Parallel worlds and mixed economies : multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic

The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter–fisher–gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals

Puuduvad tõlgendused. Looduslikud ja jäänukleiuna interpreteeritud esemed Eesti arheoloogiakogudes

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneDoktoritöö „Puuduvad tõlgendused. Looduslikud ja jäänukleiuna interpreteeritud esemed Eesti arheoloogiakogudes“ keskmes on tõlgenduseta või ühekülgselt seletatud leiud, mida on Eesti arheoloogiakogudesse praeguseks jõudnud märkimisväärne arv. Töö allikaks on kahte liiki leiud – looduslikud, nagu fossiilid ja veerised, ning inimtekkelised, nagu hilisematest kontekstidest leitud kiviesemeid (kivikirved, -talvad, tulekivist nooleotsad). Viimaseid on enamasti peetud jäänukleidudeks samal paigal asunud varasemast asulakohast. Analüüsitud leidudel on kahtlemata olnud erinevaid tähendusi. Kuigi suur osa tõlgendusi jääb spekulatiivseks, õnnestus mitmete leidude puhul nende leiukonteksti ning kasutus-kulumisjälgi arvestades näidata, et osa fossiile, veeriseid ning varasemaid kiviesemeid hilisemates kontekstides on teadlikult kunagistesse asulatesse, linnustesse või kalmetesse toodud. Veeriseid võidi kasutada erinevast materjalist esemete poleerimiseks, keedukividena vee soojendamisel, lingukivide või mängukividena. Samas on nii kirjalike allikate, etnograafiliste analoogide kui folklooritekstide põhjal teada, et erinevaid kive, fossiile ning kiviesemeid on kasutatud kaitse- ja ravimaagilistes toimingutes. Näiteks on kivikirveid, talbu ja nooleotsi, aga ka fossiile ja silmatorkava välimusega veeriseid peetud taevast välgulöögiga alla kukkunud piksenoolteks, mida kasutati muuhulgas äikese ja tulekahju eemal hoidmiseks, aga ka äkiliste haiguste ravimiseks. Eesti hilisraua-, kesk- ja uusaegsetest kontekstidest leitud varasemate kiviesemete leiud võiksid viidata just sellele uskumusele. Maagilisi kaitse- ja ravipraktikaid iseloomustab variatiivsus, mis tähendab, et vajadusel omistati maagilist toimijalisust väga erinevatele esemetele ja ainetele. Nii ei pea kaitse- ja ravimaagilisi esemeid otsima atraktiivsete või silmatorkavate leidude hulgast ning pigem võib neid leida esmapilgul ootamatute, looduslike või igapäevaste asjade seast. See teadmine andis põhjuse juba kogutud arheoloogilise allikmaterjali analüüsimiseks lähtuvalt maagia aspektidest.The doctoral dissertation „Missing interpretations. Natural and residual finds in Estonian archaeological collections“ is concentrated on numerous selection of finds in Estonian archaeological collections that have remained uninterpreted or have attached only one-sided explanations. The source material of the thesis includes two kinds of finds – natural, like fossils and pebbles, and human-made, like stone artefacts (stone axes, adzes, flint arrowheads) found from chronologically later contexts. The latter have mostly been interpreted as residual finds. The analysed finds have undoubtedly had different meanings and functions. Although the large part of interpretations are destined to remain speculations, the find context of several finds or use-wear on them enabled to show that part of fossils, pebbles and earlier stone artefacts have deliberately been brought to the later settlement sites, hillforts or cemeteries. Pebbles could have been used for burnishing items of various materials, as potboilers to heat water, ammunition stones or playing pieces. At the same time we know from written sources, ethnographical analogues as well as folklore records that different pebbles, fossils and stone items have been used in apotropaic and curing magical practices. For example stone axes, adzes and arrowheads, but also fossils and conspicuous pebbles have been regarded as thunderbolts that have fallen from the sky with a lightning strike; among other things they were used to keep away fires and lightning, but also to cure suddenly appearing diseases. Several finds in Estonian Late Iron Age, medieval and modern contexts can refer namely to this belief. Magical curing and apotropaic practices are characterised by variety, which means that when needed agency could be ascribed to very different artefacts and substances. Thus we do not have to look for apotropaic and curing magical items among attractive and outstanding artefacts and they can rather be found amid unexpected, natural or everyday instruments. This understanding motivated to analyse the already gathered archaeological material from the viewpoint of magic

Environment and settlement location choice in Stone Age Estonia

The location choice of Stone Age settlements has been long considered to be influenced by environmental conditions. Proximity to water and sandy soils are most typical examples of those conditions. The notion of the influence resulted from the evidence from a relatively small amount of sites. During the recent decades the number of known settlements has increased to a level where statistical assessment of relation between environmental characteristics and settlement location choice is possible. To undertake this task we collected data about known Estonian Stone Age settlements and acquired environmental data of their locations using publicly available geological datasets. We provide univariate descriptive statistics of the distributions of variables describing site conditions and compare them to characteristics generally present in the environment. We experiment with a set of environmental variables including soil type, distance to water and a selection of geomorphometry derivatives of the digital elevation model. Quantitative assessment confirmed previous observations showing significant effect towards choice of sandy, dry location close to water bodies. The statistical analysis allowed us to assess the effect size of different characteristics. Proximity to water had the largest effect on settlement choice, while soil type was also of considerable importance. Abstract geomorphological variables Topographic Position Index and Topographic Wetness index also inform us about significant effects of surface forms. Differences of settlement locations during stages of the Stone Age are well observable. The environmental conditions of sites from the pre-pottery Mesolithic follow the general pattern but with the greatest variation. Narva and Comb Ware stage settlement locations preferences are nearly identical to each other showing preference of sandy higher areas near the shoreline and indicating increased site investment. For Corded Ware period a new settlement mode is observable which is not any more directly related to water bodies and can be explained by semi-agrarian subsistence and decreasing dependence on aquatic resources

How to improve skin notation. Position paper from a workshop

The ICOH Scientific Committee on Occupational and Environmental Dermatoses organized an International Workshop on "Dermal risk assessment at workplace" with the aim of focussing on the different ways of approaching the concept of skin notation (S) for chemicals. The Workshop participants presented their ideas on several aspects of S such as the problems related to the absorption through the compromised skin, the different approaches to S and models that can be used as alternatives to S. Participants agreed to produce a position paper with the goal of exploring the actions needed to improve the S system towards international harmonization. They consider that further discussions are needed to obtain an international consensus, but at the same time they believe that by improving and harmonizing systems for setting S we can make an important contribution to improving health of people with potential dermal exposure to chemicals at wor

ZooMS data from Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the Dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic

Table of ZooMS peptide identification of Sope B I sheep/goat specimens