Bronocice Funnel Beaker Vessel with Wagon Motif: Different Narratives

Excavations at the Polish site of Bronocice uncovered a vessel with a wagon motif in a late Funnel Beaker pit that dates to 3405 BC and also contained animal bones, flint artefacts and potsherds typical of the Funnel Beaker phase BR III. This article introduces the Bronocice site, provides an overview of the Bronocice vessel and its imagery, and presents some of the significant interpretations of the vessel. It also briefly considers the issues inherent in interpretation of ancient imagery and suggests ways to avoid imposing modern paradigms on ancient imagery

Nitrogen and Strontium Isotopes as Tools for the Reconstruction of Breastfeeding Practices and Human Behavior – A Neolithic Collective Grave in Bronocice (Poland)

Isotopic analyses are often used in biological anthropology and bioarcheology, in studies of ancient human populations. Such analyses in anthropology have been used to study migration patterns, the nutrition strategies of prehistoric populations and the weaning of infants. The main objective of this work was to investigate patterns of breastfeeding and weaning in Neolithic populations at Bronocice in Poland using nitrogen stable isotopes. Additionally, strontium isotope analysis was conducted to determine if the individuals from the collective grave (Burial XIII, Pit 36-B1) at Bronocice were of local origin. The samples consisted of skeletal remains from individuals buried in the collective grave during the early Funnel Beaker-Baden phase (3300-3100 BC). Two models have been used for reconstructing precisely the age at the start and end of weaning (Schurr’s model and WARN model). The results suggest that weaning began in the first year of life and ended at about 3 years of age

Nitrogen and Strontium Isotopes as Tools for the Reconstruction of Breastfeeding Practices and Human Behavior – A Neolithic Collective Grave in Bronocice (Poland)

Isotopic analyses are often used in biological anthropology and bioarcheology, in studies of ancient human populations. Such analyses in anthropology have been used to study migration patterns, the nutrition strategies of prehistoric populations and the weaning of infants. The main objective of this work was to investigate patterns of breastfeeding and weaning in Neolithic populations at Bronocice in Poland using nitrogen stable isotopes. Additionally, strontium isotope analysis was conducted to determine if the individuals from the collective grave (Burial XIII, Pit 36-B1) at Bronocice were of local origin. The samples consisted of skeletal remains from individuals buried in the collective grave during the early Funnel Beaker-Baden phase (3300-3100 BC). Two models have been used for reconstructing precisely the age at the start and end of weaning (Schurr’s model and WARN model). The results suggest that weaning began in the first year of life and ended at about 3 years of age

Genetic continuity, isolation, and gene flow in Stone Age Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract The genomic landscape of Stone Age Europe was shaped by multiple migratory waves and population replacements, but different regions do not all show the same patterns. To refine our understanding of the population dynamics before and after the dawn of the Neolithic, we generated and analyzed genomic sequence data from human remains of 56 individuals from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic across Central and Eastern Europe. We found that Mesolithic European populations formed a geographically widespread isolation-by-distance zone ranging from Central Europe to Siberia, which was already established 10 000 years ago. We also found contrasting patterns of population continuity during the Neolithic transition: people around the lower Dnipro Valley region, Ukraine, showed continuity over 4 000 years, from the Mesolithic to the end of Neolithic, in contrast to almost all other parts of Europe where population turnover drove this cultural change, including vast areas of Central Europe and around the Danube River