World History
The Neolithic Mosaic on the North European Plain. This essay examines the issue of migration among Neolithic peoples and how this shaped cultural developments during this period in Europe.
From the site:
The introduction of agriculture and the successful establishment of farming communities on the lowlands of north-central Europe between 5000 and 3500 B.C. (recalibrated dating) marked one of the most significant transformations of prehistoric society in this region. Many difficulties in the discussion of the establishment of agriculture in north-central Europe stem from an overemphasis on the distinction between "Mesolithic" and "Neolithic" as adaptive patterns. Such a distinction brings about the notion of a boundary between communities practicing these two strategies. It is clear that there was a "frontier" of sorts between these Neolithic groups and the local foraging peoples. Yet it was a permeable frontier, and once domesticated plants and animals became available on the lowlands of north-central Europe, a well-defined boundary between distinct social entities effectively ceased to exist. Moore (1985: 94) has characterized frontiers between sedentary farmers and mobile foragers as "a cultural mosaic of interspersed communities with varying subsistence and settlement requirements." The North European Plain between 5000 and 3500 b.c. (perhaps a bit earlier and perhaps a bit later) can be described in such terms, as a mosaic cultural landscape.
Postglacial Foraging Groups - By the early fourth millennium bc, some foraging communities in north-central Europe appear to have approached "low mobility", to use the term proposed by Bocek (1985). Examples of "low mobility" adaptations are known from many parts of the world, primarily in lacustrine, estuarine, and riverine environments, and there are many such habitats on the North European Plain with their attendant productivity and diversity. Wetland environments such as the Satruper Moor, the Dümmer basin, the Rhine/Maas delta, and perhaps the lake belts of north-central Poland, probably supported growing low-mobility hunter-gatherer populations by the middle of the sixth millennium B.C., although this hypothesis still needs further testing against the archaeological record.
First Stockherders and Farmers -- 5400-4800 B.C.The earliest food-producing communities to appear on the North European Plain were those of the Linear Pottery culture, or Linearbandkeramik), which had also colonized the loess belt across central Europe between 5400 and 5000 B.C. (recalibrated dating). There are three main clusters of Linear Pottery settlement on the North European Plain: the Kujavy region west of Poznan and south of Torun, the area along the lower Vistula north of Torun, and along the lower Oder river south and west of Szczecin. There are vast areas in which Linear Pottery settlements have not (yet?) been found, including the Pomeranian moraine belt, the Baltic coastal plain, and the glacial outwash areas west of the Elbe, but there is the potential for considerable change in this picture. For instance, prior to 1980, only a handful of Linear Pottery sites were known from the area along the lower Vistula north of Torun. Today, close to 200 have been discovered, thanks to the interest taken in them by a local university.
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World History
The Neolithic Mosaic on the North European Plain
The Neolithic Mosaic on the North European Plain. This essay examines the issue of migration among Neolithic peoples and how this shaped cultural developments during this period in Europe.
From the site:
The introduction of agriculture and the successful establishment of farming communities on the lowlands of north-central Europe between 5000 and 3500 B.C. (recalibrated dating) marked one of the most significant transformations of prehistoric society in this region. Many difficulties in the discussion of the establishment of agriculture in north-central Europe stem from an overemphasis on the distinction between "Mesolithic" and "Neolithic" as adaptive patterns. Such a distinction brings about the notion of a boundary between communities practicing these two strategies. It is clear that there was a "frontier" of sorts between these Neolithic groups and the local foraging peoples. Yet it was a permeable frontier, and once domesticated plants and animals became available on the lowlands of north-central Europe, a well-defined boundary between distinct social entities effectively ceased to exist. Moore (1985: 94) has characterized frontiers between sedentary farmers and mobile foragers as "a cultural mosaic of interspersed communities with varying subsistence and settlement requirements." The North European Plain between 5000 and 3500 b.c. (perhaps a bit earlier and perhaps a bit later) can be described in such terms, as a mosaic cultural landscape.
Postglacial Foraging Groups - By the early fourth millennium bc, some foraging communities in north-central Europe appear to have approached "low mobility", to use the term proposed by Bocek (1985). Examples of "low mobility" adaptations are known from many parts of the world, primarily in lacustrine, estuarine, and riverine environments, and there are many such habitats on the North European Plain with their attendant productivity and diversity. Wetland environments such as the Satruper Moor, the Dümmer basin, the Rhine/Maas delta, and perhaps the lake belts of north-central Poland, probably supported growing low-mobility hunter-gatherer populations by the middle of the sixth millennium B.C., although this hypothesis still needs further testing against the archaeological record.
First Stockherders and Farmers -- 5400-4800 B.C.The earliest food-producing communities to appear on the North European Plain were those of the Linear Pottery culture, or Linearbandkeramik), which had also colonized the loess belt across central Europe between 5400 and 5000 B.C. (recalibrated dating). There are three main clusters of Linear Pottery settlement on the North European Plain: the Kujavy region west of Poznan and south of Torun, the area along the lower Vistula north of Torun, and along the lower Oder river south and west of Szczecin. There are vast areas in which Linear Pottery settlements have not (yet?) been found, including the Pomeranian moraine belt, the Baltic coastal plain, and the glacial outwash areas west of the Elbe, but there is the potential for considerable change in this picture. For instance, prior to 1980, only a handful of Linear Pottery sites were known from the area along the lower Vistula north of Torun. Today, close to 200 have been discovered, thanks to the interest taken in them by a local university.
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History of Malawi. This is a brief history of the African nation of Malawi. The nation is young despite the rich history of the area. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Landlocked country in southeastern Africa. A country of spectacular highlands and...
- History Of Mongolia
History of Mongolia. This is a brief history of the ancient Asian of Mongolia. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Khalkha Mongolian Mongol Uls , also called Outer Mongolia country located in north-central Asia. It occupies an area of 604,000 square...
- Northumberland Rock Art
Northumberland Rock Art - Provides Web access to the Beckensall Archive which is a large database of panels of rock art by Neolithic and Early Bronze Age people in Northumberland in the north east of England. Also includes tutorials, maps, video, audio,...
- Vucedol Culture
Vucedol Culture - Vucedol culture flourished between 3000 and 2200 BC in what is now modern Croatia. Their copper metallurgy was based on a new process of mass casting. This culture had a great influence on other contemporary cultures in the European...
- History Of Canada
History of Canada. This is a good overview to the history of the North American nation of Canada. From the site: Canada, which has been inhabited by aboriginal peoples, known in Canada as the First Nations, for about 10,000 years, was first visited...