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Geneza kultury pucharów lejkowatych w kontekście przemian kulturowych w Europie Północnej w V tys. BC

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Czekaj-Zastawny A., Kabaciński J., Terberger T.

Przegląd Archeologiczny

2013

vol. 61

189-213

During second half of 5th millennium cal. BC vast territories of the European Lowland witnessed the development of two genetically and economically different cultural circles. Farming groups of Danubian origin expanded in the southern and central part of the Lowland. In the same time southern Scandinavia and northern borders of the western and central European Plain were inhabited by Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fisher communities, mainly by the Ertebřlle Culture belonging to circum-Baltic zone with pointed bottom pottery. At the end of 5th millennium cal. BC within all that area a new cultural elements appeared including characteristic pottery forms (with leading funnel beakers) and (slightly later) agriculture and megalithic funeral rite. These new features were the foundations of a Funnel Beaker Culture. A genesis of that new cultural phenomena is still a subject of hot discussions, lasting already for dozens of years. Disputes are mainly caused by the non-homogeneous nature of that culture and basic problems considered are reliable dating of the Funnel Beaker Culture beginnings, unclear location of its source territory as well as unexplained mechanisms of its spreading over large areas of Northern Europe. According to generally accepted taxonomy (e.g. Jażdżewski 1936; Bakker et al. 1969; Wiślański 1979, 175; Midgley 1992; Kozłowski 1999, 193-200), on the basis of stylistic differences in pottery vessels and variations in mortuary practices within the Funnel Beaker Culture a number of territorial groups are distinguished, namely Northern, Western, Eastern, Southern and South-eastern ones. The development of the Funnel Beaker Culture is related to 4th millennium BC unless its beginnings go back to second half of 5th millennium cal. BC. However the appearance of local groups was not a synchronous phenomenon. Eastern and Northern groups are considered as older in comparison to the others. There were a variety of ideas on the Funnel Beaker Culture and its genesis during almost 100 years of archeological research. Three main currents of hypotheses can be mentioned in this respect pointing for northern genesis; pronouncing basic role of local Mesolithic societies in the genesis of the Funnel Beaker Culture; underlying strong influence of farming Danubian groups and very limited of local Mesolithic ones. Last ten years of archaeological research at Dąbki site (Pomerania, southern Baltic coastal area) delivered new and diversified arguments that allow us to contribute to above discussions. These new data let us verify some ideas on the genesis of the Funnel Beaker Culture at the European Plain. Funnel Beaker artifacts from Dąbki belong to the earliest and in the same time carry clear stylistic features of the Northern Group. As such the site at Dąbki can be included to the Western Baltic cultural zone being in the moment the most eastern site of the Northern Group of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Moreover, discovery of the (imported) earliest pottery of the Eastern Group is an important point in the discussion on relations between these regional groups. The Dąbki site The site is located within the Middle Pomerania, ca. 30 km NE of Koszalin and ca. 3 km from the modern Baltic Sea shore. The settlement was placed on the island located in the middle of a deep lake which is today completely filled with biogenic and mineral deposits. It occupied the edges of a small bay at the NW shore of this island. Current results of research document the presence of two main development phases, both related to hunter-gatherer-fisher type of economy. The first, of the 5th millennium cal. BC, is connected with the late Mesolithic settlement, the second – from the turn of 5th and 4th millennium to the half of 4th millennium cal. BC is related to the appearance, local evolution and development of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Numerous imported goods, mainly pottery vessels, prove wide and relatively systematic relations with farming Danubian societies from the very beginning to the end of the settlement at Dąbki (Czekaj-Zastawny et al. 2011a; 2011b; 2011c). During excavations at Dąbki several hundred fragments of Late Mesolithic vessels were recorded so far. They belong exclusively to two forms of vessels: pointed bottom pots and lamps. Beside Mesolithic pottery, formally close to forms present in the Western Baltic zone, we can also observe at Dąbki a similar process of a fluent and gradual transition (evolution) of Late Mesolithic vessel forms to early beakers typical for Northern Group of the Funnel Beaker Culture. At Dąbki we deal with an exceptional case of the presence of several vessels combining features characteristic for Late Mesolithic on one side and early Funnel Beaker Culture on the other. That is why we call that vessels “transitional” ones. These transitional forms are typical Mesolithic lamps decorated with a very special and typical for early phase of FBC ornament composed of raw of stamps, the motif that is totally absent on the Mesolithic pottery. A technique of manufacturing of that transitional lamps is also very suggestive. Some are made in the way typical for Mesolithic tradition (see above). However in some cases the technique of production is typical for the early beakers of the Northern Group of FBC (Koch 1987; 1998; Andersen 2010; Glykou 2010). Early beakers at Dąbki have all the features of pottery production typical for the oldest phases of the Northern Group of the Funnel Beaker Culture (morphology, technology and ornamentation). There is a large assemblage of vessel fragments having striking parallels in the typology of the early beaker forms of the Northern Group of the FBC. One can find at Dąbki types “0” and “I” to “III” dated according to E. Koch (1998) to first half of the 4th millennium cal. BC. These forms are dated even earlier in Schleswig-Holstein (eg. sites Wangels, Neustadt, Rosenhof, Siggeneben-Süd, Stralsund) where transformation of the Ertebřlle Culture into FBC is placed around 4150-4100 cal. BC (Hartz, Lübke 2006). Origin of the Funnel Beaker Culture – a discussion During last two decades in Northern Germany and Denmark several new settlements with materials of the oldest phase of the Northern Group of FBC were discovered. Along with new excavations new data on chronology and genesis of the Funnel Beaker Culture were acquired. These are first of all series of radiocarbon dates made directly of the typologically the earliest funnel beakers found in most cases just above Mesolithic layers. The dates mark chronological frame of the oldest FBC phase (Wangels-phase; Hartz, Lübke 2006) between 4200 and 3900 cal. BC. Results of parallel research in Denmark suggest the same time span as in NW Germany. Beakers from all sites belong to typologically the earliest forms – according to the most popular typology of beakers proposed by E. Koch (1998) they all belong to type “0” and “I” to “III”. Two facts are undisputable in the light of above arguments: (a) clearly visible stylistic evolution of Late Mesolithic vessel forms into early FBC beakers and (b) confirmation of the chronology of the earliest phase of the FBC by a series of radiocarbon dates. Beginnings of the Eastern Group of the Funnel Beaker Culture, as well as one of the main concepts on the FBC genesis, are based on single radiocarbon dates from two Polish sites located in Kuyavia region, namely from Sarnowo and Łącko: 4420±50 cal. BC (5570±60 bp – GrN-5035; Bakker et al. 1969) and 4430±110 cal. BC (5570±110 bp – Gd-6019; Domańska, Kośko 1983) respectively. In both cases these dates evoke fundamental doubts due to poor quality and doubtful stratigraphic (and cultural) context of analyzed charcoal (Bakker et al. 1969; Domańska, Kośko 1983; Nowak 2009, 263-266; Rybicka 2011). That is also very symptomatic that for whole the Eastern Group of FBC only two such early dated exist and there is a lack of other radiocarbon (or other) dates older than ca. 4000 cal. BC. Important evidence that move slightly back the beginnings of the Eastern Group of FBC comes from last seasons of research at Dąbki. One of the features (No. 38) at the Late Mesolithic settlement delivered an intriguing assemblage composed of few hundreds Mesolithic flint artifacts, fragments of typical pointed bottom vessels and of two funnel beakers and a waste from amber discs production. Both funnel beakers are made in “Sarnowo” style. To one of the shards a fragment of charcoal adhered. It was radiocarbon-dated to 4090±80 cal. BC (Poz-49886: 5250±40 BP). Conclusions At the recent stage of research the appearance of a funnel beaker shaped vessel, identifying with the beginnings of FBC, is placed between 4200-4000 cal. BC and is recorded in the area of three FBC groups: Northern, Western and Eastern. However, only in the case of the Northern Group a clear transition from pointed bottom vessel to a beaker is visible (see for instance the Dąbki site). In the same time such forms are here the oldest in FBC and dated as early as ca. 4200 cal. BC what is confirmed by long series of 14C dates. The territory of Northern Group was than a source of new vessel stylistic that spread in short time on the European Lowland. In whole the range of FBC there is no reliable evidence for the appearance of farming before the beginning of 4th millennium cal. BC (Nowak 2009, 398; Hartz et al. 2007). Pollens of cereals and bones of domesticated animals confirmed by DNA studies (Schmölcke, Nikulina 2012; Feeser, Dörfler 2012), in quantity sufficient to prove the presence of agriculture, are present no earlier than 4000 cal. BC. The initial phase of the Funnel Beaker Culture was in fact a stylistic change and FBC as a completely formed Neolithic culture can be consider only after 4000 cal. BC.

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1 Przegląd Archeologiczny

1 Czekaj-Zastawny A.

1 Kabaciński J.

1 Terberger T.

1 2013

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Geneza kultury pucharów lejkowatych w kontekście przemian kulturowych w Europie Północnej w V tys. BC