Le four neolithique est une structure archeologique d'importance qui servait a l'homme po... more Le four neolithique est une structure archeologique d'importance qui servait a l'homme pour de nombreuses activites, alimentaires ou non. Les vestiges archeologiques se multiplient aujourd'hui dans le sud-ouest de la Slovaquie et sont etudies non seulement par les methodes traditionnelles, mais aussi du point de vue de la botanique et de la zoologie, ces dernieres disciplines permettant d'une part de determiner les produits de base utilises, d'autre part de preciser le type de repas prepare.
The Soissons reference collection has been created in the late 1980s, in a region, in which the E... more The Soissons reference collection has been created in the late 1980s, in a region, in which the Early/Middle Nolithic period has been extensively investigated. The current French-German MK-Project has provided the opportunity to update the existing collection and to incorporate the information into a GIS. The database contains 440 rock samples, mainly from the Aisne and Oise drainage systems in the north-eastern part of the Paris basin. Non-systematic sampling has now extended to the entire Paris basin and to neighbouring regions, including data from the Petite Seine, the Marne and the A5 motorway sites, as well as flint from the Jura Mountains, the Lorraine region, Poland, Belgium, Holland, the Rhineland and Hungary. In parallel, a similar databse for clay is under construction. The fisrt results concern the relationships between lithic technology and flint/stone raw materials in the Neolithic. The lithotheque will possibly provide a reference collection for the identification of r...
A rich collection of chipped stone industry, chronologically falling to the final stage of the Že... more A rich collection of chipped stone industry, chronologically falling to the final stage of the Želiezovce group, was obtained from the area of the settlement in Bajč. Two aspects were taken into consideration when analysing the assemblage of finds – typological-technological point of view and proportion of knappable raw materials at the site. The assemblage of chipped industry from Bajč comprises of items representing all phases of production process. The initial phase of raw silicite modification (including obsidian) is indicated by primary blades and flakes. The following stage, a primary exploitation, is documented by the presence of crest and subcrest blades. The final phase of the production process is represented mainly by the finished artefacts. Even though the collection contains also production waste, such as blades and their fragments, it mainly comprises tools – the final products of the knapping process. The analysed collection comprises of a wide range of various kinds ...
Supplemental material, supplementary_information for Temporal dynamics of Linearbandkeramik house... more Supplemental material, supplementary_information for Temporal dynamics of Linearbandkeramik houses and settlements, and their implications for detecting the environmental impact of early farming by John Meadows, Nils Müller-Scheeßel, Ivan Cheben, Helene Agerskov Rose and Martin Furholt in The Holocene
Der vorliegende Aufsatz präsentiert selektive Ergebnisse der Grabungskampagne 2016 in der südöstl... more Der vorliegende Aufsatz präsentiert selektive Ergebnisse der Grabungskampagne 2016 in der südöstlichen der drei bandkeramischen Siedlungen von Vráble/Südwestslowakei . Auf einer Fläche von insgesamt 2283 m² wurden fünf band- keramische Langhäuser mit ihren charakteristischen Pfostenreihen und hausbegleitenden Längsgruben ganz oder teilweise aufgedeckt, dazu vier Vorratsgruben und ein mögliches Grubenhaus . Zahlreiche 14C-Daten sowie stratigraphische Überlagerungen zeigen, dass die ausgegrabenen Häuser nicht, wie ursprünglich vermutet, zeitgleich in Benutzung waren, sondern eine Zeittiefe von bis zu 200 Jahren repräsentieren . Das Fundspektrum umfasst typische Artefakte der Linearbandkeramik wie Keramik, geschlagene Steingeräte, Felsgesteingeräte und Knochengeräte, wobei zwischen den Häusern durchaus Unterschiede in der Fundzusammensetzung bestehen . Artefakte aus Obsidian sowie einige Scherben der sogenannten "Bükker Keramik" verweisen auf Fernkontakte in die Ostslowakei ....
The article deals with the archaeological investigation of Sedmerovec-Kašnák and Sedmerovec-Podja... more The article deals with the archaeological investigation of Sedmerovec-Kašnák and Sedmerovec-Podjamie sites from 2016. In Sedmerovec-Kašnák mine area, archaeological investigations were carried out in the western half of the pit. Unfortunately, no archaeological material was found. During the surface survey and archaeological excavation in Sedmerovec-Podjamie site, a rich collection of a lithic industry was obtained. Important are rhomboids most probably from the late Mesolithic. A portion of the artifacts belongs to the Neolithic and Eneolithic. Kivonat Előzetes jelentés egy radiolarit nyersanyag-kitermelő hely és környezete feltárásáról Sedmerovecben A közlemény Sedmerovec-Kašnák és Sedmerovec-Podjamie 2016-os ásatásával foglalkozik. A Sedmerovec-Kašnák-i bányaterületen a fejtő nyugati felében végeztünk feltárásokat, itt régészeti anyag sajnos nem került elő. Sedmerovec-Podjamie területén azonban a terepbejárás és az ásatásaok gazdag pattintott kő leletanyaggal szolgáltak, melyek közül kiemelendő a rombuszok jelenléte, melyek valószínűleg késő mezolitikus korúak. A leletek egy része az újkőkor és a rézkor időszakaira keltezhető.
With this book series, the Collaborative Research Centre Scales of Transformation: Human-Environm... more With this book series, the Collaborative Research Centre Scales of Transformation: Human-Environmental Interaction in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies (CRC 1266) at Kiel University enables the bundled presentation of current research outcomes of the multiple aspects of socio-environmental transformations in ancient societies. As editors of this publication platform, we are pleased to be able to publish monographs with detailed basic data and comprehensive interpretations from different case studies and landscapes as well as the extensive output from numerous scientific meetings and international workshops. The book series is dedicated to the fundamental research questions of CRC 1266, dealing with transformations on different temporal, spatial and social scales, here defined as processes leading to a substantial and enduring reorganization of socio-environmental interaction patterns. What are the substantial transformations that describe human development from 15,000 years ago to the beginning of the Common Era? How did interactions between the natural environment and human populations change over time? What role did humans play as cognitive actors trying to deal with changing social and environmental conditions? Which factors triggered the transformations that led to substantial societal and economic inequality? The understanding of human practices within often intertwined social and environmental contexts is one of the most fundamental aspects of archaeological research. Moreover, in current debates, the dynamics and feedback involved in human-environmental relationships have become a major issue, particularly when looking at the detectable and sometimes devastating consequences of human interference with nature. Archaeology, with its long-term perspective on human societies and landscapes, is in the unique position to trace and link comparable phenomena in the past, to study human involvement with the natural environment, to investigate the impact of humans on nature, and to outline the consequences of environmental change on human societies. Modern interdisciplinary research enables us to reach beyond simplistic monocausal lines of explanation and overcome evolutionary perspectives. Looking at the period from 15,000 to 1 BCE, CRC 1266 takes a diachronic view in order to investigate transformations involved in the development of Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists, early agriculturalists, early metallurgists as well as early state societies, thus covering a wide array of societal formations and environmental conditions. Included among the main CRC field projects are the excavations and field surveys that were conducted in the Žitava Valley of West Slovakia. The research provides a new puzzle piece for the reconstruction of human history with a specific insight into the living together of early farming communities. The impressive results from the Neolithic site of Vráble are presented in this volume, whereas results on the entire area will be the theme of another volume. We are very thankful to Ivan Cheben,
The early Neolithic settlements at Vráble-Veľké Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in t... more The early Neolithic settlements at Vráble-Veľké Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in the years 2010 and 2012. Three extraordinarily large settlements are located directly beside each other in an area of more than 50 ha. Through geomagnetic investigations a minimum number of 316 houses and an enclosure could be identified. In 2012, the first systematic surveys, sediment cores and small-scale excavations were carried out on one of the settlements and showed preservation conditions that hold great potential for the study of palaeoeconomy, material culture and patterns of local and regional social interactions. Botanical and zoological data have been preliminarily investigated and are presented here, as is the ceramic material from surveys and excavations. The latter enables us to date the site to the late Linearkeramik and Želiezovce group. The enclosure consists of two parallel ditches, enclosing an area of 14,7 ha with six gaps indicating entrances. The excavation of the outer ditch revealed a complex history of fills and at least one re-cutting incident. A preliminary interpretation of the inner ditch as the remnants of a palisade could not be verified; rather we are dealing with a double ditch enclosure. The excavation of house 39 within the enclosure revealed a single-phase post-built house of the late Linearkeramik. The two parallel long-pits along its side showed different re-filling processes and larger events of refuse deposition. The excavations confirmed the interpretation of the magnetometer plan, thereby qualifying the geomagnetic data, which enables us to use the geomagnetic plan as a basis for models of intra-site chronological developments. Different variants of possible organisational principles discussed within the Linearkeramik research community are presented. These are dependent on the validity of different possible chronological models for the development within and between the three sites in Vráble. These models have to be tested by further excavations in order to identify the structures of internal settlement organisation, which have far-reaching connotations for our understanding of early Neolithic societies in southern Central Europe.
The early Neolithic settlements at Vrable-Veľke Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in t... more The early Neolithic settlements at Vrable-Veľke Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in the years 2010 and 2012. Three extraordinarily large settlements are located directly beside each other in an area of more than 50 ha. Through geomagnetic investigations a minimum number of 316 houses and an enclosure could be identified. In 2012, the first systematic surveys, sediment cores and small-scale excavations were carried out on one of the settlements and showed preservation conditions that hold great potential for the study of palaeoeconomy, material culture and patterns of local and regional social interactions. Botanical and zoological data have been preliminarily investigated and are presented here, as is the ceramic material from surveys and excavations. The latter enables us to date the site to the late Linear Pottery culture and Želiezovce group. The enclosure consists of two parallel ditches, enclosing an area of 14.7 ha with six gaps indicating entrances. The excavation...
Neolithic/Eneolithic stone artefacts found at numerous sites in the vicinity of Senica (Western S... more Neolithic/Eneolithic stone artefacts found at numerous sites in the vicinity of Senica (Western Slovakia) are deposited in several museums. In our laboratory studies we have applied archaeological, petrographical (thin section) and geophysical (specific gravity, magnetic susceptibility ao.) methods. Among raw material types we have identified 14 rock-types of magmaic, sedimentary and metamorphic origin. The most widespread are artefacts made from various types of greenschist, in less amount of antigorite serpentinite, basalt and also from the other rock-types.
V snahe uclstränil hrozbu ekologicke j katastrofy v oblast i hlavneho zdroja pitnej vody na Slove... more V snahe uclstränil hrozbu ekologicke j katastrofy v oblast i hlavneho zdroja pitnej vody na Slovensku, rozhodlo sa vybudovat nove tranzi tne vedenie ropovodu mimo tüto oblast. Nova trasa vedie severne a zäpadne od üzemia Zitneho ostrova a zväcsa kopiruje trasu t ranzi tneho p lynovodu budovaneho v rukoch 1985/1986 v cast i medz i Bra t i s l avou—Trnavou—Ni t rou a Vräblami. Kedze sa jednä o a rcheologicky veTmi bohat§ oblasti , zaCal sa v priestore predmetnej stavby postupne vykonävat a rcheo log icky pr ieskum a v nadväznosti vyskum. Investori celej akcie (Bystf ice pod Hos tynem a Transpetrol Brat is lava) f i nancne zabezpeCili vsetky a rcheologicke akcie a vcTaka dobrej spolupräci s n i m i bolo mozn6 preskümaf najohrozenejsie l oka l i t y . Jednou z najväösich zächrannych a k c i i bol vyskum v ka tas t r i obce Branä — c"asf Velkä Ves, v po lohe Arkus (Cheben—Rutlkayovä—Ruttkay 1993). L o k a l i t a le2i p r ib l izne 800 m severne od VeTkej V s i na ovälnej spraSovej ...
The plant and animal components of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) subsistence systems were remarkably un... more The plant and animal components of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) subsistence systems were remarkably uniform with cattle, emmer and einkorn wheat providing the primary source of sustenance for Europe’s earliest agricultural communities. This apparent homogeneity in plant and animal use has been implicitly understood to indicate corresponding similarity in the types of husbandry practices employed by LBK farmers across the entire distribution of the LBK culture. Here, we examine the results from the stable (δ13C/δ15N) isotope analysis of animal bone and cereal grains from the site of Vráble-Veľké Lehemby (Slovakia), providing new information about Linearbandkeramik farming practices in the western Carpathians. Moderately high carbon isotope values from animal bone collagen show that all livestock were pastured in open areas with no evidence of forest pasturing, previously associated with LBK settlements in north-western Europe. High δ15N values measured from domesticated cereal grains sugg...
The recent discovery of several late Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Europe, including V... more The recent discovery of several late Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Europe, including Vráble in southwest Slovakia, has revealed evidence for increasing diversity in Neolithic mortuary practices, which may reflect inter-community war and sociopolitical crisis at the end of the LBK. Here, the authors combine osteological and radiocarbon analyses of inhumations from Vráble. Rather than a straightforward sign of inter-community conflict and war, this development reflects a culmination of internal conflict and a diversification in the ritual treatment of human bodies. The emerging variability in LBK methods of manipulating and depositing dead bodies can be interpreted as an experimental approach in how to negotiate social conflicts and community boundaries.
Our research at the large LBK settlement site of Vráble, southwest Slovakia, revealed dynamics of... more Our research at the large LBK settlement site of Vráble, southwest Slovakia, revealed dynamics of social integration and antagonisms unfolding in an agglomerated, early farming community. During its lifespan from 5250 to 4950 bc, it constantly grew until around 5050 bc it was inhabited by about 70 contemporaneous longhouses. We found that Vráble consisted of markedly autonomous farmstead units that were held together by village-wide social institutions including sharing and communality. Nevertheless, from the beginning, a contradiction between particular farmstead and collective village and neighbourhood interests existed and rose. Towards the end of the village's existence, around 5075 bc an elaborate enclosure was constructed around one of the three neigbourhoods, actively blocking contact with the others. Along this enclosure, human bodies were deposited, showing a social categorization that we interpret as relating to social inequality. This rising level of conflict and emer...
This paper shows that local differences in house orientation in settlements from the Early Neolit... more This paper shows that local differences in house orientation in settlements from the Early Neolithic in Central Europe reflect a regular chronological trajectory based on Bayesian calibration of 14 C-series. This can be used to extrapolate the dating of large-scale settlement plans derived from, among other methods, geophysical surveys. In the southwest Slovakian settlement of Vrá ble, we observed a progressive counterclockwise rotation in house orientation from roughly 32˚to 4˚over a 300 year period. A survey of published and dated village plans from other LBK regions confirms that this counterclockwise rotation per settlement is a wider Central European trend. We explain this observation as an unintentional, unconscious but systematic leftward deviation in the house builders' cardinal orientation, which has been termed "pseudoneglect" in studies of human perception. This means that whenever houses were intended to be oriented towards a specific direction and be parallel to each other, there was an error in perception causing slight counterclockwise rotation. This observation is used as a basis to reconstruct dynamics of Early Neolithic settlement in the Slovakian Ž itava valley, showing a rapid colonization, followed by increased agglomeration into large villages consisting of strongly autonomous farmsteads.
We investigate the relative fractions of remanent and induced magnetization of the fillings of ne... more We investigate the relative fractions of remanent and induced magnetization of the fillings of neolithic long pits in order to develop remanent magnetization as an additional parameter for the archaeological interpretation of magnetic maps. We determine the Koenigsberger ratiothe ratio between induced and remanent magnetization intensitiesfor key targets by combining magnetic mapping with downhole measurements of susceptibility, numerical modelling, and inversion computations. The susceptibility data were acquired in drill holes along profiles crossing the targets identified by magnetic mapping. The targets of this exemplary study are house-accompanying pits at the Linearbandkeramik site Vráble 'Farské'. For this purpose, we conducted auger drillings with a point distance of 25 cm and measured the susceptibility with a downhole susceptometer. The resulting two-dimensional susceptibility distributions were used to calculate synthetic magnetic anomalies corresponding to the case of solely induced magnetization. The comparison to the observed magnetic data showed a considerable discrepancy that can only be explained with remanent magnetization. To determine the Koenigsberger ratio we developed a new interpretation approach, using parts of the measured susceptibility distribution as a basis function. The free parameters of this numerical problem are determined by non-linear inversion. We applied the novel approach to six exemplary profiles and found Koenigsberger ratios between 1.6 and 10.5 with the majority of the values being smaller than 4. These values apply to soil volumes with susceptibility values larger than 27-160 × 10-5 SI. Laboratory measurements on soil samples were used to examine the possible causes of the observed magnetization. The analyses suggest that the increase in susceptibility and remanent magnetization in the pits is caused by an increase of the population of magnetotactic bacteria and deposition of magnetized material, followed by the alignment of the ferrimagnetic iron compounds in the waterlogged environment of the pits and accumulation of viscous remanent magnetization.
Le four neolithique est une structure archeologique d'importance qui servait a l'homme po... more Le four neolithique est une structure archeologique d'importance qui servait a l'homme pour de nombreuses activites, alimentaires ou non. Les vestiges archeologiques se multiplient aujourd'hui dans le sud-ouest de la Slovaquie et sont etudies non seulement par les methodes traditionnelles, mais aussi du point de vue de la botanique et de la zoologie, ces dernieres disciplines permettant d'une part de determiner les produits de base utilises, d'autre part de preciser le type de repas prepare.
The Soissons reference collection has been created in the late 1980s, in a region, in which the E... more The Soissons reference collection has been created in the late 1980s, in a region, in which the Early/Middle Nolithic period has been extensively investigated. The current French-German MK-Project has provided the opportunity to update the existing collection and to incorporate the information into a GIS. The database contains 440 rock samples, mainly from the Aisne and Oise drainage systems in the north-eastern part of the Paris basin. Non-systematic sampling has now extended to the entire Paris basin and to neighbouring regions, including data from the Petite Seine, the Marne and the A5 motorway sites, as well as flint from the Jura Mountains, the Lorraine region, Poland, Belgium, Holland, the Rhineland and Hungary. In parallel, a similar databse for clay is under construction. The fisrt results concern the relationships between lithic technology and flint/stone raw materials in the Neolithic. The lithotheque will possibly provide a reference collection for the identification of r...
A rich collection of chipped stone industry, chronologically falling to the final stage of the Že... more A rich collection of chipped stone industry, chronologically falling to the final stage of the Želiezovce group, was obtained from the area of the settlement in Bajč. Two aspects were taken into consideration when analysing the assemblage of finds – typological-technological point of view and proportion of knappable raw materials at the site. The assemblage of chipped industry from Bajč comprises of items representing all phases of production process. The initial phase of raw silicite modification (including obsidian) is indicated by primary blades and flakes. The following stage, a primary exploitation, is documented by the presence of crest and subcrest blades. The final phase of the production process is represented mainly by the finished artefacts. Even though the collection contains also production waste, such as blades and their fragments, it mainly comprises tools – the final products of the knapping process. The analysed collection comprises of a wide range of various kinds ...
Supplemental material, supplementary_information for Temporal dynamics of Linearbandkeramik house... more Supplemental material, supplementary_information for Temporal dynamics of Linearbandkeramik houses and settlements, and their implications for detecting the environmental impact of early farming by John Meadows, Nils Müller-Scheeßel, Ivan Cheben, Helene Agerskov Rose and Martin Furholt in The Holocene
Der vorliegende Aufsatz präsentiert selektive Ergebnisse der Grabungskampagne 2016 in der südöstl... more Der vorliegende Aufsatz präsentiert selektive Ergebnisse der Grabungskampagne 2016 in der südöstlichen der drei bandkeramischen Siedlungen von Vráble/Südwestslowakei . Auf einer Fläche von insgesamt 2283 m² wurden fünf band- keramische Langhäuser mit ihren charakteristischen Pfostenreihen und hausbegleitenden Längsgruben ganz oder teilweise aufgedeckt, dazu vier Vorratsgruben und ein mögliches Grubenhaus . Zahlreiche 14C-Daten sowie stratigraphische Überlagerungen zeigen, dass die ausgegrabenen Häuser nicht, wie ursprünglich vermutet, zeitgleich in Benutzung waren, sondern eine Zeittiefe von bis zu 200 Jahren repräsentieren . Das Fundspektrum umfasst typische Artefakte der Linearbandkeramik wie Keramik, geschlagene Steingeräte, Felsgesteingeräte und Knochengeräte, wobei zwischen den Häusern durchaus Unterschiede in der Fundzusammensetzung bestehen . Artefakte aus Obsidian sowie einige Scherben der sogenannten "Bükker Keramik" verweisen auf Fernkontakte in die Ostslowakei ....
The article deals with the archaeological investigation of Sedmerovec-Kašnák and Sedmerovec-Podja... more The article deals with the archaeological investigation of Sedmerovec-Kašnák and Sedmerovec-Podjamie sites from 2016. In Sedmerovec-Kašnák mine area, archaeological investigations were carried out in the western half of the pit. Unfortunately, no archaeological material was found. During the surface survey and archaeological excavation in Sedmerovec-Podjamie site, a rich collection of a lithic industry was obtained. Important are rhomboids most probably from the late Mesolithic. A portion of the artifacts belongs to the Neolithic and Eneolithic. Kivonat Előzetes jelentés egy radiolarit nyersanyag-kitermelő hely és környezete feltárásáról Sedmerovecben A közlemény Sedmerovec-Kašnák és Sedmerovec-Podjamie 2016-os ásatásával foglalkozik. A Sedmerovec-Kašnák-i bányaterületen a fejtő nyugati felében végeztünk feltárásokat, itt régészeti anyag sajnos nem került elő. Sedmerovec-Podjamie területén azonban a terepbejárás és az ásatásaok gazdag pattintott kő leletanyaggal szolgáltak, melyek közül kiemelendő a rombuszok jelenléte, melyek valószínűleg késő mezolitikus korúak. A leletek egy része az újkőkor és a rézkor időszakaira keltezhető.
With this book series, the Collaborative Research Centre Scales of Transformation: Human-Environm... more With this book series, the Collaborative Research Centre Scales of Transformation: Human-Environmental Interaction in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies (CRC 1266) at Kiel University enables the bundled presentation of current research outcomes of the multiple aspects of socio-environmental transformations in ancient societies. As editors of this publication platform, we are pleased to be able to publish monographs with detailed basic data and comprehensive interpretations from different case studies and landscapes as well as the extensive output from numerous scientific meetings and international workshops. The book series is dedicated to the fundamental research questions of CRC 1266, dealing with transformations on different temporal, spatial and social scales, here defined as processes leading to a substantial and enduring reorganization of socio-environmental interaction patterns. What are the substantial transformations that describe human development from 15,000 years ago to the beginning of the Common Era? How did interactions between the natural environment and human populations change over time? What role did humans play as cognitive actors trying to deal with changing social and environmental conditions? Which factors triggered the transformations that led to substantial societal and economic inequality? The understanding of human practices within often intertwined social and environmental contexts is one of the most fundamental aspects of archaeological research. Moreover, in current debates, the dynamics and feedback involved in human-environmental relationships have become a major issue, particularly when looking at the detectable and sometimes devastating consequences of human interference with nature. Archaeology, with its long-term perspective on human societies and landscapes, is in the unique position to trace and link comparable phenomena in the past, to study human involvement with the natural environment, to investigate the impact of humans on nature, and to outline the consequences of environmental change on human societies. Modern interdisciplinary research enables us to reach beyond simplistic monocausal lines of explanation and overcome evolutionary perspectives. Looking at the period from 15,000 to 1 BCE, CRC 1266 takes a diachronic view in order to investigate transformations involved in the development of Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists, early agriculturalists, early metallurgists as well as early state societies, thus covering a wide array of societal formations and environmental conditions. Included among the main CRC field projects are the excavations and field surveys that were conducted in the Žitava Valley of West Slovakia. The research provides a new puzzle piece for the reconstruction of human history with a specific insight into the living together of early farming communities. The impressive results from the Neolithic site of Vráble are presented in this volume, whereas results on the entire area will be the theme of another volume. We are very thankful to Ivan Cheben,
The early Neolithic settlements at Vráble-Veľké Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in t... more The early Neolithic settlements at Vráble-Veľké Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in the years 2010 and 2012. Three extraordinarily large settlements are located directly beside each other in an area of more than 50 ha. Through geomagnetic investigations a minimum number of 316 houses and an enclosure could be identified. In 2012, the first systematic surveys, sediment cores and small-scale excavations were carried out on one of the settlements and showed preservation conditions that hold great potential for the study of palaeoeconomy, material culture and patterns of local and regional social interactions. Botanical and zoological data have been preliminarily investigated and are presented here, as is the ceramic material from surveys and excavations. The latter enables us to date the site to the late Linearkeramik and Želiezovce group. The enclosure consists of two parallel ditches, enclosing an area of 14,7 ha with six gaps indicating entrances. The excavation of the outer ditch revealed a complex history of fills and at least one re-cutting incident. A preliminary interpretation of the inner ditch as the remnants of a palisade could not be verified; rather we are dealing with a double ditch enclosure. The excavation of house 39 within the enclosure revealed a single-phase post-built house of the late Linearkeramik. The two parallel long-pits along its side showed different re-filling processes and larger events of refuse deposition. The excavations confirmed the interpretation of the magnetometer plan, thereby qualifying the geomagnetic data, which enables us to use the geomagnetic plan as a basis for models of intra-site chronological developments. Different variants of possible organisational principles discussed within the Linearkeramik research community are presented. These are dependent on the validity of different possible chronological models for the development within and between the three sites in Vráble. These models have to be tested by further excavations in order to identify the structures of internal settlement organisation, which have far-reaching connotations for our understanding of early Neolithic societies in southern Central Europe.
The early Neolithic settlements at Vrable-Veľke Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in t... more The early Neolithic settlements at Vrable-Veľke Lehemby were discovered in 2009 and surveyed in the years 2010 and 2012. Three extraordinarily large settlements are located directly beside each other in an area of more than 50 ha. Through geomagnetic investigations a minimum number of 316 houses and an enclosure could be identified. In 2012, the first systematic surveys, sediment cores and small-scale excavations were carried out on one of the settlements and showed preservation conditions that hold great potential for the study of palaeoeconomy, material culture and patterns of local and regional social interactions. Botanical and zoological data have been preliminarily investigated and are presented here, as is the ceramic material from surveys and excavations. The latter enables us to date the site to the late Linear Pottery culture and Želiezovce group. The enclosure consists of two parallel ditches, enclosing an area of 14.7 ha with six gaps indicating entrances. The excavation...
Neolithic/Eneolithic stone artefacts found at numerous sites in the vicinity of Senica (Western S... more Neolithic/Eneolithic stone artefacts found at numerous sites in the vicinity of Senica (Western Slovakia) are deposited in several museums. In our laboratory studies we have applied archaeological, petrographical (thin section) and geophysical (specific gravity, magnetic susceptibility ao.) methods. Among raw material types we have identified 14 rock-types of magmaic, sedimentary and metamorphic origin. The most widespread are artefacts made from various types of greenschist, in less amount of antigorite serpentinite, basalt and also from the other rock-types.
V snahe uclstränil hrozbu ekologicke j katastrofy v oblast i hlavneho zdroja pitnej vody na Slove... more V snahe uclstränil hrozbu ekologicke j katastrofy v oblast i hlavneho zdroja pitnej vody na Slovensku, rozhodlo sa vybudovat nove tranzi tne vedenie ropovodu mimo tüto oblast. Nova trasa vedie severne a zäpadne od üzemia Zitneho ostrova a zväcsa kopiruje trasu t ranzi tneho p lynovodu budovaneho v rukoch 1985/1986 v cast i medz i Bra t i s l avou—Trnavou—Ni t rou a Vräblami. Kedze sa jednä o a rcheologicky veTmi bohat§ oblasti , zaCal sa v priestore predmetnej stavby postupne vykonävat a rcheo log icky pr ieskum a v nadväznosti vyskum. Investori celej akcie (Bystf ice pod Hos tynem a Transpetrol Brat is lava) f i nancne zabezpeCili vsetky a rcheologicke akcie a vcTaka dobrej spolupräci s n i m i bolo mozn6 preskümaf najohrozenejsie l oka l i t y . Jednou z najväösich zächrannych a k c i i bol vyskum v ka tas t r i obce Branä — c"asf Velkä Ves, v po lohe Arkus (Cheben—Rutlkayovä—Ruttkay 1993). L o k a l i t a le2i p r ib l izne 800 m severne od VeTkej V s i na ovälnej spraSovej ...
The plant and animal components of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) subsistence systems were remarkably un... more The plant and animal components of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) subsistence systems were remarkably uniform with cattle, emmer and einkorn wheat providing the primary source of sustenance for Europe’s earliest agricultural communities. This apparent homogeneity in plant and animal use has been implicitly understood to indicate corresponding similarity in the types of husbandry practices employed by LBK farmers across the entire distribution of the LBK culture. Here, we examine the results from the stable (δ13C/δ15N) isotope analysis of animal bone and cereal grains from the site of Vráble-Veľké Lehemby (Slovakia), providing new information about Linearbandkeramik farming practices in the western Carpathians. Moderately high carbon isotope values from animal bone collagen show that all livestock were pastured in open areas with no evidence of forest pasturing, previously associated with LBK settlements in north-western Europe. High δ15N values measured from domesticated cereal grains sugg...
The recent discovery of several late Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Europe, including V... more The recent discovery of several late Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Europe, including Vráble in southwest Slovakia, has revealed evidence for increasing diversity in Neolithic mortuary practices, which may reflect inter-community war and sociopolitical crisis at the end of the LBK. Here, the authors combine osteological and radiocarbon analyses of inhumations from Vráble. Rather than a straightforward sign of inter-community conflict and war, this development reflects a culmination of internal conflict and a diversification in the ritual treatment of human bodies. The emerging variability in LBK methods of manipulating and depositing dead bodies can be interpreted as an experimental approach in how to negotiate social conflicts and community boundaries.
Our research at the large LBK settlement site of Vráble, southwest Slovakia, revealed dynamics of... more Our research at the large LBK settlement site of Vráble, southwest Slovakia, revealed dynamics of social integration and antagonisms unfolding in an agglomerated, early farming community. During its lifespan from 5250 to 4950 bc, it constantly grew until around 5050 bc it was inhabited by about 70 contemporaneous longhouses. We found that Vráble consisted of markedly autonomous farmstead units that were held together by village-wide social institutions including sharing and communality. Nevertheless, from the beginning, a contradiction between particular farmstead and collective village and neighbourhood interests existed and rose. Towards the end of the village's existence, around 5075 bc an elaborate enclosure was constructed around one of the three neigbourhoods, actively blocking contact with the others. Along this enclosure, human bodies were deposited, showing a social categorization that we interpret as relating to social inequality. This rising level of conflict and emer...
This paper shows that local differences in house orientation in settlements from the Early Neolit... more This paper shows that local differences in house orientation in settlements from the Early Neolithic in Central Europe reflect a regular chronological trajectory based on Bayesian calibration of 14 C-series. This can be used to extrapolate the dating of large-scale settlement plans derived from, among other methods, geophysical surveys. In the southwest Slovakian settlement of Vrá ble, we observed a progressive counterclockwise rotation in house orientation from roughly 32˚to 4˚over a 300 year period. A survey of published and dated village plans from other LBK regions confirms that this counterclockwise rotation per settlement is a wider Central European trend. We explain this observation as an unintentional, unconscious but systematic leftward deviation in the house builders' cardinal orientation, which has been termed "pseudoneglect" in studies of human perception. This means that whenever houses were intended to be oriented towards a specific direction and be parallel to each other, there was an error in perception causing slight counterclockwise rotation. This observation is used as a basis to reconstruct dynamics of Early Neolithic settlement in the Slovakian Ž itava valley, showing a rapid colonization, followed by increased agglomeration into large villages consisting of strongly autonomous farmsteads.
We investigate the relative fractions of remanent and induced magnetization of the fillings of ne... more We investigate the relative fractions of remanent and induced magnetization of the fillings of neolithic long pits in order to develop remanent magnetization as an additional parameter for the archaeological interpretation of magnetic maps. We determine the Koenigsberger ratiothe ratio between induced and remanent magnetization intensitiesfor key targets by combining magnetic mapping with downhole measurements of susceptibility, numerical modelling, and inversion computations. The susceptibility data were acquired in drill holes along profiles crossing the targets identified by magnetic mapping. The targets of this exemplary study are house-accompanying pits at the Linearbandkeramik site Vráble 'Farské'. For this purpose, we conducted auger drillings with a point distance of 25 cm and measured the susceptibility with a downhole susceptometer. The resulting two-dimensional susceptibility distributions were used to calculate synthetic magnetic anomalies corresponding to the case of solely induced magnetization. The comparison to the observed magnetic data showed a considerable discrepancy that can only be explained with remanent magnetization. To determine the Koenigsberger ratio we developed a new interpretation approach, using parts of the measured susceptibility distribution as a basis function. The free parameters of this numerical problem are determined by non-linear inversion. We applied the novel approach to six exemplary profiles and found Koenigsberger ratios between 1.6 and 10.5 with the majority of the values being smaller than 4. These values apply to soil volumes with susceptibility values larger than 27-160 × 10-5 SI. Laboratory measurements on soil samples were used to examine the possible causes of the observed magnetization. The analyses suggest that the increase in susceptibility and remanent magnetization in the pits is caused by an increase of the population of magnetotactic bacteria and deposition of magnetized material, followed by the alignment of the ferrimagnetic iron compounds in the waterlogged environment of the pits and accumulation of viscous remanent magnetization.
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Papers by Ivan Cheben