Papers by Maria Wunderlich
Open Archaeology, 2024
The creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes... more The creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes required communities that engaged and interacted collectively. Starting from the appearance of early monumentality and depositional behaviour in Funnel Beaker communities, we trace the variation in this phenomenon among three study areas in what is now northern Germany. In doing so, we build on a specific perspective and approach, namely that of work-expenditure calculations for megalithic graves and flint axe heads. In the process, variable dynamics of construction and deposition activities within the Early and Middle Neolithic are revealed, which we regard as differentiated translations of widespread impulses, adapted to the needs of different socio-cultural communities. The similar developments seen in flint axe head depositions and in the construction of megalithic monuments are indicative of evolving spaces of memory, landscapes of cooperative collaboration, and an increasing structuring of local environments that seem to follow a specific understanding of, and interaction with, space.
Open Archaeology, 2024
The creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes... more The creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes required communities that engaged and interacted collectively. Starting from the appearance of early monumentality and depositional behaviour in Funnel Beaker communities, we trace the variation in this phenomenon among three study areas in what is now northern Germany. In doing so, we build on a specific perspective and approach, namely that of work-expenditure calculations for megalithic graves and flint axe heads. In the process, variable dynamics of construction and deposition activities within the Early and Middle Neolithic are revealed, which we regard as differentiated translations of widespread impulses, adapted to the needs of different socio-cultural communities. The similar developments seen in flint axe head depositions and in the construction of megalithic monuments are indicative of evolving spaces of memory, landscapes of cooperative collaboration, and an increasing structuring of local environments that seem to follow a specific understanding of, and interaction with, space.
Perspectives on Socio-environmental Transformations in Ancient Europe, 2024
Political practices are fundamental for co-existence in human groups, yet the systematic investig... more Political practices are fundamental for co-existence in human groups, yet the systematic investigation of such practices within prehistoric societies is still very much pending. Relevant discussions are often limited to cases of obvious asymmetric power relations and the alleged establishment of elites. In order to fill this complex gap in the current discussion we take a systematic approach exploring the nature and organisation of prehistoric power relations, decision-making and conflict resolution. We investigate changes in political practices through a diachronic set of case studies from prehistoric west Eurasia, examining the impact of these changes on the overall transformative processes of prehistoric sociality.
Here, we explore a set of parameters in five case studies from prehistoric Eurasia in order to characterise power relations and to reconstruct political negotiation and decision-making processes that constitute political practices. The case studies exhibit socio-political complexity in a variety of forms, encompassing a wide range of situations from Mesolithic Siberia, LBK Vráble Slovakia, Neolithic Pile-dwellings Switzerland, Copper Age Tripolye Ukraine, Neolithic and Bronze Age Schleswig-Holstein, to Iron Age Greece. As archaeological proxies, eight parameters have been identified as markers of political practice to be used as a comparative framework: community site, conformity/diversity, (critical) resource access and distribution, network configurations, organisation of decision-making, property rights, (violent) conflict and resolution, and knowledge.
In this chapter we aim to develop a systematic approach for the analysis of political practices in order to enable the identification of patterns of power relations within the prehistory of Eurasia. This way we will develop a long-term perspective on transformations of these practices at a geographical macro scale.
Rethinking Neolithic Societies New Perspectives on Social Relations, Political Organization and Cohabitation - Edited by Caroline Heitz, Maria Wunderlich, Martin Hinz, Martin Furholt, 2023
Bottom-up approaches have recently been gaining momentum within archaeological research and can b... more Bottom-up approaches have recently been gaining momentum within archaeological research and can be seen as a counter tool against re-emerging top-down narratives. However, they also provide a tool for reflective working procedures and help make research more accessible and reliable. A brief introduction to the current ethnoarchaeological research debate is rounded off with a brief example of the authors' ethnoarchaeological work on megalithic building traditions on the island of Sumba, Indonesia, and in Nagaland, India. The principles of agent-based simulation modelling and a partial result of a recent simulation study of the land use and settlement dynamics of Neolithic lakeshore settlements in western Switzerland are briefly presented. Both examples show how ethnoarchaeology and agent-based simulation modelling apply bottom-up approaches in their specific field of archaeological knowledge production. Based on the examples' different perspectives on bottom-up approaches and their place in current debates, it is concluded that both research fields offer much potential for the further use and progressive pursuit of bottom-up guided research in archaeology.
Rethinking Neolithic Societies New Perspectives on Social Relations, Political Organization and Cohabitation - Edited by Caroline Heitz, Maria Wunderlich, Martin Hinz, Martin Furholt , 2023
Traditional ideas about Neolithic societies were shaped by questionable premises. The modern conc... more Traditional ideas about Neolithic societies were shaped by questionable premises. The modern concept of the social and cultural coherence of residence groups and the ethnic interpretation of "archaeological cultures" fostered ideas of static and homogeneous social entities with fixed borders. Farming-as the core of the Neolithic way of life-was, in most archaeologists' minds, associated with sedentariness rather than with mobility. Furthermore, the widespread use of evolutionist theoretical frameworks led to the assumption of a universally growing social hierarchisation in the course of prehistory. Ultimately, such "top-down" perspectives deprived individuals and groups of genuine agency and creativity. In recent years, a wide array of empirical data on social practices related to material culture and settlement dynamics, (inter)regional entanglements and spatial mobility based on stable isotope analysis, aDNA, and other factors were produced. Yet the question of possible inferences regarding social organisation has not been sufficiently addressed. Therefore, the aim of this volume is to study social practices and configurations in Neolithic societies based on such results, mainly from bottom-up perspectives. The contributions assembled here discuss how data can be methodologically combined on the basis of corresponding theories, as well as the potential of such bottom-up approaches to infer models of social organisation that may do justice to the diversity and dynamism of Neolithic societies. This includes perspectives on mobility, social complexity, the importance of (political) interests, and kinship factors.
Changing Identity in a Changing World Current Studies on the Stone Age around 4000 BCE - Edited by Daniel Groß and Mikael Rothstein, 2023
With the transition to the Neolithic period around 4100 BCE, a new form of cooperative action-the... more With the transition to the Neolithic period around 4100 BCE, a new form of cooperative action-the construction of monumental megalithic tombs-appears in northern central Europe, as well as southern Scandinavia. This practice had a great influence on the social organization and the expression of identities of communities of that time, as well as on the perception and use of landscape. A deeper look into the intensity and form of the construction of megalithic burial sites within a small region in modern-day northern Germany leaves us with an impression of the diversity that was connected to the overarching idea of megalith building. The paper will examine perspectives on the intra and inter-community significance of the socioeconomic act of constructing landscapes. Focus will be on the megalithic construction activities themselves and the chronological developments of megalithic burial grounds with reference to the Funnel Beaker period in northern Germany, focusing on the time between 4100 and 3200 BCE. This includes a consideration of the embeddedness of megaliths in specific systems of landscape division and use, as well as the diverse economic abilities and choices of existing communities.
Connectivity matters! Social, Environmental and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies - Edited by Johannes Müller , 2022
Connectivity is a buzzword used for the description of the change of the current world in the con... more Connectivity is a buzzword used for the description of the change of the current world in the context of globalisation, social media, and digitalisation. Furthermore, connectivity also appears to be a useful concept in order to understand ancient developments. This article clarifies the term ‘connectivity’ and discusses the two associated facets ‘interaction potential’ and ‘interaction intensity’. In addition, different kinds of connectivity, positive and negative aspects of connectivity, and the relevance of interaction group sizes are discussed. Subsequently, the basic concept of connectivity is applied to fortifications, which appear to have been a certain type of archaeological site with specific influence on connectivity. Finally, connectivity diagrams are proposed as a tool in order to reflect on connectivity and to compare different sites.
Megaliths of the World - Edited by Luc Laporte, Jean-Marc Large, Laurent Nespoulous, Chris Scarre, Tara Steimer-Herbet, 2022
At the core of archaeological disciplines lies the urge to reconstruct narratives of past human l... more At the core of archaeological disciplines lies the urge to reconstruct narratives of past human life and the meanings behind the material remains found today. The distant past of prehistoric archaeology requires aids to attempt such reconstructions and analogical reasoning constitutes one important approach in this regard. Comparative research strategies including the use of recent ethnoarchaeological case studies hold high potential as they provide opportunities to engage in current archaeological debates and are especially suitable for the study of complex phenomena, such as megalith building traditions. This paper presents a comparative study using both quantitative and qualitative data sets and perspectives. The recent case studies include remarks on the social mechanism influential for megalith building activities on the island of Sumba, Indonesia, and the southern area of Nagaland, Northeast India. Both examples show striking similarities, on a structural basis, with concern to activities and mechanisms of feasting activities, economic inequalities and the collective efforts involved in the process of megalith building. Yet, the case studies are characterized by particularities and individual strategies of given communities, both within the regions of interest and within the broader comparison between them. These particularities represent individual interpretations and expressions of overarching mechanisms and deserve the same attention as the structural similarities. This study shows that comparative approaches should use and combine both qualitative and quantitative approaches, thus enabling a comparative synthesis of different case studies while at the same time avoiding generalizations of broader regional frameworks.
The European Archaeologist, 2023
is traditionally considered a period of little social differentiation and a rather flat hierarchi... more is traditionally considered a period of little social differentiation and a rather flat hierarchical structure. In possible contrast, e.g., the Linear Pottery (LBK) dwelling landscape displays a distinct variety of settlement types, some of which sport earthen enclosures. Due to their size, their long-time use, exceptional finds and imports, they are frequently assessed as sites of central significance. Although enclosures generally seem to be a rather late feature on many LBK-sites, they are thought to be key to identifying "central settlements" and surrounding dwelling clusters. The first appearance of an enclosure within an existing settlement network might reflect a change in social behaviour and/or group interaction. They are also relevant for ongoing discussions about a possible "crisis situation" at the end of the LBK, not least in the context of numerous human remains found in ditch systems, e.g., in Schletz (Austria) and Vráble (Slovakia). The purpose of such ditches as well as the interpretation of human remains recovered from these structures may vary from one site to another and seems to be manifold. In our session, we want to take a closer look at potential Neolithic central sites and their hinterland with a focus on enclosures, which have been described as fortifications, as "a manifest sign of social identity", as trading places, burial grounds or ritual sites. We welcome contributions discussing various aspects that might shed light on the purpose and role of enclosed Neolithic sites (e.g., their architecture, development and function; the persons, communities and practices involved in the history of such sites; the geographic or diachronic situation contextualisingperhaps explainingsites with enclosures). Although our focus is set to the Early Neolithic, we also encourage contributions from other Neolithic periods or ethnoarchaeological contexts, presenting comparative evidences and interpretations.
PLOS ONE, 2021
Among various Naga communities of Northeast India, megalithic building and feasting activities pl... more Among various Naga communities of Northeast India, megalithic building and feasting activities played an integral role in the different and intertwined dimensions of social and political organisation until very recently. During a collaborative fieldwork in 2016, we visited different village communities in the southern areas of Nagaland and recorded local knowledge about the function and social implications of megalithic building activities. The preserved knowledge of the monuments themselves and their embeddedness in complex feasting activities and social structures illustrate the multifaceted character of megalithic building. The case study of Nagaland highlights how the construction of megalithic monuments may fulfil very different functions in societies characterised by institutionalised hierarchies than in those that have a more egalitarian social organisation. The case study of southern Naga communities not only shows the importance of various dimensions and courses of action-such as sharing and cooperation, competitive behaviour, and the influence of economic inequality-, but also the importance of social networks and different layers of kinship. The multifaceted and interwoven character of megalithic building activities in this ethnoarchaeological case study constitutes an expansion for the interpretation of archaeological case studies of monumentality.
Archaeology in the Žitatva Valey I. The LBK and Želiezovce settlement site of Vráble, 2020
Müller, J., Müller-Scheeßel, N., Cheben, I., Wunderlich, M., Furholt, M., 2020. On the demographi... more Müller, J., Müller-Scheeßel, N., Cheben, I., Wunderlich, M., Furholt, M., 2020. On the demographic development of Vráble and the Upper Žitava Valley, in: Furholt, M., Cheben, I., Müller, J., Bistáková, A., Wunderlich, M., Müller-Scheeßel, N. (Eds.), Archaeology in the Zitatva Valey I. The LBK and Želiezovce settlement site of Vráble, Sidestone, Leiden, pp. 495-504.
Demography is a central factor to understand the social economic development of a settlement as large as Vráble. Using the magnetic plans of the entire site, combined with targeted excavations and extensive coring programs, we develop a chronological model. This is based on 14C dates and the orientation of houses, which show a strong correlation, indicating a gradual change in orientation towards the left of 13° per 100 years. The internal use of space and the number of houses to estimate the mean number of inhabitants of the settlement and change in this number over time. The reconstruction of population numbers in different processes and strategies during the settlement history of Vráble (Nitriansky kraj, Slovakia). Including the regional context of the Upper Žitava Valley, we find a possible over-exploitation of arable land, and inter-site mobility and agglomeration processes at Vráble are to be seen in this light. The increasing population density of the northern neighbourhood of the settlement is interpreted as reflecting its increasing economic dominance at the cost of the others. We interpret the construction of the enclosure in the south-western neighbourhood as an attempt to counter this dominance. While this attempt was mederatly sucessful for a few generations, the entire settlement eventually went into decline.
Furholt, M. et al. (eds) Archaeology in the Žitava Valley I. The LBK and Želiezovce settlement site of Vráble. Leiden: Sidestone Press (Scales of Transformation in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies 9), pp. 511– 531, 2020
We present a synthesis of the socio-political developments of the communities at the Neolithic si... more We present a synthesis of the socio-political developments of the communities at the Neolithic site of Vráble ‘Veľké Lehemby’ (Nitriansky kraj, Slovakia), discussing subsistence strategies, the use of space and the built environment, as well as material culture and integrate these into a model of the political economy. A characteristic of the site is the simultaneous existence of both exclusionary and communal strategies,
which were influenced by and were influencing different social spheres of the settlement community. While we can trace differentiated subsistence strategies at the level of individual farms, as well as at the level of neighbourhoods, we can also see strong indicators for the importance of collective and communal mechanisms, as well as practices of sharing. These are indicated by the presence of specific storage pits and the communal building of an enclosure. We interpret these communal activities not only as indicators for structures of social security and solidarity, but also as indicators of growing social tensions and possibly conflicts over the course of the settlement history. We argue that the settlement was abandoned as a result of an
intensification of these tensions, leading towards the deliberate separation of one of the neighbourhoods and the development of social inequality, expressed through differentiated burial rites. The social and political structure of Vráble dissolved at the beginning of the 5th mil. BCE and was followed by a decentralised and dispersed system of sites during the subsequent period of Lengyel communities.
In: Anne Birgitte Gebauer, Lasse Sørensen, Anne Teather, António Carlos Valera (eds.): Monumentalising Life in the Neolithic. Narratives of Change and Continuity , 2020
Nagaland is an area of northeast India that contains examples of diverse and multifaceted megalit... more Nagaland is an area of northeast India that contains examples of diverse and multifaceted megalithic building activities, some of which ended only very recently. Ethnoarchaeological field work was conducted in 2016 in the southern areas of Nagaland in cooperation with Nagaland University. Within the traditional social organisation of Angami societies, megalith building formed an important materialisation of different mechanisms, choices and social factors. The monuments are a result of complex and competitive feasting activities and economic inequality within the communities concerned. However, they are also indicative of recursive relations of mutual aid and solidarity; wide networks of social relatedness and kinship are highly influential within megalith building.
An analysis of the entanglement of these very different factors shows the complexity of phenomena, such as megalith building practices. The diversity of the involved social mechanism and their materialisation constitutes a potential aid for interpretations of archaeological case studies.
Cambridge Journal of Archaeology, 2020
Furholt, M., Müller-Scheeßel, N., Wunderlich, M., Cheben, I., & Müller, J. (n.d.). Communality a... more Furholt, M., Müller-Scheeßel, N., Wunderlich, M., Cheben, I., & Müller, J. (n.d.). Communality and Discord in an Early Neolithic Settlement Agglomeration: The LBK Site of Vráble, Southwest Slovakia. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 1-21. doi:10.1017/S0959774320000049
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 emerging social inequality was, we argue, not sustainable under the conditions of early farming societies and led to the village's abandonment at 4950 BC.
M. Wunderlich/T. Jamir/J. Müller (eds.), Journal of Neolithic Archaeology 2019 (Special Issue 5): Hierarchy and Balance: The Role of Monumentality in European and Indian Landscapes , 2019
The use of ethnographic analogies for the construction of explan atory patterns and scientific n... more The use of ethnographic analogies for the construction of explan atory patterns and scientific narratives has a long history within archaeo logical research. While appropriate critique was raised with re gard to the way analogies were used, the rise of critical perspectives within recent archaeological debates and discourses clearly highlights the need for a critical and reflective use of comparative analyses which will help us to go beyond a perception of archaeology as a culturalhis torical science. The diversity and variability of the meaning of monu mentality and megalith building in modernday India shows the po tential of such an approach and the importance of the integration of the perspectives of local communities without a direct link to scientific discourses. Monumentality and megalithic construction, due to the complexity and variance of this specific phenomenon, constitute an appropriate example for the potential benefit and gain of the integra tion of comparative, ethnoarchaeological perspectives.
J. Müller/M. Hinz/M. Wunderlich (eds.), Megaliths - Societies - Landscapes. Early Monumentality and Social Differentiation in Neolithic Europe, 2019
Megaliths - Societies - Landscapes. Early Monumentality and Social Differentiation in Neolithic Europe, 2019
As one of the dominant objects of the Early and Middle
Neolithic in northern-middle Europe, megal... more As one of the dominant objects of the Early and Middle
Neolithic in northern-middle Europe, megalithic monuments
are one important part of archaeological research asking for
corporate structures and social developments. The analysis
of possible social implications and the influence of megalith
building on socioeconomic features of the communities involved
in this practice can be broadened by the inclusion of
ethnographic examples. Recent megalith building activities
can be found in Nagaland, north-eastern India. These building
traditions reflect competitive behaviour and the social
representation of individuals and/ or communities. The close
connection between megalith building and »feasts of merit«
illustrates the socioeconomic meaning of this tradition. Due
to the requirement of high amounts of resources and labour
force, feasting activities and megalith building are influential
regarding the balance and development of social relations
and positions. Thus, in analysing the social implications of
megalithic constructions, an inclusion of economic and spatial
information is promising. In this study, questions dealing
with the importance of competitive behaviour, cooperation
and the possibility to detect a social differentiation resulting
from inequalities among individuals will be asked.
One of the areas with dense evidence of Funnel-Beaker
activities in Northern Germany is south-eastern Schles wig-
Holstein and north-western Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Extensive research on environmental conditions,
settlements and grave structures by various projects provides
good conditions for further analyses. An analysis of the occurrence
of various grave goods in different grave types and
a comparison of house sizes reveals no greater differences
among the data set. Hence, a social differentiation or inequality
based on unequal access to material goods and the
ability to build unusual large houses is rejected. The comparison
of megalith building traditions and the economic
productivity – as reflected by the occurrence of flint axes –
reveals interesting variation among local communities and
different regions. As a result of this study, megalithic monuments
can be interpreted as important objects of representative
and competitive character, affecting social structures of
the related communities.
The following article represents a summary of a Bachelor-Thesis, which was submitted in on May 20... more The following article represents a summary of a Bachelor-Thesis, which was submitted in on May 2011 in Kiel. The Thesis dealt with the regional differentiation of collared flasks of the north-middle European area. The initial point of this work was an inconsiderable feature in Brekendorf, Kr. Rendsburg-Eckernförde, which was excavated in context of the project "Siedlungen der Bronzezeit". On the basis of two pieces from the grave furniture, a collared flask and a flint knive made of a flint axe, it was possible to date the grave in Fuchsberg-period in the EN. Afterwards the finds of collared flasks in Europe were analyzed in comparative way. The comparison of the greatest height and widest broadness of the pots shows a separation of the Danish exemplars from the rest. This is also visible on the first and second dimension of a correspondence analysis. It shows a regional specification of the collared flasks, regarded to the analyzed specifics. The arrangements can also be connected to the North-West and East TRB-Groups.
While there are several theories and models
concerning the meaning of megalith building,
an evalu... more While there are several theories and models
concerning the meaning of megalith building,
an evaluation of a possible connection between
megaliths and inequality is still pending.
Some of the areas with a high concentration of
megalithic monuments are those that were
occupied by Funnel Beaker communities of
Northern Europe from 4100 to 2800 cal BC.
For the present analysis, an evaluation based
on ethnographic data was conducted on different
possible characteristics of societies with
a megalithic tradition. Among them, a distinct
practice of feasting in connection with megalithic
monuments and enclosures can be
traced. The construction of such monuments
possibly indicates a surplus production among
the communities that built and used them.
One major factor driving megalith building
practices could also have been growing competition
between groups and communities
related to different grave clusters.
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Papers by Maria Wunderlich
Here, we explore a set of parameters in five case studies from prehistoric Eurasia in order to characterise power relations and to reconstruct political negotiation and decision-making processes that constitute political practices. The case studies exhibit socio-political complexity in a variety of forms, encompassing a wide range of situations from Mesolithic Siberia, LBK Vráble Slovakia, Neolithic Pile-dwellings Switzerland, Copper Age Tripolye Ukraine, Neolithic and Bronze Age Schleswig-Holstein, to Iron Age Greece. As archaeological proxies, eight parameters have been identified as markers of political practice to be used as a comparative framework: community site, conformity/diversity, (critical) resource access and distribution, network configurations, organisation of decision-making, property rights, (violent) conflict and resolution, and knowledge.
In this chapter we aim to develop a systematic approach for the analysis of political practices in order to enable the identification of patterns of power relations within the prehistory of Eurasia. This way we will develop a long-term perspective on transformations of these practices at a geographical macro scale.
Demography is a central factor to understand the social economic development of a settlement as large as Vráble. Using the magnetic plans of the entire site, combined with targeted excavations and extensive coring programs, we develop a chronological model. This is based on 14C dates and the orientation of houses, which show a strong correlation, indicating a gradual change in orientation towards the left of 13° per 100 years. The internal use of space and the number of houses to estimate the mean number of inhabitants of the settlement and change in this number over time. The reconstruction of population numbers in different processes and strategies during the settlement history of Vráble (Nitriansky kraj, Slovakia). Including the regional context of the Upper Žitava Valley, we find a possible over-exploitation of arable land, and inter-site mobility and agglomeration processes at Vráble are to be seen in this light. The increasing population density of the northern neighbourhood of the settlement is interpreted as reflecting its increasing economic dominance at the cost of the others. We interpret the construction of the enclosure in the south-western neighbourhood as an attempt to counter this dominance. While this attempt was mederatly sucessful for a few generations, the entire settlement eventually went into decline.
which were influenced by and were influencing different social spheres of the settlement community. While we can trace differentiated subsistence strategies at the level of individual farms, as well as at the level of neighbourhoods, we can also see strong indicators for the importance of collective and communal mechanisms, as well as practices of sharing. These are indicated by the presence of specific storage pits and the communal building of an enclosure. We interpret these communal activities not only as indicators for structures of social security and solidarity, but also as indicators of growing social tensions and possibly conflicts over the course of the settlement history. We argue that the settlement was abandoned as a result of an
intensification of these tensions, leading towards the deliberate separation of one of the neighbourhoods and the development of social inequality, expressed through differentiated burial rites. The social and political structure of Vráble dissolved at the beginning of the 5th mil. BCE and was followed by a decentralised and dispersed system of sites during the subsequent period of Lengyel communities.
An analysis of the entanglement of these very different factors shows the complexity of phenomena, such as megalith building practices. The diversity of the involved social mechanism and their materialisation constitutes a potential aid for interpretations of archaeological case studies.
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 emerging social inequality was, we argue, not sustainable under the conditions of early farming societies and led to the village's abandonment at 4950 BC.
Neolithic in northern-middle Europe, megalithic monuments
are one important part of archaeological research asking for
corporate structures and social developments. The analysis
of possible social implications and the influence of megalith
building on socioeconomic features of the communities involved
in this practice can be broadened by the inclusion of
ethnographic examples. Recent megalith building activities
can be found in Nagaland, north-eastern India. These building
traditions reflect competitive behaviour and the social
representation of individuals and/ or communities. The close
connection between megalith building and »feasts of merit«
illustrates the socioeconomic meaning of this tradition. Due
to the requirement of high amounts of resources and labour
force, feasting activities and megalith building are influential
regarding the balance and development of social relations
and positions. Thus, in analysing the social implications of
megalithic constructions, an inclusion of economic and spatial
information is promising. In this study, questions dealing
with the importance of competitive behaviour, cooperation
and the possibility to detect a social differentiation resulting
from inequalities among individuals will be asked.
One of the areas with dense evidence of Funnel-Beaker
activities in Northern Germany is south-eastern Schles wig-
Holstein and north-western Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Extensive research on environmental conditions,
settlements and grave structures by various projects provides
good conditions for further analyses. An analysis of the occurrence
of various grave goods in different grave types and
a comparison of house sizes reveals no greater differences
among the data set. Hence, a social differentiation or inequality
based on unequal access to material goods and the
ability to build unusual large houses is rejected. The comparison
of megalith building traditions and the economic
productivity – as reflected by the occurrence of flint axes –
reveals interesting variation among local communities and
different regions. As a result of this study, megalithic monuments
can be interpreted as important objects of representative
and competitive character, affecting social structures of
the related communities.
concerning the meaning of megalith building,
an evaluation of a possible connection between
megaliths and inequality is still pending.
Some of the areas with a high concentration of
megalithic monuments are those that were
occupied by Funnel Beaker communities of
Northern Europe from 4100 to 2800 cal BC.
For the present analysis, an evaluation based
on ethnographic data was conducted on different
possible characteristics of societies with
a megalithic tradition. Among them, a distinct
practice of feasting in connection with megalithic
monuments and enclosures can be
traced. The construction of such monuments
possibly indicates a surplus production among
the communities that built and used them.
One major factor driving megalith building
practices could also have been growing competition
between groups and communities
related to different grave clusters.
Here, we explore a set of parameters in five case studies from prehistoric Eurasia in order to characterise power relations and to reconstruct political negotiation and decision-making processes that constitute political practices. The case studies exhibit socio-political complexity in a variety of forms, encompassing a wide range of situations from Mesolithic Siberia, LBK Vráble Slovakia, Neolithic Pile-dwellings Switzerland, Copper Age Tripolye Ukraine, Neolithic and Bronze Age Schleswig-Holstein, to Iron Age Greece. As archaeological proxies, eight parameters have been identified as markers of political practice to be used as a comparative framework: community site, conformity/diversity, (critical) resource access and distribution, network configurations, organisation of decision-making, property rights, (violent) conflict and resolution, and knowledge.
In this chapter we aim to develop a systematic approach for the analysis of political practices in order to enable the identification of patterns of power relations within the prehistory of Eurasia. This way we will develop a long-term perspective on transformations of these practices at a geographical macro scale.
Demography is a central factor to understand the social economic development of a settlement as large as Vráble. Using the magnetic plans of the entire site, combined with targeted excavations and extensive coring programs, we develop a chronological model. This is based on 14C dates and the orientation of houses, which show a strong correlation, indicating a gradual change in orientation towards the left of 13° per 100 years. The internal use of space and the number of houses to estimate the mean number of inhabitants of the settlement and change in this number over time. The reconstruction of population numbers in different processes and strategies during the settlement history of Vráble (Nitriansky kraj, Slovakia). Including the regional context of the Upper Žitava Valley, we find a possible over-exploitation of arable land, and inter-site mobility and agglomeration processes at Vráble are to be seen in this light. The increasing population density of the northern neighbourhood of the settlement is interpreted as reflecting its increasing economic dominance at the cost of the others. We interpret the construction of the enclosure in the south-western neighbourhood as an attempt to counter this dominance. While this attempt was mederatly sucessful for a few generations, the entire settlement eventually went into decline.
which were influenced by and were influencing different social spheres of the settlement community. While we can trace differentiated subsistence strategies at the level of individual farms, as well as at the level of neighbourhoods, we can also see strong indicators for the importance of collective and communal mechanisms, as well as practices of sharing. These are indicated by the presence of specific storage pits and the communal building of an enclosure. We interpret these communal activities not only as indicators for structures of social security and solidarity, but also as indicators of growing social tensions and possibly conflicts over the course of the settlement history. We argue that the settlement was abandoned as a result of an
intensification of these tensions, leading towards the deliberate separation of one of the neighbourhoods and the development of social inequality, expressed through differentiated burial rites. The social and political structure of Vráble dissolved at the beginning of the 5th mil. BCE and was followed by a decentralised and dispersed system of sites during the subsequent period of Lengyel communities.
An analysis of the entanglement of these very different factors shows the complexity of phenomena, such as megalith building practices. The diversity of the involved social mechanism and their materialisation constitutes a potential aid for interpretations of archaeological case studies.
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 emerging social inequality was, we argue, not sustainable under the conditions of early farming societies and led to the village's abandonment at 4950 BC.
Neolithic in northern-middle Europe, megalithic monuments
are one important part of archaeological research asking for
corporate structures and social developments. The analysis
of possible social implications and the influence of megalith
building on socioeconomic features of the communities involved
in this practice can be broadened by the inclusion of
ethnographic examples. Recent megalith building activities
can be found in Nagaland, north-eastern India. These building
traditions reflect competitive behaviour and the social
representation of individuals and/ or communities. The close
connection between megalith building and »feasts of merit«
illustrates the socioeconomic meaning of this tradition. Due
to the requirement of high amounts of resources and labour
force, feasting activities and megalith building are influential
regarding the balance and development of social relations
and positions. Thus, in analysing the social implications of
megalithic constructions, an inclusion of economic and spatial
information is promising. In this study, questions dealing
with the importance of competitive behaviour, cooperation
and the possibility to detect a social differentiation resulting
from inequalities among individuals will be asked.
One of the areas with dense evidence of Funnel-Beaker
activities in Northern Germany is south-eastern Schles wig-
Holstein and north-western Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Extensive research on environmental conditions,
settlements and grave structures by various projects provides
good conditions for further analyses. An analysis of the occurrence
of various grave goods in different grave types and
a comparison of house sizes reveals no greater differences
among the data set. Hence, a social differentiation or inequality
based on unequal access to material goods and the
ability to build unusual large houses is rejected. The comparison
of megalith building traditions and the economic
productivity – as reflected by the occurrence of flint axes –
reveals interesting variation among local communities and
different regions. As a result of this study, megalithic monuments
can be interpreted as important objects of representative
and competitive character, affecting social structures of
the related communities.
concerning the meaning of megalith building,
an evaluation of a possible connection between
megaliths and inequality is still pending.
Some of the areas with a high concentration of
megalithic monuments are those that were
occupied by Funnel Beaker communities of
Northern Europe from 4100 to 2800 cal BC.
For the present analysis, an evaluation based
on ethnographic data was conducted on different
possible characteristics of societies with
a megalithic tradition. Among them, a distinct
practice of feasting in connection with megalithic
monuments and enclosures can be
traced. The construction of such monuments
possibly indicates a surplus production among
the communities that built and used them.
One major factor driving megalith building
practices could also have been growing competition
between groups and communities
related to different grave clusters.
Traditional archaeological ideas about Neolithic societies were shaped by questionable premises. The modern concept of social and cultural coherence of residence groups as well as the ethnic interpretation of ‘archaeological cultures’ fostered ideas of static and homogeneous social entities with fixed borders. Farming – as the core of the Neolithic way of life – was associated with sedentariness rather than with spatial mobility and cross-regional social networks. Furthermore, the widely used (neo-)evolutionist thinking universally assumed a growing social complexity and hierarchisation during prehistory. After all, such ‘top-down’–perspectives deprived individuals and groups of genuine agency and creativity while underestimating the relational dynamic between the social and material worlds. In recent years, a wide array of empirical results on social practices related to material culture and settlement dynamics, (inter-)regional entanglements and spatial mobility were published. For the latter the adoption of the relatively new scientific methods in archaeology like Stable Isotope Analysis as well as aDNA played a crucial role. Yet the question of possible inferences regarding spatial and temporal differences in forms of social organisation has not been addressed sufficiently.
The aim of this volume is therefore to rethink former top-down concepts of Neolithic societies by studying social practices and different forms of Neolithic social life by adopting bottom-up social archaeological perspectives. Furthermore, the validity and relevance of terms like ‘society’, ‘community’, ‘social group’ etc. will be discussed. The contributions reach from theoretical to empirical ones and thematize a variety of social theoretical approaches as well as methodological ways of combining different sorts of data. They show the potential of such bottom-up approaches to infer models of social practices and configurations which may live up to the potential social diversity and dynamism of Neolithic societies. The contribution shed light on spatial mobility, social complexity, the importance of (political) interests and factors of kinship etc. We hope that this volume, with its focus on the Neolithic of Europe, will contribute to the ongoing critical debates of theories and concepts as well as on our premises and perspectives on Neolithic societies in general – and the practices of social archaeology as such.
enclosure system. This enclosure is associated with a large number of human remains, which reveal new patterns of burial and deposition practices. This volume presents the first part of the results of an international research project that was started in 2012 and aims to explore the social implications of settlement concentration in the context of early farming communities, on the background of subsistence patterns and landscape use.
This is the first volume of “Archaeology in the Žitava valley”, and it presents the finds, features and data uncovered and synthesised from our archaeological, pedological, geophysical, archaeobotanical, anthropological, zoo-archaeological and stable isotope studies on the site of Vráble “Veľké Lehemby” and “Fárske” in southwest Slovakia.
These data are used to reconstruct the social and economic patterns and social processes, highlighting a growing tension between incentives of cooperation and sharing vs. monopolisation of resources and individual interests, driving the 300-year history of this site until its total abandonment. While the history of Vráble is unique, it holds clues for a better understanding of the overall, central European phenomenon of large, enclosed settlements of the later LBK, their association with rituals and violence involving human bodies, and the end of the LBK social world.
Megalith building constitutes not only a past, but also a recent phenomenon, which is still practised today. The documentation and interpretation of recent megalith building traditions is offering potential aid in the interpretation of prehistoric monuments. Fieldwork in Sumba and Nagaland set up a frame to answer questions such as: Who is buried in the megalithic tombs and what kind of commemoration is connected to megalithic monuments? How are socioeconomic characteristics of the associated households and societies reflected in the megaliths?
Megalithic monuments and social structures includes various archaeological and ethnoarchaeological case studies on social implications of megalith building activities from a comparative perspective. The case studies presented include recent megalith building traditions in Sumba, Indonesia, Nagaland, North-East India, as well as Neolithic Funnel Beaker communities in today’s Northern Germany and Southern Sweden.
This book presents a rich body of new data. By taking into account recent examples of megalithic construction, knowledge on important and influential ways of acting within societal contexts was expanded, whereby above all decentralised and communally-designed mechanisms are important. The case studies presented here clearly demonstrate the importance of cooperative and competitive structures and their effect on feasting activities and megalith building. Additionally, megalithic monuments represent a way of expressing and materialising economic inequality and social prestige. These mechanism and aspects also represent interpretations regarding Funnel Baker societies, which can supplement the existing ideas of megalithic construction in Neolithic Northern Europe.
Nevertheless, the question remains how to bring together the different levels of inquiry and how to describe and interpret the socio-political dimensions of settlement patterns and organization. The aim of the session is to lead discussions about the linkage of different scales of research, the importance of different methodological approaches, and the significance of theoretical approaches.
Within the session we want to address different questions with a focus on the cultural contexts from the Neolithic to the Iron Age in a comparative perspective:
- How do we perceive settlement structures and patterns and how can we describe and analyze the underlying functional, social, political and economic aspects?
- How can we integrate those aspects into a holistic view on settlement organization and systems?
- Can the analysis of settlement patterns and structures be seen as a tool that allows the study and interpretation of past social structures?
- How can we connect different scales of inquiry and research? Which theoretical frameworks and methodologies seem appropriate?
We invite contributions that focus on the aforementioned topics and which might focus on the different levels of inquiry cited above. We also encourage papers focusing on socio-cultural anthropological perspectives, as well as the theoretical frameworks connected to the study of settlement structures, patterns and organization.
The aim of the session is to study social practice and organization in Neolithic societies based on such results by adopting bottom-up perspectives. We want to discuss how data can be methodologically combined on the basis of corresponding theories as well as the potential of such bottom-up approaches to infer models of social organization which could live up to the diversity and dynamism of Neolithic societies. This might include perspectives on mobility, social complexity, the importance of (political) interests and factors of kinship etc. We welcome papers that address the following questions:
• What models of Neolithic societies are used in current research?
• What kind of premises are projected onto the past and why?
• What kind of data is available and how can we combine those to explore different forms of social organization?
• What theories are used to approach social organization in prehistoric contexts?
• How could archaeology benefit from anthropological perspectives?
• What are the epistemological limits regarding the social organization of Neolithic communities?
Archaeology and cultural anthropology share their roots within a closely intertwined research tradition, but despite of this inherent connection, they remain in many cases apart and separated in present-day research. In the light of current discourses on aspects of identity and ethics, the close connection between both subjects is becoming clearer once more. Current ethnoarchaeological approaches move at this intersection of different discourses, integrating demands on non-capitalistic practice of science (MacEachern/Cunningham 2017) as well as holistic and manifold interpretations of past human life and its position in the world.
The keynote lecture will focus on the potentials and chances of an integrated approach encompassing both archaeological, as well as cultural and social anthropological perspectives. Both perspectives must be accompanied by reflections on the theoretical and methodological background chosen, thereby creating a reflective network of thought and practice. It further provides the chance to complement narratives being influenced western by industrial viewpoints that potentially dominate scientific discourse concerning the multifaceted nature of human behavior and social organization up to today.
This approach will be illustrated by case studies from the author’s own research, integrating both anthropological and archaeological data. Research on recent megalith building traditions in Nagaland, North-East India, has revealed the interconnectedness within and roots of this phenomena in the social structures of the communities involved. The example also highlights how the construction of landscape, specific mechanisms within the social organization, and material expressions, including the use of water resources, are interlinked and cannot be seen as detached aspects of the realities of a given community. The lecture will further explore the character and potentially interwoven meanings of selected examples of artificial and natural waterscapes within the wider realm of economic or social contexts of Neolithic communities in Central Europe. Although the archaeological record remains much poorer, it will be argued that in the case of specific archaeological features, the intersections of different aspects of past human behavior and social organization can be traced.
within prehistoric societies is still very much pending. Relevant discussions are often limited to cases of rather obvious
asymmetric power relations and the alleged establishment of elites. In order to fill this complex gap in the current
discussion we take a systematic approach exploring the nature and organization of prehistoric power relations, decisionmaking
and conflict resolution. We will investigate changes in political practices through a diachronic set of case studies
from prehistoric societies, examining the impact of these changes on the overall transformative processes of prehistoric
sociality.
In our approach, we define parameters focused on the characterization of power relations and political practices. Eight
parameters have been identified as meaningful markers to be used as a comparative framework and can be addressed
from our archaeological data: community size, conformity/diversity, critical resource access and distribution, network
configurations, organization of decision-making, property rights, (violent) conflict and resolution, and knowledge.
This contribution presents different case studies from prehistoric Europe and beyond and their systematic analysis of
political practices and patterns of power relations within prehistory; each exhibiting socio-political complexity in a variety
of forms: Mesolithic Siberia, LBK Vráble Slovakia, Neolithic and Bronze Age Pile-dwellings Switzerland, Copper Age
Tripolye Ukraine, Neolithic and Bronze Age Schleswig-Holstein, Iron Age Greece.
We argue that computational as well as anthropologically informed practice based archaeological methods hold the possibilities to help us approach our data and research questions from the bottom. Agent-based simulation modelling (ABM), as computational, and ethnoarchaeology, as a rather classic field of socially informed archaeology, can be helpful as intrinsically reflexive methods and tools to engage with the topic of (human) decision-making in a given context.
In our the talk, we like to initiate a discussion of the importance of reflective thinking within quantitative and qualitative methods by focusing on the potential of bottom-up approaches within the two selected toolboxes, ABM and ethnoarchaeology.
In our session, we want to take a closer look at potential Neolithic central sites and their hinterland with a focus on enclosures, which have been described as fortifications, as “a manifest sign of social identity”, as trading places, burial grounds or ritual sites. We welcome contributions discussing various aspects that might shed light on the purpose and role of enclosed Neolithic sites (e.g., their architecture, development and function; the persons, communities and practices involved in the history of such sites; the geographic or diachronic situation contextualising – perhaps explaining – sites with enclosures). Although our focus is set to the Early Neolithic, we also encourage contributions from other Neolithic periods or ethnoarchaeological contexts, presenting comparative evidences and interpretations.
30th Annual Meeting of the EAA in Rome (28th to 31st of August, 2024)
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