EAA 2023: Abstract

The Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) spread rapidly across central Europe and is associated with the first livestock-keeping and pottery use in the region. Zooarchaeological assemblages indicate a reliance on domestic animals, although recent research has shown regional variation across the LBK distribution in terms of meat and dairy exploitation. Hunting and fishing seem to play a lesser role, with freshwater fish remains rarely recovered from LBK sites, despite their close proximity to rivers and lakes. Due to poor preservation and unsuitable recovery methods, zooarchaeological remains may not provide an accurate insight into the exploitation of freshwater resources by these early farming populations.

The processing of freshwater resources in pottery vessels can be identified through the analysis of lipid residues. The detection of lipid biomarkers deriving from fish and other aquatic products provides direct evidence for the processing of aquatic resources, and biomarkers can be detected at low concentrations to reveal low levels of freshwater resource use.

Organic residue analysis is used to investigate freshwater resource use within the LBK, providing new insights into the relationship between early farming populations and freshwater environments in central Europe. The results indicate variability within the LBK in terms of the importance of freshwater resources, relating to environmental setting and potential socio-cultural factors. The findings are compared to other regions of Neolithic Europe, where the beginning of agriculture saw a shift to a terrestrial economy or the continued exploitation of aquatic resources alongside domestic animal products, highlighting the diversity of Neolithic.

LBK, fishing, organic residue analysis, Neolithic, freshwater, central Europe

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Izzy Davis¹

Mélanie Roffet-Salque¹