EAA 2022: Abstract

Primary Neolithisation in the southern Bavarian region took place with the spread of the Earliest Linear Pottery Culture from about 5400 BC. Especially in the Danube region, flourishing agrarian communities soon established themselves. In fact, however, the process of penetration of the landscape with peasant economies was far from complete. Obviously, in some such hot spots a dense and apparently largely continuous settlement took place until the end of the Neolithic period (c. 2200 BC). In other areas of southern Bavaria and the neighbouring northern Alpine region, however, settlement began much later and remained sparse and discontinuous. Some areas even remained completely free of permanent settlements during the Neolithic.
In order to understand these processes, the natural characteristics of different areas are studied and the economic strategies of the respective settlers are analysed. It seems that in many cases there was little willingness to make economic and cultural adaptations and that the failure of colonial endeavours was rather accepted. On the other hand, there is evidence of successful economic adaptation and cultural opening, especially in the Alpine region. In both cases, relations with the core zones of Neolithic settlement are of great importance.

Neolithic, Bavaria, Alps, Periphery, economy, adaption

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Joachim Pechtl¹