic cultural change in the region. The three cemetery populations considered lie on either side of an 800–1000 year biocultural ‘hiatus’—characterized by a cessation in the use of formal cemeteries—and are located in two of the Cis-Baikal's four main micro-regions. Two of the cemetery samples, Lokomotiv and Shamanka II, represent the pre-hiatus early Neolithic (EN) Kitoi culture (8000–7000/6800 cal. BP), while the third, Ust'-Ida I, represents the post-hiatus late Neolithic–early Bronze Age (LN–EBA) Isakovo–Serovo–Glazkovo (or ISG) cultural complex (6000/5800–4000 cal. BP). Results reveal a dynamic pattern of variability across both time and space. Of particular interest is an apparent dichotomy between the two pre-hiatus EN sites, namely considerably higher OA severity at Lokomotiv compared to Shamanka II. This disparity suggests fundamental behavioral differences between the populations despite their contemporaneity and cultural continuity, possibly reflecting distinct residential mobility patterns and population densities in their respective micro-regions. In addition, intra-site analyses reveal that activity may have differed considerably between the sexes, whether in type, intensity, and/or duration. Male-dominated logistical foraging on both sides of the hiatus may explain, at least in part, these discrepancies. Finally, results of intra-joint component analyses of the elbow and knee were similar across age, sex, and cemetery groups, and largely consistent with those of epidemiological studies. Taken together, these results add to our growing understanding of pre- and post-hiatus adaptive strategies in the Cis-Baikal by providing a more detailed picture of the complex and highly variable behavioral and activity patterns employed by the region's middle Holocene foragers.

New 14C evidence for the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age transition in Southeast Europe

The transition from the Late Neolithic (LN) period (locally also called Final Neolithic or Chalcolithic) to the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in Greece and the Southeast Balkans is an obscure period in human history. Previous radiocarbon evidence showed that in settlements with stratigraphical sequences stretching out on both periods, the absolute dates featured a gap ranging from 700 to 1000 years (roughly between 4000 and 3300/3000 cal. BC). On the other hand, there is only scarce evidence about settlements that would have been founded during the missing period, thus arising questions of paramount importance about the human occupational strategies in this period. Investigation tackling this particular problem is carried out within the framework of a broader research project (Balkans-4000) funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR). Here we discuss the latest radiocarbon results from three recently excavated multilayer settlements on the continental Greek Eastern Macedonia: Dikili Tash, Kryoneri and Sidirokastro. In all cases, the existing LN radiocarbon dates do not go beyond about 4000 BC, whereas the earliest EBA layer dates begin at around 3300 BC. A date in the last 1/3rd of the 4th millennium BC is also the date suggested for the one-layer transitional settlement on the neighbouring island of Thasos (Aghios Ioannis). The fact that the gap affects settlements of different types and locations, although there are no signs of major environmental changes, suggests that the reasons of their possible total or partial abandonment are more likely to be social than strictly environmental.

Morphometric Analysis ofSusRemains from Neolithic Sites in the Wei River Valley, China, with Implications for Domestication

Size variation of Sus remains within and between sites is examined for the Neolithic sites in the Wei River valley in China. The coefficient of variation [V] for pig measurements at the sites of Wayaogou, Quanhucun and Jiangzhai was calculated, and we observed patterns that show evidence of two populations of different-size pigs, supporting the likelihood that both wild and domestic pigs were present. Also, size reduction of pigs can be traced within the Neolithic-early Bronze Age archaeo-faunal sequence of the Wei River valley. This size reduction was accompanied by an increase of coefficients of variation through the Neolithic. Both of these trends were probably the consequences of pig domestication, and the morphometric differences probably provide evidence for the different stages of pig domestication in this region. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lower limb activity in the Cis‐Baikal: Entheseal changes among middle holocene siberian foragers

Lower limb entheseal changes are evaluated in order to reconstruct activity levels and more fully understand cultural and behavioral variation among the middle Holocene (ca. 9,000-3,000 years BP) foragers of Siberia's Cis-Baikal region. The four cemetery samples examined span a period of diachronic change characterized by an 800- to 1,000-year discontinuity in the use of formal cemeteries in the region. Two of the cemetery samples represent the early Neolithic Kitoi culture, dating from 8,000 to 7,000/6800 cal. BP; the other two represent the late Neolithic-early Bronze Age Isakovo-Serovo-Glazkovo (ISG) cultural complex, dating from 6,000/5,800 to 4,000 cal. BP. Findings suggest a dynamic pattern of cultural variability in the Cis-Baikal, with spatial distribution (i.e., site location within particular microregions) appearing to be just as important a factor as cultural/temporal affiliation in explaining intersample differences in entheseal morphology. In addition, intrasample comparisons reveal increasing sexual disparity with advancing age at death, emphasizing the influence of sex-related activities on lower limb entheseal changes. Finally, results from the separate fibrous and fibrocartilaginous datasets appear to be largely congruous, implying that activity patterns in the Cis-Baikal may have similar effects on the morphology of both types of entheses.

Houses and Hierarchies: Economic and Social Relations in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age of Southernmost Scandinavia

Research on Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age society in southernmost Scandinavia has to a large extent focused on the creation of social hierarchy and on elite networks upheld by individuals. This has meant that the importance of collective strategies has been underplayed. In the south-west corner of Sweden, about eighty house remains from the Late Neolithic and the earliest Bronze Age have been excavated within a small area. It is the largest concentration of houses from the period so far excavated in southern Scandinavia. The settlement pattern reveals both single farms and one site, Almhov, with a concentration of several contemporary farms with large houses. The aim of this article is to highlight collective aspects, recognizing that both collective and individual strategies are important in the formation of hierarchical societies. House remains as well as graves and their placement in relation to each other within the local landscape are the archaeological material in focus, regarded as materializations of economic and social relations. It is argued that collective strategies were an important part of creating and maintaining economic and social position.

Hunter–gatherer foraging ranges, migrations, and travel in the middle Holocene Baikal region of Siberia: Insights from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures

Foraging ranges, migrations, and travel among Middle Holocene hunter–gatherers in the Baikal region of Siberia are examined based on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures obtained from 350 human and 203 faunal bone samples. The human materials represent Early Neolithic (8000–6800 cal BP), Late Neolithic (6000–5000 cal BP), and Early Bronze Age periods (∼5000–4000 cal BP) and come from the following four smaller areas of the broader region: the Angara and upper Lena valleys, Little Sea of Baikal’s northwest coast, and southwest Baikal. Forager diets from each area occupy their own distinct position within the stable isotope spectrum. This suggests that foraging ranges were not as large as expected given the distances involved and the lack of geographic obstacles between the micro-regions. All examined individuals followed a similar subsistence strategy: harvesting game and local fishes, and on Lake Baikal also the seal, and to a more limited extent, plant foods. Although well established in their home areas, exchange networks with the other micro-regions appear asymmetrical both in time and direction: more travel and contacts between some micro-regions and less between others. The Angara valley seems to be the only area with the possibility of a temporal change in the foraging strategy from more fishing during the Early Neolithic to more ungulate hunting during the Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age. However, the shift in stable isotope values suggesting this change can be viewed also as evidence of climate change affecting primary productivity of the Baikal–Angara freshwater system.

14C Dating of a Final Neolithic-Early Bronze Age Transition Period Settlement at Aghios Ioannis on Thassos (North Aegean)

The transitional period known as the Final Neolithic-Early Bronze Age in Greece, falling in terms of absolute dates within the 4th millennium BC, is an obscure and enigmatic period. Few sites in northern Greece or the southern Balkans have produced evidence of 4th millennium BC occupation, and the sites that do are mainly concentrated in the last third of the 4th millennium toward the beginning of the EBA. This paper presents archaeological evidence and radiocarbon dates from a site that covers part of the gap, Aghios Ioannis on Thassos, the northernmost Aegean island. It is a coastal site of seasonal occupation and most probably depended on organized animal husbandry plus hunting and fishing activities. From the first excavations in 1996, there was evidence that the site was occupied during the Final Neolithic to the beginning of the Early Bronze Age. The 14C dates obtained fall towards the end of the 4th millennium if not closer to the middle. The presence of human activity in this last part of the 4th millennium “gap” on Thassos is by itself an interesting discovery that enlarges our knowledge for this obscure period and is of environmental and cultural significance.