A new model for the spread of the first farmers in Europe
The appearance and dispersion of the first
farmers in Europe has been the subject of heated debate among
anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguists for over a century. There is
no consensus regarding two main aspects: (1) the extent to which the
transition to farming was an indigenous process, and (2) the historical
pattern in terms of the timing and tempo of the dispersion events.
Morphological variability and affinities are assessed among Mesolithic and
Early Neolithic populations of the Near East, Anatolia and Europe.
Statistical results reveal regional and temporal differences in the
dispersion process among these populations. Based on these results, a new
model is presented for the spread of farming in Europe.
Stone age transitions. Neolithisation in central Scandinavia
A summary of a series of individual research
projects focused on the processes from the Mesolithic to the Late Neolithic
in central Scandinavia. The projects were embeded in the "Coast to Coast
project". The historicity in this process was emphasised.
Migration, acculturation and culture change in western temperate Eurasia, 6500-5000 cal BC
After the introduction of the pottery
tradition of La Hoguette and contemporaneous research on Earliest LBK about
10 to 15 years ago, research onthe spread of farming in Central Europe had
somewhat stagnated; there were hardly any major advances in factual
knowledge, nor could theoretical models be refined. In the last few years,
however, an abundance of new data has appeared, partly deriving from
botanical and anthropological analyses. Furthermore, newly available
results from excavations in European Russia widenour understanding of the
manifold and complex changes occurring during the latter 7th and 6th
millennium cal BC.
Hunter-gatherers and farmers: neighbours in north-eastern Kuiavia, Poland
The aim of this paper is to discuss the new
discoveries made in the Tazyna - Parchania valley, in north-eastern Kuiavia,
Poland. These discoveries put into a new light the problem of contacts
between hunter-gatherers and farmers from the Polish Lowland.
An alternate (and old-fashioned) view of Neolithisation in Greece
Despite the recent renewal of indigenous
models for the Neolithisation of Greece, this paper will go back to more
old-fashioned models, and argue in favour of colonisation processes by
small, maritime, pioneer groups that later interacted with local
populations. This argumentation rests first on an analysis of the presently
available data on the Mesolithic, which shows that none of the
prerequisites of a local process is met. Second, it rests on the
consideration of often-neglected aspects, such as the theoretical and
practical knowledge implied by the adoption of agriculture together with
the adoption of new crafts and architectural techniques. Third, it rests in
the need to explain the random, but strong parallels between the
Near-Eastern and Greek Neolithic.
Seals, contracts and tokens in the Balkans Early Neolithic: where in the puzzle
Paper discusses Early Neolithic seals,
contracts and tokens in the context of Neolithization processes in
southeastern Europe. Paper analyses the assemblages, contexts and the
patterns of regional and interregional distributions. The results
contradict traditional models as the objects appearance and distributions
can no longer support the models of colonization, demic diffusion and
population replacement in the context of the transition to farming in the
Balkans. The paper argues they were well embeddedin the Early Neolithic
Balkans koine, where the transformation of hunter- gathering into farming
societies took place in an arena of selective integration of the new
technologies and social practices as much as the result of intensive
connections and exchange networks.
Who did it? Perspectives on the beginning of the Neolithic in Greece
The beginning of the Neolithic in Greece has
been the focus of study by many scholars for many years, and a strong
argument about it is still active. DNA analysis has shed new light on a
wide spectrum of questions related to the population history of Europe and
the Middle East, the beginning of the Neolithic, and the adoption of
agriculture in these areas. This paper will try to chart the various
theories for the beginning of the Neolithic in Greece,and the contribution
of archaeogenetics to the same discussion. Subsequently, there will be an
effort to give some theoretical implications for future research.
Early herders of the Eastern Adriatic
The paper discusses the evidence for the
presence of sheep and goats on east Adriatic coast during the Mesolithic
and Neolithic, and possible routes of transformation from hunter-gathering
to pastoral societies.
The latest results from the technological and typological analysis of chipped stone assemblages from Ilipinar, Pendik, Fikir tepe and Mentes
The papers presents the latest results from
the technological and typological analysis of chipped stone assemblages
from Ilipinar, Pendik, Fikir tepe, and Mentese in NW Turkey. The stone
industry of Ilipinar shows parallels with the chipped stone material from
Fikir tepe. At Ilipinar the period of technological and raw material
changes in Bulgarian Thrace correspond to the end of phase V-A and to the
whole V-B, but the technological and typological features are completely
different.
The Neolithic transition in Europe: archaeological models and genetic evidence
The major pattern in the European gene pool is
a southeast-northwest frequency gradient of classic genetic markers such as
blood groups, which population geneticists initially attributed to the
demographic impact of Neolithic farmers dispersing from the Near East.
Molecular genetics has enriched this picture, with analyses of
mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome allowing a more detailed exploration
of alternative models for the spread of the Neolithic into Europe. This
paper considers a range of possible models in the light of the detailed
information now emerging from genetic studies.
A study on an early Neolithic site in North China
These are few sites about 10 000 BP in the
early Neolithic period in North China; among these, the Donghulin site is
the only one which included the remains of peoples' use of fire (hearth
pits), stone implements, pottery objects, and human tombs. The excavation
of the Donghulin site in 2001 provides very important information for
research on people and culture in the early Neolithic period in North
China. The finding of Donghulin Man has filled the gap in our knowledge of
human development since the period of the "Upper Cave Man" (30 000a BP) in
North China. It is also important for research on people-land
relationships.
© Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana 2005
Last update: 16.02.2005