Transforming Traditions of Material Culture : Spatial and temporal patterns in pottery style, production and use during the second half of the 6th millennium cal BC in south-eastern Transdanubia and beyond

International audienceOne of the most salient traits of a major milestone in European history, the shift to a Neolithic life-style in Central Europe and the associated social changes, was the emergence of pottery production. The main goal of the research project described here is the study of Neolithic pottery production from a complex perspec- tive and the addressing of the associated distinctive social activity types and potential range of meanings during the period from the late Starčevo to the appearance of the Lengyel culture (5500–4900 cal BC). The springboard for our project was the series of intensely investigated sites in southern Transdanubia, a region that acted as a contact zone between the Neolithic communities of Central Europe and the northern Balkans, and thus played a key role in the neolithisation of Central Europe. The research findings from this region are complemented and compared with the data from various sites along the Danube. Aside from our academic colleagues, our research results can be of interest to the broader public too, and our reconstruc- tions of various artefacts and the documentation of our archaeological experiments can be later used as illustrations to museum exhibits. The expected results can be fitted into the broad picture outlined by other research conducted on these sites and offer an exceptionally detailed picture of how the region’s settlements developed during the second half of the 6th millennium BC

Változó tradíciók. A kerámiastílus, -előállítás és -használat tér- és időbeli mintázatai a Kr. e. 6. évezred második felében a Délkelet-Dunántúlon és a környező régiókban

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Économies et société des populations rubanées de la vallée de l’Aisne

Le projet collectif de recherche, initié en 2007, vise à proposer un premier niveau de synthèse et de modélisation du fonctionnement socio-économique des populations du Néolithique ancien de la vallée de l’Aisne. Ce projet triennal se fonde sur les données accumulées depuis 30 ans sur une quinzaine de sites rubanés fouillés dans le cadre d’un programme pluri-institutionnel sur près de 80 km le long de l’Aisne. Il inclut ainsi le matériel lithique, céramique et faunique des 15 sites rubanés ay..

Méthodes d’étude technologique de corpus céramiques issus de contextes détritiques

Cet article présente les méthodes employées dans le cadre de l’étude technologique de vases issus de quatre sites d’habitat du Néolithique ancien de la vallée de l’Aisne (Picardie). Retrouvés en contexte détritique, les récipients présentent généralement un état fragmentaire important. L’examen des macrotraces techniques a révélé l’existence de plusieurs chaînes opératoires de façonnage pour des vases de même forme. Après avoir présenté les variantes identifiées, nous proposons quelques pistes d’interprétation.This article presents the methods employed for a technological study of pottery from four early Neolithic (Linearbandkeramik) settlement sites in the river Aisne valley (Picardy). The pottery comes from refuse contexts and the vessels are generally in a very fragmentary state. Study of technical macro-traces showed that vessels of the same shape were manufactured with different chaînes opératoires. These are described and some interpretations are proposed

De l’expérimentation à la micro-tomographie. Un exemple : les premières productions céramiques de Méditerranée occidentale

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Variabilité technique des vases du Rubané récent du Bassin parisien (RRBP) et du Villeneuve-Saint-Germain (VSG) : un cas d’étude dans la vallée de l’Aisne

International audienceMost studies of Linearbandkeramik (LBK) pottery have analysed vessel shape and decoration, thus providing the basis for precise chronological sequences. However, a number of questions remain to be asked about the structure of production. This article presents a technological study of ceramic assemblages from four LBK sites located in the river Aisne valley (Picardy). The variation observed in shaping techniques indicates that there were several learning networks. The presence of identical chaînes opératoires on separate sites raises the question of the connections that could have existed between LBK villages.Essentiellement axées sur l’analyse des formes et des décors, les nombreuses études concernant la céramique rubanée ont permis la mise au point de chronologies fines, mais plusieurs questions se posent encore quant à la structure de la production. L’étude présentée dans le cadre de cet article propose une analyse technologique de séries issues de quatre sites rubanés situés dans la vallée de l’Aisne. La mise en évidence d’une importante variété technique en ce qui concerne le façonnage des récipients, malgré la forte homogénéité morphodimensionnelle du corpus, évoque l’existence de plusieurs réseaux d’apprentissage. La présence de chaînes opératoires identiques sur des sites distincts pose plusieurs questions quant aux liens ayant pu exister entre villages rubanés

Exploring the social conditions of the LBK/post-LBK transition in eastern Belgium through the intergenerational transmission of ceramic and lithic know-hows

In this communication, we will present the results of an integrated technological analysis performed on the ceramic and lithic as- semblages from the early Neolithic villages of Verlaine and Vaux-et-Borset (Hesbaye, Belgium), both characterised by a double LBK and post-LBK (i.e. Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, abbreviated BQY/VSG) occupation. Our study, centred on the reconstruction of the manufacturing chaînes opératoires, aims to identify technical traditions, revealing learning networks that are specific to pro- ducer groups. Tracking these technical traditions in time and space at the larger scale of Belgium and north-eastern France enables us to assess (1) continuity and ruptures in know-hows in Hesbaye during the transition from LBK to BQY/VSG; (2) the mobility pat- terns of producers; (3) possible processes of interaction between producer groups. The detailed reconstruction of lithic and ceramic technical know-hows during the transition between LBK and BQY/VSG in Hesbaye reveals distinct producer groups whose spatial trajectories and socio-economic behaviours seem to have changed profoundly at the turning point of the 6th and 5th millennia BC. Our systemic study shows the potential of the chaîne opératoire approach to apprehend the sociological relationships between these two cultural entities and to propose a scenario of historical transition, taking into account the cultural, social and economic dynamics that led to the fragmentation and disintegration of the LBK system

Social Rules and Household Interactions Within the LBK: Long-Standing Debates, New Perspectives

International audienceWithin Linearbandkeramik (LBK) studies, several models of social structure and organisation have been debated since the 1960s, influenced by several major anthropological theories that even today guide the debates. We discuss here the notion of social interactions in LBK contexts by focusing on the primary form of LBK social unit: the household. Assuming that the solutions found by the LBK communities to navigate their ambivalent position regarding sedentism and mobility probably formed the basis of their social organisation, social networks would have played a crucial role in ensuring the longevity and spread of the LBK culture. The village pioneer stage crystallises several core mechanisms of LBK society and is particularly relevant for assessing the dynamic processes involved in the fundamental social interactions that structure LBK societies. Invoking rather the “hofplatz” or the “ward” models, the coexistence of different groups attached to specific expressions of identity within the same settlements was highlighted and led to several hypotheses of social organisation putting clan or lineage structures at the foreground. Differentiation or inequalities between individuals and groups were also debated, even recently based on new technological and bioarchaeological data. In the frame of the current ANR Homes project, our goal is to test the reliability of these models based on an evidence-based approach and deepen the economical model we recently proposed

Discerner les imitations et les emprunts techniques au début du Néolithique en Europe du Nord-ouest ? Réflexions à partir des productions potières du Rubané à Rosmeer (Limbourg)

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