Search

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Tiwa community is one of the autochthonous communities of Northeast India. An important aspect of Tiwa culture is the erection of stone monuments during the celebration of Chongkhong Phuja. This ceremony is performed before the commencement of their yearly agricultural cycle which falls in late April and continues to early May. On this occasion, a menhir and table stone are erected by the head priest of the Tiwa village, who then invokes their village guardian deity to call for a better harvest as well as for the wellbeing of the villagers. This elaborate ceremony marks the beginning of the agricultural season for the year, following which the villagers commence their agricultural activities. This paper deals with the performance of Chongkhong Phuja and the associated living megalithic tradition among the Hill Tiwas residing in the Umswai Valley. It also documents the oral traditions associated with the origin of the megalithic tradition in the community. As most of the living megalithic traditions among the ethnic communities of Northeast India are either related to burial practices or commemorating the death of a person or an event, this Chongkhong Phuja represents a unique example of a megalithic tradition related to agricultural practice. Indirect evidence suggests the megalithic structures present at the ceremonial place of the Chongkhong Phuja in the Amsai village of the Umswai Valley have been continuously erected for the last thousand years. The paper also hypothesizes the shifting cultivation in the area to be as old as the practice of the megalithic tradition.

A Pre-Pottery Neolithic site at Sayburç is currently being studied as part of the Şanlıurfa Neo-lithic Research Project – Taş Tepler (Türkiye), which is focused on the Neolithic Period at the Şanlıurfa Plateau. The settlement belongs to the early sedentary societies on the plateau, characterized by monumental buildings, T-shaped pillars, and rich symbolic elements that distinguish the region from its contemporaries in Southwest Asia. A growing body of evidence indicates that rituals and the associated symbolism and narratives play a pivotal role in the formation of the region’s early sedentary societies. The construction of special buildings in Sayburç, situated close to dwellings and accompanied by associated symbolism, illustrates the intertwining of the sacred with everyday life. This paper presents the preliminary results of the first three years of research on the site and discusses the cultural dimension of the region itself.

Recent archaeological excavations of the Vučedol site at the Cornfield Streim were carried out in the period from 2012 to 2021. Most of the excavated objects belong to the settlement of the Classical phase (2900–2630 BC) of the Vučedol culture. The focus of this paper is on the analysis of Grave 5 within the Vučedol settlement complex and its role and meaning in the life and funeral practices of the Vučedol culture. Anthropological analysis will show the biological features of the Vučedol population and of the sample found only at the Vučedol site.

This paper presents the richest prehistoric assemblage of ornaments in the Eastern Adriatic discovered to date, found in the Late Upper Palaeolithic layers of Vlakno cave, Croatia. The abundance and multiform of bead types indicate that the site was likely used as a workshop for ornaments, i.e. that production was performed on site. Technological and use-wear analysis of each taxon used for beads allowed us to elaborate on its mode of production, use, and overall position of the Vlakno cave site and its role in the regional context during the Late Pleistocene.

During the last few decades, our knowledge of processes leading to the establishment of food-producing communities in regions peripheral or exterior to that of the core areas of primary neolithization has increased considerably, making it possible to better understand the interaction of migrant farmers with local indigenous communities and how they adapted to environmental conditions that were much different from the places they came from. The paper will limit its focus to discussing the process of neolithization in the region around Istanbul, where the emigrant farmers merged with the Mesolithic community of the Ağaçlɩ culture and developed a new socio-economic model forming the Fikirtepe culture.

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

Recent fieldwork at Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) Göbeklitepe has revealed a life-size limestone statue of a wild boar in Special Building D, which, alongside discoveries from nearby contemporaneous sites, broadens our understanding of late hunter-forager communities, including the presence of (archaeologically speaking) invisible decision-makers. Evidence points to three groups from which these charismatic leaders could have emerged: storytellers, hunters and ritual experts. An important function of these leaders was to uphold traditional values in the face of changing lifeways in the Early Holocene, a period referred to here as the ‘hunter-gatherer crisis’. This paper also includes a summary of recent excavation results from Göbeklitepe.

This paper investigates the long-debated issue of technological knowledge and potters in the Early Copper Age (4500–4000/3900 cal BC) through the analysis of the forming technology of a typical, small-scale settlement at Polgár-Király-ér-part (Northeastern Hungary). A complex technological know- ledge of forming was identified, in which most of the vessel types have their own forming technique. This technological knowledge presumably originated in the local Neolithic. However, a few smaller technological differences nuance this picture, raising the possibility of distinct learning networks and multiple potters at the settlement.

Ota, a key part of the Chalcolithic walled enclosure phenomenon in Portuguese Estremadura, represents a unique settlement strategy within the actual territory of Portugal. The architecture and social dynamics of this site remained largely unexplored until 2019. This study marks a significant shift in its study, utilizing a synergistic approach of archaeology and geotechnologies, embodied in the using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle equipped with LiDAR. This innovative combination successfully penetrated the dense vegetation, revealing 21 previously unknown archaeological features. The results from the fieldwork unveiled a novel type of walled enclosure at Ota, characterized by a series of four embankments. This discovery prompts a re-evaluation of the roles and practices of 3rd millennium BC communities in Portuguese Estremadura. Furthermore, the proven efficacy of this methodology paves the way for its application in similar archaeological contexts. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the recent fieldwork, integrating interpretations from LiDAR data, material studies and 14C dating.

In this paper we address the biography of a set of copper nails recovered in 1998 from a Late Iron Age structure located at the archaeological site of Puig de Sa Morisca (Mallorca, Spain). The archaeometric and typological analyses conducted on these nails allowed us to relate them to nautical technology, as well as to approach the origin of the raw materials and the production processes involved in their manufacture. The biographical information obtained from these studies has been crucial to address the extensive mobility of these copper nails through the Western Mediterranean during the Iron Age, as well as to approach their fluid nature and association with different communities of practice, assemblages and appropriation phenomena.

This paper examines the Stanovoye 4 site-chronology, which was developed through several radiocarbon dating efforts throughout the last two decades. Today, the dates indicate longterm cultural traditions at the site, lasting over 3000 years. The goal of this paper is to understand the site chronology holistically, which is done through a critical review of all available dates and sample characteristics. Additionally, the choice of sample materials, dating methods and preservation practices will be discussed. Furthermore, the dating of PVA-consolidated samples is discussed from an archaeological standpoint.

The aim of this paper is to analyse some strategies of power, social control and legitimation during the Iberian Late Iron Age (6th–1st centuries BC). It addresses how the Iberian elites exploited the domain of the ‘outside’ to legitimise and to retain their status. A diachronic approach is presented seeking to analyse the role of the outside realm throughout all the examined period and the variety of its expressions within the Iberian societies. In particular, the paper focuses on the south-east of Spain, an area with a rich archaeological record which, however, have never been approached from this view.

Since 2020 a wealth of new data has been generated on the beginning of the Neolithic in the central Balkans. The picture that has emerged is broadly consistent with the Wave of Advance model, with the first farmers arriving in the region around 6250 BC and expanding gradually towards the north. In this paper, an updated review of the evidence and interpretations is presented, and potentially problematic or ambiguous aspects of the current interpretations of the Neolithic expansion in the Balkans are identified. Alternative hypotheses and means of their testing are also discussed.

Ground and abrasive stone tools had a long, dynamic and complex life during which they could repeatedly pass through different segments of the operational chain until their final disposal. Those tools would wear out slowly and could be used for a long time with constant renewal. Even after being damaged, they would start a new life cycle through various recycling processes or in a secondary context. The aim of this paper is to consider the transformative processes within the ground and abrasive stone industry in the Neolithic of Serbia and clarify their use in terms of maintenance, secondary use, and recycling, as well as to show the most frequent examples of such technological practices. The focus is primarily on tools for everyday use and the ways in which they were rerouted through various segments of the operational chain.

The excavation of the settlement of Punta de Muros was a breakthrough in our knowledge of the Early Iron Age of the Iberian Peninsula. The development of new multidisciplinary research has broadened our understanding of the site and clarified several facts about the emergence of fortified landscapes. This paper synthesizes these advances and focuses on the development of social inequality trends within a non-hierarchical society between the 6th and the 4th centuries BC. The reflection of these changes in the archaeological record will be addressed, focusing on what forces triggered these internal transformations and to what extent we can define the emergence of social inequality.

The aim of this paper is to study the use of ceramics of small-scale societies during the late Holocene in northern Patagonia. The technological investment model predicts that use-time and utility will determine the investment spent in ceramics. We explore how ceramics were used in short-term camps and aggregation sites during summer at high elevations, and residential camps during winter at lower elevations. To test the investment in ceramics we use four technological variables: temper size, average thickness, surface treatment and firing. Our results indicate that hunter-gatherers expected a short-term use in summer locations and therefore made a low investment in ceramics.

Linearbandkeramik (LBK) is the most well-studied Neolithic culture in Central Europe. However, the easternmost part of its area is less known to European researchers. Addressing this gap, information on 175 reliable and 95 questionable LBK sites and six sub-Neolithic sites with LBK pottery in Ukraine has been collected, verified, and systematized. The precise mapping of these sites provided in this paper allows future analysis of their spatial distribution. Accurate contouring of the eastern boundary of the LBK area has revealed the exploitation and exchange of flint, graphite, and salt as a possible driving force of the first farmers’ mobility in the region.

The region of Inner North-western Anatolia was a key node in the transmission of the Neolithic lifestyle from the Near East to Marmara, and from there to the Balkans and the rest of Europe. It formed the intersection between several important routes and trade networks, and the settlement of Keçiçayırı, the subject of this paper, had an essential role in the transfer of cultural elements during the Neolithic. The settlement is located on a natural communication route that connects the region of Emirdag-Bolvadin with Eskisehir across the mountainous area of Phrygia, between the distribution areas of the Hacılar and Fikirtepe cultural groups. Finds from the site include both Pre-Pottery Neolithic material and Early Neolithic ceramics, and it is therefore among the earliest permanent settlements of the Eskisehir region, and contains some of the earliest evidence for the Neolithisation process. In this paper, the pottery assemblage of the Early Neolithic settlement at Keçiçayırı is discussed, and its place in the spread of Neolithisation from the Near East to Northwestern Anatolia is evaluated when compared to other known sites.

In this paper we compare multiple types of domestic settlements from different chronological periods in prehistoric continental Europe to inform occupancy patterns and demographic trends. We focus in particular on the evidence of a boom and bust pattern that appears to be constant across all the sites studied. We find evidence of a growth plateau after 200 to 300 years of existence. But because the number of sites used is small, due to the quality restrictions of the data, the results still need to be confirmed by further investigations.

The well-known Late Neolithic tell-like settlement of Öcsöd-Kováshalom on the Great Hungarian Plain gained a completely new context when a triple enclosure consisting of segments (hence the name ‘pseudo-ditch’) was discovered in 2018. Followed by two small excavation campaigns, this paper gives account of the construction stages, various digging and filling actions, of the chronology and of the structured deposits that marked the closing event of these long-lasting communal activities. A comparison with European Neolithic enclosures supports the interpretation on the diversity of the numerous ditch systems, and do not allow any generalizing views – it rather speaks for the freedom of local communities in their choices within their respective cultural frameworks.

This paper discusses the technological exploitation of bone at the tell settlement of Vitanesti (southern Romania). A total of 307 artefacts from the Gumelnita B1 level were analysed for this study, which can be assigned to four product and sub-product categories (waste, blanks, preforms, finished pieces). At the level of determined bones, the most numerous are those belonging to large species, both domestic and wild mammals. We also note the use of bones belonging to species rarely found in the Eneolithic bone industry (Bos primigenius, Equus ferus, Canis familiaris) in the Lower Danube. At the typological level, bevelled tools predominate, along with pointed tools and projectile points. A varied range of other typological categories includes spatulas, abraded astragalus, spindle whorls, burins, needles, and figurines, among others. The large quantity of preforms proves that the production of the assemblage was carried out in situ. It is an interesting assemblage which proves that the bone pieces were involved in various activities within the Vitanesti community that lived at the end of the 5th millennium BC, from the processing of hides or vegetable fibres to hunting. This assemblage could serve as a reference for future studies, as there are not many comparable assemblages for the same period in Southern Romania.

The paper presents the study of avifauna from the hunter-gatherer sites at the Dnieper-Dvina basin spanning time period from the 6th to 3rd millennia BC. A total of 669 bird bones were identified and attributed to 46 different bird taxa, representing resident and migrant birds. They belong to four habitat groups: waterfowl, forest, woodside and meadow-steppe. The dominance of waterfowl birds follows the common strategy of aquatic resources exploitation. Changes in the procurement strategies, use and symbolic meanings of birds can be envisaged. Reconstructed regional mean temperature fluctuations suggest a particular influence on breeding biology and migration patterns of different species.

This paper presents the results of the analyses of three glass beads from three Bronze Age sites, Medvode-Svetje, Trata near Škofja Loka and Kamna Gorica near Ljubljana. All three sites belong to the Oloris-Podsmreka horizon, which covers the Middle and the beginning of the Late Bronze Age (c. second half of the 16th/first half of the 15th century to 12th century BC). The PIXE and PIGE analyses revealed that only two of the examined beads belong to the Bronze Age. The bead from the Medvode-Svetje site is similar to LMHK beads and is most likely an import from the Frattesina production centre in northern Italy, while the bead from the Trata site has similarities with the eastern Mediterranean or even Mesopotamian area HMg glass. The natron glass bead from Kamna Gorica is probably an Iron Age infiltrate in a Bronze Age layer.

This paper is an introduction to the discussion of radiocarbon chronology of Neolithic cul­­tures in Eastern Europe. It relates to a number of papers published in this volume.

Colour and decoration were prominent features of Neolithic figurines. However, many such details and colours have faded over time, and it is only on close inspection that traces of colour are visible. This paper presents the innovative application to figurines of a technique based on the treatment of images with DStretch, a valuable tool for recovering the visualization of fainted pigments in clay figurines examined from Knossos. The method has the potential to illuminate aspects such as gender, age, status, identity or group affiliation through the study of colour in Prehistoric figurines.

Stone is often regarded as the ideal medium for the long-term preservation of knowledge, as it is resistant to change. Early to middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey has repeatedly been treated as a prime example for such external memorial storage in durable stone. The present paper challenges this view. A close examination of pillars and their reliefs in Building F reveals the fluid character of imagery with repeated and frequent phases of erasure and re-making. It is argued that it is not the durability of stone that made it suitable for the preservation of ‘cultural memory’, but the possibility to re-shape the image carriers continuously over a long period of time, which resulted in processes of transmission, learning and memorization.

The focus of this paper is the ornament hoard from the Sopot culture site of Čepin-Ovčara in eastern Slavonia (the Republic of Croatia). The hoard contained pendants and beads made of shells of marine clam Spondylus gaederopus and scaphopod Antalis vulgaris. The paper analyses the context and use wear of the objects in the hoard. The results form a basis for: the reconstruction of the role of some of the items and the ways in which they were worn; the premise that the dynamics and mechanisms of acquisition of ornaments made of the two Mediterranean mollusc species could have differed; and the identification of a cross-cultural pattern of deposition of ornament hoards.

The present paper aims to assess the finds from Harbetsuvan Tepesi, which we consider a small-scale satellite settlement located some 7km southwest of Karahan Tepe. The paper also endeavours to show analogous characteristics of Harbetsuvan Tepesi by comparing the site with PPN settlements in adjacent regions. The remains of a round-plan building, a recent discovery observed on the surface in Harbetsuvan Tepesi, which features T-shaped pillars, is particularly notable. The remains of this building, which has characteristics analogous to ‘Enclosure F’ at Göbekli Tepe, is extremely important, as it demonstrates that round-plan buildings were still in use during the early PPNB period.

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to make a comparison of the figurative representations of the Pali Aike volcanic field (province of Santa Cruz, Argentina – province of Magallanes, Chile) with those registered in other sectors of southern Patagonia, such as the southern shore margin of Lake Argentino (Argentina), the Morros area and the Cerro Benítez-Lago Sofía locality (Chile) during the middle and late Holocene. This analysis was based on integrating background and new information related to different areas. The goal is to evaluate the existence of diverse patterns of representation, considering the morphologies, technical treatment, frequencies, relative abundance of types of motifs in each area, distribution within the space, and temporality of figurative motifs. From this, it is expected to advance the discussion of information exchange among hunter-gatherer groups through figurative representations on a macroregional scale.

The collection of papers Space and Time in Medi- terranean Prehistory is an outcome of the collabo- ration between Stella Souvatzi, who regularly writes on spatiality within social archaeological themes such as households, as in her recent book A Social Archaeology of Households in Neolithic Greece, and Athena Hadji, whose Berkeley PhD thesis was entitled on The Construction of Time in Aegean Archaeology. The editors invited researchers from a predominantly interpretative (post-processual) ar- chaeological tradition who deal with Mediterranean prehistory and included a few selected revised contributions to the similarly named session at the 16th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in the Hague. The collection of papers contains 15 chapters by archaeologists, anthropologists and an architect.

Food is essential for survival, but how humans obtain and manage it is regulated socially. The life of Neolithic and other non-industrial communities depended on environmental variations – temperature patterns and precipitation. For farming communities, even minor changes in those patterns could have led to periods of food scarcity. In order to overcome and prepare for periods of scarcity, non-industrial communities applied different social buffering strategies. In this paper, the social buffering strategies Early/Middle Neolithic Starčevo and Late Neolithic Vinča culture communities applied in overcoming the environmental variability are tested and the most plausible ones are considered.

This paper presents new archaeobotanical data from the Lower Cerovačka Cave located in Dalmatia, Croatia. At the site a high density of carbonized plant remains was recovered, indicating the remnants of a burnt crop store dating to the Late Bronze Age. Overall, the assemblage is dominated by lentil (Lens culinaris) and free-threshing wheat (Triticum aestivum/durum), and to a lesser extent, emmer (Triticum dicoccum), einkorn (Triticum monococcum), spelt (Triticum spelta) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum). In general, the large botanical collection from Lower Cerovačka Cave fits with what is already known about Bronze Age agriculture in Croatia, yet the unique nature of this site brings to the fore questions around storage practices and the use of caves in prehistory.

This paper presents the results of the excavations carried out in the Chalcolithic contexts from the walled enclosure of Ota (Alenquer, Portugal). Six new absolute dates allow the discussion of the stratigraphical evidence and chronologically frame the zooarchaeological and taphonomical analysis of the faunal assemblage. Domesticated swine, caprine and bovine are prevalent, while wild species, most notably leporids, but also red deer, auroch and wild boar, among others, are less common. Exploitation and management of animals for the acquisition of primary and secondary products are inferred. Existing data suggests that the economic intensification that started during the previous phases was ongoing.

This paper presents the first known and systematically excavated Middle Neolithic pottery workshop in southwestern Thessaly at Imvrou Pigadi. The excavations and in situ finds, along with the pronounced kiln structures, their typological classification and pyrotechnological operation, suggests considerable expertise in pottery manufacture. The pottery itself, together with the chipped stone industry and other small finds, as well as the fauna and archaeobotanical assemblages are presented. The results of the 14C dating programme point to use of the workshop at the beginning of the 6th millennium. All this evidence suggests an active settlement where pottery production was carried out, which was then circulated within the wider region.

Eleven human skeletons were found in a 2m deep circular pit in an open area dating to 5389–5300 cal BC at Uğurlu/Gökçeada. The pit can be considered as a part of the pit tradition frequently seen in Thracian and Balkan prehistory. Its unique contents, however, are discussed in this paper in the scope of possible motivations. An ‘accompanied dead’ hypothesis is offered as the possible motivation of the case based on the contents and depositional details of bodies within the pit. This type of deposition was practiced throughout Europe starting from the early Neolithic through the Chalcolithic.

Large ‘scrap’ metal hoards have so far been seen as a characteristic of the older Urnfield Period in the eastern Carpathian Basin. Using the hoard from Dezmir, Romania, as a starting point, this paper describes a group of hoards with chronologically and spatially diverse components. These hoards were hidden during the younger Urnfield Period and represent smaller variants of the older, large ‘scrap’ hoards. Earlier research has used them to define a chronological horizon (‘Phase 3-Jupalnic-Turia-Ha A2’). Based on archaeological observations, spatial data and a correspondence analysis, we argue that they represent a specific hoarding practice instead, characteristic of Phase 4, i.e. the younger Urnfield Period.

The aim of this paper, starting from the analysis of the assemblage and stratigraphy of the unburned rooms, is to analyse the possible discard and disuse processes during the planned and gradual abandonment at Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou (Cyprus). Scholars note how the decision to leave objects when a place is abandoned depends on multiple factors, from functional reasons to ritual practices. At Erimi some markers suggest a possible intentional closure treatment of parts of the site in which it is possible to recognise a mix of functional and symbolic abandonment behaviours.

The paper presents a group of four, approximately 0.5m large, stone disks from entrances or cemeteries of two protohistoric hillforts of north-eastern Adriatic. The disks, having a sparse chronology with the exception of one dated to the Middle Bronze Age, show flat and plain surfaces or covered with sub-circular depressions. One disk shows two larger cup-marks at the centre of both faces. They are interpreted as ritual artefacts based on the association with sacred settlement locations and comparisons with similar coeval stones found mainly close to citadel entrances, burials and thresholds in the Aegean area and Anatolia.

The current paper aims to reveal the potential of combining multiple approaches (techno-functional analysis, experimental archaeology, and X-ray Computed Tomography) when it comes to studying unique earthenware artefacts, such as the prehistoric human-shaped pot discovered within the tell settlement from Sultana-Malu Rosu (Romania), that belongs to the Kodjadermen-Gumelnita-Karanovo VI civilization (KGK VI) which thrived during the 5th millennium BC. This human-shaped pot, also known as ‘The Goddess of Sultana’, is an emblematic artefact that fascinates with its shape, gestures, and decoration. It was apparently made from a standard clay paste recipe and using basic forming techniques, with little care for the internal surface. This vessel also has several hidden cracks and some manipulation traces on its backside. In order to explore its relevance, our approach to this particular human-shaped pot included the use of archaeological data in correlation with other techniques in order to decipher the manufacturing process for such vessels, the possible way of using them, but also the meanings that they might have had for past human communities.

The present paper explores the possibility to better understand the function of pits through phytolith and starch analysis. A case study from the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age settlement phase of Rotbav in southeastern Transylvania is discussed in detail. It appears that a large storage vessel originally sealed with a bowl was kept in a pit filled with chaff or straw to preserve its contents.

This paper presents the results of the first archaeobotanical investigation of NeolithicChalcolitich-period sites in eastern Ukraine and southwest Russia. The goal of this research is to understand the timeline of the earliest appearance and possible geographical origins of domesticated plants species in the region of study. The research conducted consists of the retrieval and study of macrobotanical remains and the analysis of plant impressions in pottery. Three possible corridors of influence upon agriculture in eastern Ukraine are postulated in this paper, originating from the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Eurasian steppe.

The paper presents the Early Neolithic Elshanka culture in Povolzhye forest-steppe. Along with the presentation of pottery assemblage the radiocarbon dates are presented and analysed. The paper addresses the question of an early pottery production in the region.

The paper presents figurines from excavations at Vinča 1998–2000 dated to the very end of the Late Neolithic. Along with a presentation and analysis of these objects, the paper addresses questions of the development of sculpture in Vinča, and matters of symbolism in the Late Vinča period. Some interesting contexts with an abundance of anthropomorphic figurines are presented and discussed.

This paper discuses ways in which bodies – human and animal – were produced in the Neolithic of the Karst. Bodies are seen as cumulative processes shaped by forces of encounters with the material world, rather than as biological givens. Thus, the paper focuses on the process of embodiment mediated with other bodies and landscape, especially important places such as caves. It explores the unique ways in which caves affect bodies, and how these affected bodies created new societies. In the Neolithic Karst, everyday contacts and interactions between humans, animals, the landscape and caves and rock shelters profoundly changed all the participants. A new hybrid society emerged, consisting of human and non-human bodies.

In this paper, we discuss the easternmost material expression of the Funnel Beaker Culture – a megalith grave on the west coast of Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea. The people who built and used the megalith brought the Neolithic lifestyle to Gotland. The biography of this monument includes two excavations, of which we participated in the latest in 1984. Our osteological analysis confirms that some thirty individuals of both sexes and various ages were buried there. The structure of the monument is that of a rectangular dolmen. This paper discusses the discovery of this specific site, and explores the existence of this type of monument in a Gotland context. Furthermore, is this really the only megalith on Gotland, or are more of these structures yet to be recognised? Finally, one may ask if the Neolithic way of life really was successful on Gotland.

In the Neolithic of Northern Greece the disposal of the deceased is strongly related to the community of the living, and in most cases to the built environment. Burials often occur in close proximity to, or underneath ‘domestic’ structures. The constant association of dead ancestors with the living social environment may indicate a particular desire by Neolithic people to negotiate their past by incorporating it into their own present. This paper addresses such issues, based on new evidence from the Neolithic settlement of Avgi, NW Greece. A group of cremations were recently located inside ten small pots buried in an open space in the Neolithic village. The burials consisted of tiny amounts of heavily burnt human bones and, in two cases, were accompanied by carbonized seeds. This paper will discuss the occurrence of the burial pots and the associated cremations as tokens of memory and of special links to the past represented by the dead ancestors.

In this paper, I analyze two Neolithic grave fields on Gotland (at Visby and Västerbjers) belonging to the Scandinavian Pitted Ware culture. The burials at the two sites are of males and females from all different age groups. They were buried with some variability concerning grave rituals and grave gifts. The aim of this paper is therefore to make a relational multi-varied Correspondence Analysis of the individuals and their artefact variations to enable new contextual interpretations.

This paper discusses the formation of layers of burnt herbivore dung in Neolithic, Eneolithic and Bronze Age Mediterranean caves. While these layers are clearly connected with transhumant pastoralism and the practice of keeping herds in the caves, their formation should not be seen as the result of purely practical and ‘rational’ reasons. In this paper, I develop an argument that they are remnants of a complex manipulation of substances which includes burning dung to make white ash. Thus instead of seeing dung as a culturally neutral refuse which has to be disposed of, we might see its burning and deposition as the cultural manipulation of potent substance.