Theme:
1. Artefacts, Buildings & Ecofacts
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Re-integrating the Environmental Archaeology of Europe’s ‘Wet’ and ‘Dry’ Neolithic Landscapes
Content:
The environmental archaeology of the European Neolithic is dominated by findings from ‘dryland’ sites, where biological remains consist of charred plant remains, and faunal and human skeletal remains, enhanced by a growing wealth of biomolecular techniques. ‘Wetland’ Neolithic settlements (e.g., on lakeshores) are increasingly documented from across Europe and preserve a rich diversity of fragile, uncharred organic remains of plants, from foodstuffs to faeces, alongside rapidly deposited and exceptionally well-preserved charred plant remains and (macro to micro) fauna. To what extent do the contrasts in preservation between these ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ Neolithics offer different perspectives on biodiversity, land use and food-related activity?
Papers are invited on ‘wet’ and/or ‘dry’ case studies from across Europe, with the goal of this session being to re-integrate and re-contextualise these elements of the European Neolithic. A regional perspective is encouraged in addition to site-specific papers. In this effort, we seek to explore and build on emerging results from the ERC synergy ‘EXPLO’ project, focused on lakeshore sites in south-east Europe, where significant ecofactual assemblages shed new light on Europe’s early farming communities.
Keywords:
Neolithic, Waterlogged, Wetland, Biodiversity, Land use, Economy
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Rachel Ballantyne (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Rosie Bishop (Norway) 2
Valasia Isaakidou (United Kingdom) 1
Elena Marinova (Germany) 3
Affiliations:
1. School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
2. Arkeologisk Museum, Universitetet i Stavanger
3. Laboratory for Archaeobotany, Baden-Württemberg Cultural Heritage State Office, Geienhofen-Hemmenhofen
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