The dog motif in the  Corded Ware Culture: The practice of placing dog remains with human remains in burial context in relation to the dog-human relationship in third  millennium BC Central Europe

Central Europe during the third millenium BC is characterized by changing cultures and high mobility. One of the cultures at the start of the millennium is the Corded Ware Culture (CWC), deviating from the Neolithic farmers and inheriting cultural traits from the Yamnaya-culture in the east, such as language, ideology and burial traditions. One of these burial traditions is the placement of dog remains in CWC burials. In previous research, dog teeth have been noted to be jewellery, purely aesthetic. These artefacts are also linked to the female gender. On the other hand, complete dogs are linked to the male gender and are noted to be higher valued as representation of the third millennium BC ideology. These conclusions are drawn based on the excavated burial complex, and perhaps one other correlated complex. At the time of writing this thesis, the archaeological research is lacking an overview of dog remains in CWC burials in Central Europe, and therefore a (supra)regional...Show moreCentral Europe during the third millenium BC is characterized by changing cultures and high mobility. One of the cultures at the start of the millennium is the Corded Ware Culture (CWC), deviating from the Neolithic farmers and inheriting cultural traits from the Yamnaya-culture in the east, such as language, ideology and burial traditions. One of these burial traditions is the placement of dog remains in CWC burials. In previous research, dog teeth have been noted to be jewellery, purely aesthetic. These artefacts are also linked to the female gender. On the other hand, complete dogs are linked to the male gender and are noted to be higher valued as representation of the third millennium BC ideology. These conclusions are drawn based on the excavated burial complex, and perhaps one other correlated complex. At the time of writing this thesis, the archaeological research is lacking an overview of dog remains in CWC burials in Central Europe, and therefore a (supra)regional understanding of the dog motif. This thesis aims to elevate the practice of dog remains in burials, and therefore the dog motif, to a level higher than ‘just ornamental’ by answering the research question: How do patterns in the deposition of dog remains in third millennium BC burial sites in Central Europe inform us about the representation of dogs in Corded Ware Culture communities? With the sample data set of CWC burials from Central Europe patterns are traced by comparing burial types, orientation, flexing positions, age groups, types of remains and their placement within different types of depositions, and other burial goods. Based on these patterns, the thesis argues that the dog motif transitioned into referencing ancestry of both local Neolithic farmers as of the Yamnaya-nomads through a process called hybridization. The motif is linked to the high mobility of the period, due to the migratory character of wolves. The material representation functions also as a beacon for travelers, and as a mode of storytelling to mark boundaries the traveler is also part of or warned not to cross. The supraregional motif is spread, however, the implementation of the practice of wearing dog teeth is locally different. Especially canines were telling markers, because their shape was imitated in other animal bone in 25% of the burials. These were only encountered with left-flexed individuals, whereas the complete dogs seem to be linked, although not exclusively, to right-flexed individuals. The burial practice of placing dog remains in CWC burials could be one of the signs of the transformation from Neolithic Europe to the Early Bronze AgeShow less

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The dog motif in the Corded Ware Culture: The practice of placing dog remains with human remains in burial context in relation to the dog-human relationship in third millennium BC Central Europe