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Home , Neolithic Europe

Volume VIII ● Issue 2/2017 ● Pages 169–172

Interdisciplinaria archaeologica Natural Sciences in

homepage: http://www.iansa.eu VIII/2/2017

Book reviews

The Oxford Handbook of . processes of Neolitization, especially in the the introduction of copper metallurgy that Chris Fowler, Jan Harding and Daniela and , followed by came along later. The first part discusses Hofmann (Eds.) the chapters dealing with the phenomenon the possibilities and ways of Neolithization Oxford University Press (2015), Oxford, of households and burials, and, finally, the in . It tracks the areas UK, 1166 pp., ISBN 978-0-19954584-1 chapters connected methodologically with through the evidence of the first Neolithic the scientific methods used in archaeology, elements, differences between including economy, subsistence and foragers and Neolithic farmers, and seeks to bioarchaeology. find confirmation of the interactions within these two social systems and populations. This issue is followed by Jean Guilaine 2. Mobility, Change, and Interaction in his chapter The Neolitization of at a Large Scale Mediterranean Europe. Mobility and Interactions from the Near East to the The second conceptual part (Part II) of the Iberian Penisula. In successive steps he handbook starts with Tony Brown, Geoff describes the expansion of the Neolithic Bailley and Dave Passmore’s chapter called lifestyle: first of all in the Near East Environments and Landscape Change. continued by the spread of the Neolithic It describes the fundamental natural mode of life in the Mediterranean basin. constraints that had shaped the European Making three points, Guilaine suggests landscape in the period contemporary various hypotheses about the reasons for with the process of Neolitization and the the abandonment of the Levantine region. Neolithic period. Despite some scarcity and He discusses the issues of demographic lack of information about the development growth, social stress and the environmental of vegetation cover, the authors offer a aspect. By the heterogeneity of detailed picture of climate trends including styles, and some other indexes such as deterioration events, which affected settlement organization and hierarchy, societies several times in the Neolithic kinds of burials, decoration, and frequency period. The chapter is actually a very good of figurines and ritual artefacts, this chapter outline of the natural and anthropogenic highlights the differences between the Near 1. Introduction processes that framed transitional Neolithic/ East and Western Mediterranean (Cardial Mesolithic economies and early agricultural style). Guilaine explains that “Neolitization The topic of this huge volume, with as many societies in Europe. The description is was not a single diffusion …” and points as a thousand pages, is Neolithic Europe – not only environmental, but partially to the “periodic breaks in its spread and as seen through the eyes of archaeology and also surprisingly theoretical in the the cultural transformation of the original and some closely-related disciplines. As way of environmental and landscape model”. the book’s preface informs us, it comprises archaeology approaches that encompass Wolfram Schier in the chapter on Central the work of over seventy authors from such phenomena as symbolic spaces, high and Eastern Europe rather traditionally more than forty-five institutions in fifteen altitude environments and the potential describes (once again) the basic question separate countries. The handbook is divided skyscapes seen by humans in forested and of Neolitization in Central Europe: was into four parts. The first part (Part I) is an open landscapes. it demic diffusion or a spread of ideas? introduction written by the book’s editors Part II then continues with a thematic Or even something more complicated? Chris Fowler, Jan Harding and Daniela section called “Movement of Plants, Probably yes, as witnessed today by Hofmann, explaining the purpose and Animals, Ideas, and People”. It includes ‘molecular archaeology’. Schier comments goals of the book, describing the topics of five chapters that describe the general on the different arguments of continuity particular chapters and thematic sections trends of movements in Neolithic Europe. and discontinuity in the archaeological and offering some basic explanation. Johannes Müller in his chapter Movement record. Current data tend to support that of With such a huge number of chapters, it of Plants, Animals, Ideas, and People in the Neolithic economy spreading by demic is difficult and perhaps inappropriate to South-East Europe describes the Neolithic diffusion around 5600 BC and thus against comment on every text in this review. We and period in the Balkans and ‘transmission of ideas’; however, Shier have decided to concentrate our attention Carpathian basin. He follows the social and suggests one way to integrate both models on three areas of interest. These are the economic changes during Neolitization and as do the majority of chapter authors in this

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section. Anne Tresset in the chapter Moving deeper stratification of society, incoming of Central and Southern Europe. This process animals and plants in the Early Neolithic secondary agricultural products, and new is related to the TRB (Trichterbecherkultur, Europe focuses on Atlantic Europe, which . He demonstrates changes in Funnel Beaker) phenomenon as being the first was rather on the periphery of the Neolithic personhood by the specific treatment of agricultural phase in many Atlantic regions. world. Comparing similar and parallel stories clay figurines to scale, from gender-neutral He systematically explains what happened described in this section of the handbook, figurines through to single-gender females/ outside of the northern frontier of the LBK she comments on some interesting males and androgynous figurines. In this in the different regions of Atlantic Europe. phenomena such as the “Mesolithic” manner Chapman traces the inside world of In this part of Europe it is more than obvious find from Ireland depicting bovids the Neolithic society in the Balkans. that hunter-gatherers were the main agents in ceramics that belong to the period of Caroline Malone’s chapter The (but not exclusively) of the transformation of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition. As an Neolithic in Mediterranean Europe asks society into agriculturalists. archaeozoologist, she freshly records other why and how hunter-gatherers in the Part II can be regarded as conceptual, and interesting phenomena such as the origin environmentally optimal conditions of we therefore comment on it as a complete of feral, originally domesticated, animals in the Mediterranean region transformed set of chapters. A closer look at its content some parts of Europe. themselves into farmers. She follows the sparks the general statement of the reviewers Stephen Shennan in his chapter differences between the eastern and western that the set of chapters is sometimes Language, Genes, and Cultural Interaction Mediterranean in order to explain the role of thematically overlapping, especially when discusses the history of debate over material exchanges within Mesolithic and solving the principal question of Neolithic farming populations introduced through Neolithic groups. Whereas the development dispersal in Europe. Every chapter focuses a process of indigenous adoption or the of the eastern Mediterranean is characterized on different European regions, so such expansion of farming people. His text is a by the complex structure of the nascent an approach seems to concord with the rare exception in this handbook because, Neolithic society, the western parts of principle of encyclopaedism. However, one rather modestly, he comments on the the region was characterized by material might expect in part II some general paper genetic knowledge, which seems today to exchange between indigenous people and explaining the Neolithic itself. Though it is be one of the crucial sources of information Neolithic people. It is especially visible in the missing here, we do not know if this was a about the biological identity of prehistoric case of their engagement with pottery which deliberate strategy of the editors or not. populations and individuals. Unfortunately, “moved as gift and food containers”. In his research trail ends somewhere around such conditions the process of Neolitization 2010 and is rather insufficient (we suppose slowly transformed the region from a system 3. Neolithic Worlds and Neolithic the editorial work on the volume proved of foraging to one of agriculture. Lifeways to be long), because recent developments Relation between the Mesolithic The following huge set of chapters in genetics have been rapid and dynamic. tradition and the Neolithic society is also (Part III) focuses on the Neolithic worlds However, Shennan correctly outlines the in focus with Detlef Gronenborn and Pavel and Neolithic lifeways. As mentioned facts when he summarizes the key story Doluchanov’s chapter Early Neolithic before, we are not attempting to review that the Mesolithic and Neolithic European Manifestation in Central and Eastern all chapters. As noted, our interest populations were different in terms of their Europe. Both authors know this region in is thematically specific, unifying the genetic-biological origins and identity. The detail and therefore the presented chapter highways of the Neolithic dispersal with most valuable part of his chapter from our is a very challenging one. They discuss the the topic of housing and bioarchaelogical perspective is his analysis of the origins relationship between hunter-gatherers and studies. This part of the book, the largest, of Indo-European languages. He mentions early farmers in the seventh millennia BC is comprised of some crucial themes of the complex mathematical reconstruction when contacts in material culture existed, current archaeology, such as settlements, of the Indo-European language dispersal and then the role of La Hoguette ceramic households, subsistence, materiality, art, chronology and his statement that there is style and the possible character of its cosmology and personality. It is subdivided “increasing evidence that Renfrew’s (Colin bearers. For the later LBK period there is into four sections. The first section, called Renfrew, Archaeology and Language, expanding evidence of parallel Mesolithic “Houses, Habitation, and Community”, has London 1987 – note of reviewers) early and Neolithic populations in Central seven chapters. We would like to mention date for Indo-Europeans is correct” could Europe and a different mixed economy in the chapter by Pál Raczky Settlements in connect most modern European nations the “Neolithic” of Eastern Europe. They South-East Europe, which nicely presents directly with the Neolithic people. happily distinguish between the Neolithic a useful and substantial outline concerning The second thematic section of part II and Eneolithic, the latter system being very tells and horizontal settlements, including offers four chapters focused on “Sequences different from the first one. Gronenborn and how they are reflected in different European of Cultural Interaction and Cultural Doluchanov do a good job, despite being languages. Raczky regards tells as a material Change”. John Chapman’s chapter The more reflective of some British scholars (but manifestation of the community throughout Balkan Neolithic and Chalcolithic describes not just them only), still rigidly using the the entire Neolithic development. One part the Danubian plain and mountainous term “Neolithic” for all stages of the post- of this chapter is devoted to the specific regions between 7000–4000 BC. The core Mesolithic before the . relations between tells and horizontal of his endeavour tracks the development Nick Thorpe ends Part II of the handbook settlements that lay in the surrounding area. of social structures in Neolithic society. with the chapter The Atlantic Mesolithic- In the case of this dualistic relationship he Whereas in the “early farmers” stage Neolithic Transition. He concentrates his refers to Ian Hodder’s definitions of the domesticated plants and animals of a attention on an area that saw a greater degree concepts “domus” and “agrios”. This work most basic level are recorded, the later of continuity between both hunter-gatherers offers a -arranged but rather external “climax period” is characterized by the and early agricultural populations than did overview of tell’s functions.

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Domestic space in the Mediterranean on the radical changes in the human diet chapters, which follow some of the most is the name of a chapter written by between the late Mesolithic and early visible symbols of the (mostly Late) Demetera Papaconstantinou. After a brief Neolithic in southern Europe. The most Neolithic period: enclosures, chambered introduction to Neolitization, we come to an valuable part is entirely methodological. tombs, rock engravings, underground overview of the patterns of domestic areas They comment on the visibility of specific , and others issues, which bear witness and their use across the Mediterranean. phenomena in the bioarchaeological record, to the Neolithic peoples’ beliefs. Papaconstantinou begins with well-known such as landuse, culling patterns, ratios From the perspective of bioarcheology settlements in , followed by those in between domestic and wild animals in the (and the scope of the IANSA Journal) the and the , returning archaeological data, and other issues. László fifth section “Death, Bodies, and Persons” her attention to , the and Bartosiewicz and Malcolm Lillie in their is rather important and we would like Cyprus. She systematically describes chapter Subsistence Practices in Central to mention here three texts. The chapter dating, followed by houses and their and Eastern Europe turn their attention Mortuary Practices, Bodies, and Persons construction, and addresses the question of towards the characteristics of the Starčevo in the Neolithic and Early-Middle Cooper which materials have been used and if there and LBK, and younger communities, in Age of South-East Europe by Dušan Borić is evidence of human activity inside. The order to understand how people managed is very interesting. He describes in detail text offers a very useful and clear source of their resources in variable geographical the various burial habits across the various information concerning the domestic space conditions, including wetland areas and phases of the Neolithic and Copper Age in this subject area. drier landscapes with loess deposits. Of in the denoted region. The main questions Jonathan Last in his chapter much value are their data from the Ukraine here are: how the funeral was executed, Lifestyles in the Central European Neolithic showing how the Neolithic period here is whether something was exceptional, and focuses on the longhouse phenomenon broadly connected with the surviving world what was it? Giving specific examples, of the LBK communities, systematically of hunter-gatherers. This Mesolithic kind of Borić approaches underground burials, describing the genesis of , subsistence in the Baltic region remained a graves, separate or double burials, and their meaning, life cycles, durability and protracted period until the Bronze Age. In child interments. He recognizes on which architecture. He discusses many important the similar text that follows, Subsistence side were inhumations placed, their gender, themes connected with the longhouse Practices in Western and Northern Europe and if there is some preference in their as a possible social structure for its written by Peter Rowley-Conwy and orientation. Of course, Borić does not miss inhabitants. Attention is paid to different Tony Legge, an outline of the knowledge out on the goods left in the tomb. Like others, forms of longhouse clustering, which concerning the wetter and cooler zone of John Robb in his chapter Burial and Human reflect the social organisation of the LBK Europe is given. Body Representations in the Mediterranean societies. Anick Coudart in her chapter The The third section of Part III is called Neolithic begins with a definition of the Bandkeramik Longhouses offers almost the “Materiality and Social Relations”. From this Neolithic period in his focused areas. The same topic, but seen from a different, more part of the book, comprising fifteen chapters, task is separated into three areas: Italy, formal, perspective. She offers a value we would like to point out only the last paper, The Central Mediterranean Islands, and systematics of longhouses: their different written by Arkadiusz Marciniak and Joshua Iberia. Methods of burying in phases are functional sections. She understands Pollard, titled Animals and Social Relations. included; however, the main theme is the longhouses as expressions of the egalitarian From our perspective, it is one of the best human figure and its preservation through character of LBK society. This aspect is bioarchaeological texts of the handbook, art. Robb enriches this knowledge not only broadly discussed in the second part of especially from the methodological point with interesting documentation, but also the chapter. For example, the longhouse is of view. The authors write concerning the with unusual events. As an example he regarded as an expression of LBK society difference between the traditional scope of writes about Ötzi’s as substantial norms and an important instrument of archaeologists regarding animals as subjects evidence of the human body. Finally, community reproduction. of subsistence, and animals as beings with Daniela Hofmann and Jörg Orschiedt in The second section called “Subsistence a symbolical and social role. The authors their chapter Mortuary Practices, Bodies, and Social Routine” is notably interesting themselves regard animals as “sentient and Persons in Central Europe discuss the for us as well as for the IANSA Journal. beings sharing many of the ontological notion of personhood, which is hot topic The chapter Stable Isotopes and Neolithic qualities of people”. As known from earlier in current archaeology. Personality usually Subsistence: Pattern and Variation by writings of the authors, animals were refers to how people believed themselves to Rick Schulting offers the attractive topic regarded as means of exchange, sacrifice be continued in the after life. They introduce of light stable isotopes in bones, which and feasting. They describe the possible the topic of body and embodiment as a define the ratios between the terrestrial surviving hunter-gatherers modes of thought theoretical concern and daily practice. Such and coastal/marine sources of an animal or concerning animals in early agricultural a view should be a complementary part of human diet. He comments on the different communities, their restriction towards just bioarchaeology, informing us about our diets in particular communities that are certain species, and many other aspects biological identity. archaeologically distinct, especially in of relations between humans and animals. Central and Northern Europe, the variability Large domesticated animals in the European among males, females and children, Neolithic represent a different order of 4. Conclusion: Debates in Neolithic lactose intolerance, and other fundamental categorization. The authors finally trace the Archaeology questions of current bioarchaeology. Amy associations of various species with different Bogaard and Paul Halstead in their chapter forms of place, memory and identity. The last part of the handbook (Part IV) Subsistence Practices and Social Routine The fourth section “Monuments, Rock summarizes the knowledge within the in Neolithic Southern Europe shed light Art, and Cosmology” comprises nine whole subject matter. Three different

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scholars draw their conclusions on the plus sedentism, increasing population Finally, the third scholar, Kristian content of the book and compare their density, social differentiations, and Kristiansen in the chapter The Decline own concepts of the Neolithic period. As complex mortuary practice? Thomas notes of the Neolithic and the Rise of Bronze Alasdair Whittle writes, it is difficult to sum that these characteristics are at variance Age Society summarises reasons why the up all the chapters in a brief paper. That’s with the extreme diversity of the Neolithic Neolithic transformed itself into the Bronze why he chose just four related topics in his across Europe. On the most common level, Age’s social and economic systems. He chapter Unexpected Histories? South-East the Neolithic system could be characterized offers a way of understanding in economical and Central Europe. In the first part, with by Marschall Sahlins’ “domestic mode of terms: “What were the historical conditions the issue being “Beginnings”, he draws production”. There are differences between or forces that led to the decline of the on the whole concept of the book and the regions of Southeast Europe and Neolithic and the rise of the Bronze Age? I solves the Neolitization question in several Northwest Europe. In the former region the propose that there is a qualitative difference aspects. Whittle appropriately criticizes the early Neolithic should be defined by garden between Neolithic and Bronze Age social lack of contributions with DNA analyses horticulture with a small number of stock formations in , which and research in the whole publication. representing an integrated and coherent fundamentally changed both their political In the topic Lifestyle and Production, he economic system. But for the latter region, economies. Consequently, once metallurgy highlights the necessity of keeping the Thomas argues that the Neolithic also means was introduced and became integrated in house in its social context, including models a shift from plants to animals stimulating the economy, the world would never be the of garden cultivation and scales of animal a change from a subsistence economy same, and a Neolithic subsistence was no breeding. In the third part, Community and to a “wealth-based” economy, as cattle longer possible.” Such complex economic Society, Whittle asks “How to characterize represent mobile capital. Other differences reasoning is for Kristiansen connected with social relations in any one context?” between Southeast and Northwest Europe the origins of the family, personal property He equally emphasizes that everything are the long-lasting sites in the first and gender divisions. changes as time passes. Connected to all of region and the shortly-lived sites in the We can conclude that The Oxford this is the last part Kinds of History, where second, where they were supplemented Handbook of Neolithic Europe represents are described problems such as “shared life by the existence of huge monuments with an important contribution to world and death”, “tensions between household their role as communal loci. One crucial literature. Little surprising is the long time and community, between descent groups statement of Thomas is that “the Neolithic between the completion of some of the and community and between local and cannot be defined purely on the basis of chapters (ready in 2009, revised in 2011) outsiders”. Whittle says, it is important the representation of traits and must be and the date of final publication. In such to employ the opportunity to combine understood instead in organisational or circumstances, some very recent knowledge “macro” and “micro” scales. Finally, here is structural terms”. In this context, a crucial could not be included. The number of the one apposite sentence: “It is not only the and formative phenomenon is the new chapters based on our current knowledge big picture which should be in the frame”. arrangement between people and things. of geoarchaeological and bioarchaeological Julian Thomas in his chapter Julian Thomas underpins John Robb’s methods is really not very high. On the other Commentary: What Do We Mean by statement from 2013 that “the advent of the hand, all the chapters have been worked out “Neolithic Societies?” offers maybe the Neolithic involved a changing relationship precisely and responsibly. Therefore this most progressive and fruitful view on the between people and things, from which it volume could be regarded as a valuable Neolithic. He notes that some researchers was increasingly difficult for communities editorial enterprise for an understanding of call for a clear definition of what actually to extricate themselves”. Neolithic Europe. constitutes a Neolithic society. Is it farming

Jaromír Beneš, Tereza Majerovičová

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