Monuments and economies: What drove their variability in the middle-Holocene Neolithic?

In the regions of southern Scandinavia and northern Germany, within the Neolithic ( c. 4100–1700 BCE), two episodes of intensified monumental burial construction are known: Funnel Beaker megaliths mainly from c. 3400–3100 BCE and Single Grave burial mounds from c. 2800–2500 BCE. So far, it remains unclear whether these boom phases of monumental construction were linked with phases of economic expansion, to phases of economic changes or to periods of economic crisis: do they precede and stimulate periods of economic growth? Or are they a social practice that results from social changes within the societies? To approach these research questions, we will use mainly information on the intensity of monumental construction phases, artefact depositions, environmental changes and changes in subsistence strategies as proxies for comparative studies. Our database comes from the southern Cimbrian Peninsula and adjacent areas. Being one of the most intensively archaeologically researched regions of Neolithic Europe, this region provides robust data sets. As a result, the study demonstrates that during the Funnel Beaker period, economy and ritual were closely interlinked, while disconnected in the Single Grave period

European larch sapwood: A model for predicting the cambial age and for a more accurate dating

International audienceEuropean larch (Larix decidua Mill.) holds significant importance as a forest tree species throughout the Alps and in certain regions of central Europe. Its extensive use as construction timber has made it a subject of substantial interest in dendroarchaeological studies aimed at understanding the long-term interactions between human societies and forests. Precise dating of felling phases, accurate estimation of the age of harvested wood, and information on the geographical origin of wood play a crucial role when it comes to characterize these interactions. In this study, we compiled a large dataset of L. decidua samples from across the European Alps to provide a robust statistical model that predicts the cambial age of L. decidua trees based on the number of heartwood rings. By extension, this model can be used to estimate the number of sapwood rings so as to approximate the felling date and to more precise date archaeological larch timber. The model requires almost complete heartwood sequences (<5 missing rings) to achieve accurate estimations. Our results also evidence that the ratio between the number of sapwood and heartwood rings varies across the Alps. At the same time, the indicator developed in this work is not suitable for a determination of wood origin, raising doubts about the effectiveness of attempts aimed at dendroprovenancing L. decidua based on sapwood