Late Neolithic Research Articles

Final Pleistocene and early Holocene population dynamics and the emergence of pottery on the Korean Peninsula

The final Pleistocene and early Holocene witnessed the emergence of the earliest pottery in East Asia. Despite extensive archaeological research conducted in Korea over the last three decades, the lack of comparable pottery evidence from the early postglacial, let alone the terminal Pleistocene, on the Korean Peninsula remains an archaeological enigma. Rather than anticipating future discoveries, we feel that it is time to explain why early pottery does not appear on the Korean Peninsula and attempt to provide a workable hypothesis focusing on the spatio-temporal dynamics of mobile hunter-gatherer-fisher populations during periods of substantial environmental change. Summed probability distribution and kernel density estimation of radiocarbon dates clearly indicate significant population fluctuations: occupation density increased under cold and dry Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) conditions and declined during warmer post-LGM and postglacial periods. We argue that a significant decline in population is the main reason why Pleistocene and postglacial pottery does not appear in Korea. On the other hand, the establishment of a Neolithic pottery tradition along Korea's coasts were likely associated with the 8.2 ka cooling event.

How do they fit together? A case study of Neolithic pottery typology and radiocarbon chronology

The object of the paper is to update the current concept of the chronology of the Neolithic (c. 5400–3300 BC) of the Czech Republic and northern Lower Austria by comparing the typo-chronological development of pottery and modelling the corresponding radiocarbon dates. Up until now, pottery and its style have often been perceived in Central Europe as “basic indicators” of archaeological cultures or pottery traditions, which are then further divided into chronological stages and phases. And yet, an analysis of the relationships of all three levels of these entities in the context of four types of models of radiocarbon dates indicates that changes in the original material culture do not necessarily occur on a time axis. While it is true that archaeological cultures have proven to be the robust materialisation of primarily chronological trends valid in larger geographic areas, at the level of general and more detailed pottery groups, development can be manifested in other ways (regionally, socially or in a way that is difficult to interpret). Central Europe – Neolithic – pottery typo-chronology – archaeological culture – radiocarbon dating

Chronological and regional variation in developmental stress and behavior of Early and Late Neolithic Cis-Baikal hunter-gatherer juveniles: Insights from diaphyseal cross-sectional geometry

This study explores growth (increase in size) and development (change in structure and function) in Middle Holocene Cis-Baikal hunter-gatherer populations to evaluate chronological and regional variation in developmental health and juvenile behavior using post-cranial Cross-Sectional Geometry (CSG). It also evaluates whether sexual differences in size and habitual behavior were evident by the end of adolescence. Age and body size standardized femur, tibia, and humerus midshaft CSG are used to test for differences between Early Neolithic (EN) and Late Neolithic (LN) juveniles from different micro-regions. Regression of these measures on radiocarbon date tests for differences within archaeological periods.EN individuals younger than 16 years, particularly those from the Angara River Valley, exhibit lower measures of cross-sectional size/ rigidity than LN juveniles. EN individuals older than 6 years, especially those from the Southwest Baikal had less circular lower limbs and higher humerus percent cortical area than LN individuals. Age standardized cross sectional size/ rigidity decline throughout both the EN and the LN, suggesting decrease in body size during both archaeological periods, whereas changes in femur shape are consistent with increases in juvenile mobility throughout the EN. By the end of adolescence, sexual dimorphism is emerging but not fully established in lower and upper limb robusticity and shape.The lower cross-sectional area and bending rigidity support higher levels of developmental stress in the EN compared to the LN period, whereas less circular lower limb indices suggest higher terrestrial mobility in the EN. These differences may reflect may a higher risk of resource scarcity in the EN, which resulted in higher mobility and greater involvement of juveniles in harvesting aquatic resources. Declines in body size within both archaeological periods emphasize the cyclical nature of developmental stress, perhaps due to declines in resource abundance. The presence of incipient sexual dimorphism by the end of adolescence is consistent with individuals beginning to assume adult roles.

Production of Pottery from Esfandaghe and Jiroft, Iran, late 7th - early 3rd Millennium BC

ABSTRACT The Jiroft civilization is one of the most interesting cultures in the Iranian region, with important archeological finds. The area is considered the homeland of a mysterious culture: Aratta. Jiroft/Aratta might be the homeland of Sumerian myths, which then traveled west to Mesopotamia. Ten pieces of Neolithic pottery dated to the 7th–6th Mill. BC, and eight samples from Bronze Age (early 3rd Mill. BC) have been sampled and analyzed by means of a mineralogical approach to study the technological features of the pottery manufacturing process. They come from two important and logistic regions in Jiroft, “Konar-Sandal and “Esfandaghe”. The bulk of the samples was investigated by X-Ray fluorescence; X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refining method were applied to determine, qualitatively and quantitatively, the crystalline phase. Polarized light microscopy helped to determine significant data on the manufacturing process by means of phase decomposition within the fabrics of the pottery and their thermodynamically crystalline phase stability. The results provide information on the existence of two different workshops with regional raw material usage and different techniques in the ceramics production in the 7th–6th Mill. BC and 3rd Mill. BC.

The Mid-Holocene bifacial projectile points from Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt: Implications concerning origins of the knapping tradition, changing hunting patterns, the local neolithic, and African cultural independence

The bifacial lithic technology used to produce the numerous arrowheads found in North Africa in the Mid-Holocene is generally thought to have arrived from the Levant, imported with the Neolithic farming tradition after 6200 BCE. However, evidence from Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, suggests that few Neolithic traits were adopted, while the local bifacial knapping tradition developed independently of the Levant. A group of points from the Dakhleh Bashendi A unit, thought derived from the small points of the Levantine Pottery Neolithic, actually appear much earlier in Dakhleh and evolved locally. Likewise, large points in Dakhleh, usually equated with the large arrowheads of the Levantine PPNB, again developed locally. They were produced by a different chaîne opératoire, while their dimensions and morphology suggest they tipped spears rather than arrows, for use against large Mid-Holocene game animals. A similar range of large points is found in the Fayum Oasis and at Merimde in the Nile Delta, and smaller versions occur westward in the Central Sahara, but in both cases long after they first appeared in Dakhleh. In the Fayum and Merimde, the Dakhleh hollow-based large point was modified to deal with dangerous animals such as crocodiles.

ABSOLUTE CHRONOLOGY OF GOSAN-RI-TYPE POTTERY, THE OLDEST MANUFACTURED POTTERY IN KOREA

ABSTRACTGosan-ri-type pottery (GTP) is a unique plant-fiber-tempered pottery from Korea and has only been found in Early Neolithic sites on Jeju Island. In this study, we conducted radiocarbon (14C) dating for one GTP sample and 10 charcoal samples collected from archaeological structures in which GTP was found in 2012. The measurement conditions, the internal quality assurance test, and the reliability test indicate that each 14C date is very reliable. However, the 14C dates of the charcoal samples were more accurate than that of the GTP sample due to contamination from younger humic acids. From the summary of all 14C dates of charcoal samples using the KDE model, we finally conclude that GTP was manufactured and utilized throughout the period 9610–9490 cal BP (7670–7550 BC) with 95.4% confidence level. This age corroborates the inference that GTP is the oldest known Korean Neolithic pottery.

The Late Eneolithic Groups from the Dniester-Prut Interfluve: Some Questions of their External Contacts and Chronology

Abstract In this article we would like to point out some issues related to a series of ceramic materials found in sites attributed to the Late Enolithic groups of Brînzeni and Gordinești in the Dniester-Prut interfluve. In terms of technology and stylistics in the case of pottery from the Brînzeni type sites and stylistics in the case of pottery from the Gordinești type sites, we can see some analogies in the cultural environment of the central European area. For the Brînzeni group the clearest analogies tend to be seen in eastern, southern and south-eastern areas of the Funnel Beaker culture, whereas for the Gordinești group this seems to be visible within the Złota culture in the Sandomierz Upland, Middle Vistula region. Another issue of our study concerns the chronological frames of these two groups. Analyses of the radiocarbon data series obtained so far allow us to make some careful corrections in the chronological scheme of the Late Eneolithic for eastern Europe. Both mentioned issues fit into socio-cultural relations in the East Carpathian area in the context of the cultural transformations in the second half of the 4th millennium BC.

The brewing function of the first amphorae in the Neolithic Yangshao culture, North China

In recent years, functional study of Neolithic pottery found in the Yellow River valley has shown that globular jars of the pre-Yangshao period (ca. 7000–5000 cal. BC) and jiandiping amphorae of the middle and late Yangshao period (ca. 4000–2900 cal. BC) were alcohol fermentation vessels. However, there is a time gap of 1000 years (ca. 5000–4000 cal. BC) between these two sets of vessels, namely the Early Yangshao period when amphorae first appeared. In order to further our understanding of alcohol production in Neolithic China, we employed scientific methods to examine microfossil remains in the residues adhering to the interior walls of eleven among the earliest amphorae from the Banpo and Jiangzhai sites in Shaanxi province. Multiple lines of evidence—taken from starch granules, phytoliths, molds, yeast cells, and rod-shaped calcite crystals found in the residues—indicate that these amphorae were used for brewing alcoholic beverages. The ingredients mainly include broomcorn millet, together with other cereals (foxtail millet, rice and Triticeae), wild peas and tubers (snake gourd roots and foxnut). Two brewing methods have been detected: use of sprouted grain and use of qu starter made of moldy grain with herbs. Siphoning through reed straws may have been one of the drinking methods. The results of this research open a new window not only for understanding the long tradition of alcohol production in prehistoric China, but also for investigating alcohol-related social activities of the Yangshao people.

First lipid residue analysis of Early Neolithic pottery from Swifterbant (the Netherlands, ca. 4300\u20134000\xa0BC)

This paper focuses on the functional analysis of Swifterbant pottery from North-western Europe (ca. 4300–4000 BC) through lipid residue analysis. The main aim is to understand the role of pottery in terms of its relation to hunter-fisher-gatherer lifestyle, and the change in available food resources brought about by the arrival of domesticated animal and plant products. We conducted lipid residue analysis of 62 samples from three Swifterbant sites S2, S3 and S4. A combined approach using both GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS of residues absorbed into the ceramic was employed to identify their context. Our results demonstrate that Swifterbant ceramics were used exclusively for processing aquatic resources. We also found no evidence of inter-site variation in the use of pottery or variation based on both typological and technological features of the pottery. We found no evidence for any domesticated resources despite their presence in the faunal and botanical assemblages.

'Organic Temper' and the Early Neolithic Pottery Production: Interpretational Challenges

'Organic Temper' and the Early Neolithic Pottery Production: Interpretational Challenges

‘Organic Temper’ and the Early Neolithic Pottery Production: Interpretational Challenges

Well-preserved plant remains found in clay bodies of Early Neolithic pottery of Southeastern Europe have been largely understudied. The characteristics and provenance of this ‘organic temper’ remain mostly unknown, making interpretations obscure. Based on a range of research methods, this article explores the macro and micro plant remains within the pottery clays, considering such aspects as the use of domesticated versus wild plants and actual functional temper versus organic inclusions as background noise. This innovative approach is applied to explore three different Early Neolithic Balkan sites, demonstrating the importance in distinguishing between (a) deliberate addition of selected temper as a technological prerequisite; (b) sporadic occurrence of plant parts in (domestic) areas where pottery was made, (c) natural characteristics of the local clays containing organics and used as raw materials, and (d) plant use pointing towards more specific pottery-making techniques. Possible misinterpretations and pitfalls are discussed in using the applied integrated methodology, thus revealing crucial details on the variability of the technological approaches applied during the Early Neolithic of Southeastern Europe.

The geology of Tianshui‐Qin'an area of the western Loess Plateau and the chemical characteristics of its Neolithic pottery

AbstractThe difference in the chemical compositions between Neolithic pottery from the eastern and western ends of the northern Chinese Loess Plateau has been known for some time, and a number of possible explanations have been proposed. However, a full understanding of the difference is yet to be achieved. Based on recent geological studies of the Tianshui‐Qin'an area on the western Loess Plateau, the present study establishes a logical connection between the chemical characteristics of Neolithic pottery from the western Loess Plateau and the primary sediments available in the area. Moreover, this study reveals that the chemical compositions of clay used for fine wares and coarse wares at Dadiwan also bear some clear differences. Based on these findings, the paper discusses possible clay selection methods by potters in the Neolithic western Loess Plateau to make their different wares based on the locales where suitable raw materials are available. The paper demonstrates that the raw materials available for pottery making on the eastern and western Loess Plateau differ significantly and this explains the marked difference in ceramic composition between the two locations.

Heated mud bricks in submerged and coastal Southern Levant Pre-Pottery Neolithic C and Late Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic settlements: Diachronic changes in technology and their social implications

Technological and social practices can be deciphered by deployment of multiple techniques that have been developed in the last years for the study of sun-dried and heated mud bricks. This research analyzed for the first time the chain of operational processes involved in the manufacture of heated mud bricks in the Neolithic of the Southern Levant. Heated mud bricks (and associated soil/sediment controls) were studied from four Neolithic sites in Israel; the submerged Pre-Pottery Neolithic C (PPNC) site of Atlit-Yam, the coastal PPNC site of Bene Beraq, the submerged late Pottery Neolithic/ Early Chalcolithic (PN/EC) site of Neve Yam and the coastal PN/EC site of 'Ein Asawir. In all sites, the bricks have been found in open areas within the settlements, in semi-circular concentrations of either pits or piles. The bricks have been characterized macroscopically (shape, size, color pattern) and a variety of micro-geoarchaeological techniques have been used to characterize the mud brick materials (and control soils/sediments) from the four sites. These included, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Electrical Conductivity (EC), pH analysis, calcite content measurements, Loss on Ignition (LOI), phytolith analysis, and petrography. The results show that all bricks have been produced from sediments from the sites' vicinities. PPNC mud bricks are generally devoid of any type of temper and have been heated to a relatively wide range of high temperatures (600–900 °C) under heterogeneous atmospheric conditions. PN/EC mud bricks are enriched in calcite and include vegetal temper, and have been heated to a relatively narrow range of temperatures (500–700 °C) that is lower than that observed in PPNC mud bricks, and under standard oxidizing conditions. The grass component of temper in the PN/EC bricks may originate from emmer wheat, based on phytolith morphological analysis. Interestingly, FTIR criteria for heated clay minerals preserve underwater for millennia, and so do phytolith assemblages; these observations indicate that micro-geoarchaeological proxies can (and should) be utilized in studies of marine submerged prehistory. Overall, a diachronic perspective on the operational chain of PPNC and PN/EC mud bricks, from raw material procurement through tempering, moulding and firing is provided, which may be translated into developing pyrotechnological practices in light of increasing social complexity during the Neolithic. We propose that purposeful tempering by emmer wheat (agricultural by-products) may be related to socioeconomic factors such as symbolic addition of domestic surplus and that temper diversity in the PN/EC may also mirror sedentary life where domestic waste accumulated on local soil/sediment and thus incorporated into mud bricks. Furthermore, we propose that the more standardized pyrotechnological characteristics of PN/EC bricks are related to increased social control over this skill/craft.

Continuation of fishing subsistence in the Ukrainian Neolithic: diet isotope studies at Yasinovatka, Dnieper Rapids

Yasinovatka is one of around 30 prehistoric cemetery sites of fisher-hunter-foragers located along the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine. Dating to c. 5540–4930 cal BC, the skeletal remains at Yasinovatka suggest that around sixty-eight individuals were interred at the cemetery, during three broad phases of interment: A-type burials (c. 5540–4930 cal BC), Ƃ1 pit burials (c. 5550–4750 cal BC), and Ƃ2 pit burials (c. 4980–4460 cal BC). The burials are characterized, in part, by the inclusion of a number of Mariupol-type plates of boar tusk, in addition to deer tooth pendants, Unio shells, knife-like flint blades, Cyprinidae teeth, sherds of Neolithic pottery, and significant deposits of ochre in the later burial pits. Here we analyse δ13C and δ15N values for 50 human bone collagen samples from the site. The majority of the isotope results show a fisher-hunter-forager population reliant predominantly on freshwater aquatic proteins, which is in keeping with previous dietary isotope studies in the area. Two individuals however have δ15N values that are clearly depleted when compared with the main population; these reflect dietary protein intakes based on plant and animal terrestrial resources rather than the predominant focus on aquatic resources. Notably, the δ13C values of these anomalous individuals are not enriched compared with the fauna samples analysed from the region; this supports the possibility that they were incomers to the area, potentially from a nearby agrarian population.

Rebirth in the afterlife: Neolithic pot burials from Khor Shambat, Sudan

ABSTRACTBurials in pots are one of the most intriguing and at the same time most widespread funeral practices in the prehistoric world. The oldest examples probably originate from the northern Levant where they occur in the Pottery Neolithic at the end of the seventh and in the early sixth millennia BC. The tradition was introduced into Egypt relatively late, most likely around 3500 BC, but appears a little earlier further south in central Sudan, where three instances have previously been reported from Late Neolithic sites in the Shendi Reach. This paper reports on an additional four pot burial graves of infants excavated in 2017 at Khor Shambat near Omdurman. Found next to a post-Meroitic grave, they date to the Early Neolithic and were accompanied by relatively abundant burial goods. The placement of parts of the same vessel in two different graves suggests a close chronological relationship between them, while vessel type and a radiocarbon date indicate an age of around 4400–4100 cal. BC. These burials may have been part of a protective ritual for the remains of very young (pre-initiated) individuals.

The concept of Early Metal period in the archaeology of Northern Europe

The paper deals with the histo- ry of appearance and usage of the concept of Early Metal Period in the archaeology of Northern Europe. The concept appears to have been conceived in the 1920s by V. I. Ra- vdonikas and A. Ya. Bryusov, but the term it- self was irst introduced into archaeologi- cal literature by N. N. Gurina in the 1940s af- ter the discovery in the Lake Onega region of a number of assemblages seemingly com- bining Late Neolithic pottery with iron- and bronze-making. However, the existence of such assemblages has not been conirmed by subsequent researches, and as early as 1947 the Early Metal Period was redeined as a period comprising the Bronze and Ear- ly Iron Ages. The original basis of the concept disappeared, but the term has become natu- ralized, though with a diferent sense. Thus, as applies to the northern part of Europe, the Three-Age system as if bifurcates in the Neo- lithic and unites again in the Iron Age. The North European Early Metal Period is a pe- ripheral variant of the Bronze Age. Therefore, it would be logical and rational to abandon the concept of the Early Metal Period in favor of the Bronze Age.

Data about the vessels decorated with painting in the discoveries of the Early Neolithic from Cristian I, Sibiu County, Romania ...and some ”Mesolithic legacies and traditions” on the Danube line and north of it

Archaeological material of the very Early Neolithic (and „ Mesolithic traditions”) discovered in the archaeological site of Cristian I still presents surprising evidence of the behaviour of communities at that time. In this study, we have new data about painting ornamentation of the Early Neolithic pottery from here.

ДРЕВНЕЙШИЕ ПЕЧАТИ СРЕДНЕЙ АЗИИ (ТИПОЛОГИЯ, МАТЕРИАЛ, ТЕХНИКА ИЗГОТОВЛЕНИЯ)

The paper deals with systematization of the oldest Central Asian seals that were found at the late Middle Eneolithic — Early Bronze Age settlements of South Turkmenistan. Stone and terracotta flat «seals-amulets» (with a hole in the upper part — fig. 1, 4–13) are characteristic of the Late Eneolithic (Namazga III period, ca. 3150–2800/2700 BC). Images on the front sides of these objects are made by incised lines and/or pyramidal depressions forming cruciform «stepped» patterns. Such «seals-amulets» are known exclusively from Central Asian sites. Flat «seals-buttons» (with two holes in the center) made of clay and bone appear at the very end of the Late Eneolithic (ca. 2800s BC). As is evidenced by the stratigraphy of Altyn-depe, the stone seals of this type are mainly characteristic of the Early Bronze Age (Namazga IV period, ca. 2800/2700–2400/2300 BC). Images on the front sides of «seals-buttons» are made by both incising/engraving (fig. 1, 1–3; 3, 3, 5, 10, 12, 14, 15, 23) and shallow spot drilling (fig. 2, 4, 6–9, 21, 22). «Seals-stamps» (with a suspension eye on the rear side) of terracotta and copper date from the beginning of Early Bronze Age. They bear patterns of drawn lines (fig. 2, 10) or lines combining with circles made by a hollow drill (fig. 2, 11, 13). However, judging by the imprints (fig. 3, 2, 4, 7, 9), the earliest «seals-stamps» were manufactured as early as the end of the Late Eneolithic. Metal «seals- stamps» with high embossed images made in the lost-mould casting technique appear at the very end of the Early Bronze Age (fig. 2, 1) and are characteristic of the Midle Bronze Age (Namazga V period, ca. 2350–2000/1900s BC).

Памятники ранненеолитической среднедонкой культуры у села Доброе на верхнем Дону

Nowadays there are 72 sites of the Neolithic Middle-Don Culture. Ceramic vessels are ornamented mostly using triangular pricks. These settlements are located on the banks of the rivers Voronezh and Don in their lower reaches. Not far from the town of Dobroe, a concentration of Neolithic settlements was found. Three of them contained Early Neolithic pottery of the Middle-Don Culture (6th millennium BC). For the first time on the settlement Dobroe 9 a cultural layer was found in situ. Due to the discovery of the assemblage of pottery and stone and bone tools, new excavations allowed us to characterise the material culture of the ancient population of the Upper Don in a new way.

Preliminary results of an investigation of a single Barrow near the village of Serteya (Smolensk region)

A single burial mound is located on the right bank of the Serteyka River (north-western Russia). It was discovered by E.A. Schmidt in 1951 and is attributed to the Old Russian Period. New researches on the burial mound conducted in 2013 and 2014 have uncovered several diachronic constructions. The first stage was connected to a flint knapping site, which was located on a natural ele- vation. It can be attributed to the 6th millennium BC on the basis of the Early Neolithic pottery fragments found nearby. The next period is dated to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC, when a ritual platform was created. Moreover, on another mound, a ditch was created, which can be attributed to the Long Barrow Culture due to a ceramic fragment found there. Samples from burnt bones and charcoal indicate that the first and second stages of this construction could be dated to between the middle and the second half of the 3rd millennium BC – the late stage of the Zhizhitskaya Culture of pile-dwellers and the initial stage of the Uzmenskaya Culture. Animal bones were cremated along with bronze items, as evidenced by the patina visible on the surface of the bones. Such a rite has been recorded for the first time. Furthermore, a ritual fire-place was set on a flat platform, and additional fireplaces were situated on the slope of the burial mound. This complex, which can be interpreted as a site of worship from the Late Neolithic through the Early Bronze Age, existed for a long period of time. Nowadays, it is difficult to find analogies to such ritual complexes from the 3rd millennium BC from the territory of Poland and the Upper Dnepr region; only the kurgans and burial mounds of the Corded Ware Culture dating to the 3rd millennium BC are known. It might also be supposed that some of the sites with such a sepulchral rite, usually attributed to the Long Barrows Culture, could also be ritual sites – this, however, would require further research.