Looking at demographics of the mass graves and corresponding settlements it is possible to investigate the social circumstances around the time of the downfall of the LBK. Certainly in some cases...Show moreLooking at demographics of the mass graves and corresponding settlements it is possible to investigate the social circumstances around the time of the downfall of the LBK. Certainly in some cases the mass graves show gaps of missing people when comparing the demographic composition of the grave to that of a stable living population. It is possible to argue cases of abduction, or certain people being absent at the time of the massacre. I further argue that the nature of the killings varies widely between sites, and differing levels of ritualism should be accounted for, as summarising LBK mass graves as raids fails to acknowledge multiple factors on the victim’s wounds and deposition. A demographic study of who is and who is not present in the graves can contribute to understanding the broader context at these sites of violence in addition to the general population sizes of the time.Show less
This thesis looks at the late Linearbandkeramik site of Herxheim, southern Germany, dated to c. 5300 – 4950 BCE. At the site, 15,552 bone fragments of c. 1350 individuals have been deposited in a...Show moreThis thesis looks at the late Linearbandkeramik site of Herxheim, southern Germany, dated to c. 5300 – 4950 BCE. At the site, 15,552 bone fragments of c. 1350 individuals have been deposited in a ring enclosure of overlapping pits. The heavily fragmented bone assemblage is interpreted as the remains of multiple human cannibalism episodes in a period of less than 50 years. Some researchers have interpreted the site as a peaceful funerary ritual. However, this thesis argues for the occurrence of cannibalism based on the osteological evidence. The fracturing of the long bones and marrow-rich elements, the underrepresentation of free vertebrae, the presence of cut marks that are consistent with faunal butchering techniques and other sites associated with cannibalism, as well as the presence of chew marks on hand and foot bones are given as indicators for cannibalism. Herxheim is interpreted as a combination of exocannibalism and ritual cannibalism. A postcolonial interpretation of a “civilized” Self as opposed to a “barbarous” Other can explain why cannibalism in archaeology remains controversial.Show less
In the Younger LBK, exchange networks start to change. Instead of long-distance networks, the trade becomes more local. The change in the raw material used for adzes in the Graetheide cluster in...Show moreIn the Younger LBK, exchange networks start to change. Instead of long-distance networks, the trade becomes more local. The change in the raw material used for adzes in the Graetheide cluster in southern Limburg (NL) illustrates this change. The material changes from the distant amphibolite rock to the more local lydite (phtanite) and grès-a-micas rocks. Why this happened is not yet clear, which is why we will be having a look at the LBK site of Nattenhoven. This site is suspected of being a production site for adzes in the Younger LBK. Newly accessible adze material from this site indeed shows that it is likely that the site was an adze production site. The lack of dateable finds such as fine-walled pottery have however made it difficult to determine the exact age of the site. As such, a connection to the changing trade networks cannot be made. Future research may however proof to be useful if exact dating is managed for the site.Show less
The Bandkeramik culture came to the Netherlands as a complete package. This new culture settled itself at the Graetheide plateau in the south of the Netherlands on the fertile loess grounds. Geleen...Show moreThe Bandkeramik culture came to the Netherlands as a complete package. This new culture settled itself at the Graetheide plateau in the south of the Netherlands on the fertile loess grounds. Geleen-Janskamperveld is one of these Bandkeramik settlements. All aspects of the Bandkeramik culture are very similar between the different settlements so models are very suitable to analyzee the Bandkeramik culture. One of these aspects which has different models, is the settlement structure. The Hofplatz model is used for centuries as the main model for the Bandkeramik culture. Within this model clusters of houses represent successive houses and thus continuity on a single location. There is still some disagreement whether one or several houses were in use at one time within such a cluster. Rück proposed a different model in which the settlement is structured along lines. He also proposed a different reconstruction of the houses and he assumes a longer use-life for the individual houses: up till a 100 years instead of the 25 years which is used most. Within this research a use-wear study of the flint artefacts found at Geleen-Janskamperveld is executed with the hope of finding some specialization between different houses. This information could help with finding which of these models is best suitable for this excavation. Some use-wear study was already done in the past. The results of the previous study are used for this new research. The predominant contact material found at Geleen-Janskamperveld is hide, followed by cereal harvesting tools. This is in line with other Bandkeramik sites in the Netherlands which were studied in the same way. Other contact materials like wood, reed, bark, meat, bone, clay, mineral materials and the mysterious contact materials which produces ‘polish 10’ and ‘polish 23’ were also recognised. Unfortunately no real specialization was found between the different houses of Geleen-Janskamperveld. The rest of the analysis therefore is based on the literature. Rück proposed new models for different aspects of the settlement. He argues that houses were built on poles instead of on the ground. His main argument, steep slopes on which the houses were built in Bandkeramik times, is not valid for the Dutch LBK. His argument about the duration of a house generation is more plausible. The old arguments for a house generation are a bit outdated. Houses probably would have last longer. A visual analysis is executed to find possible settlement structures at Geleen-Janskamperveld. This resulted in several maps which clearly show that the model of Rück is not plausible for this excavation. No real alignments are apparent. A model in which clusters of several houses success each other is more plausible. This is supported by other features such as ditches.Show less
