The Later Bandkeramik (LBK) ©

Added December 7, 1998. Updated July 17, 2003, 18:18 hours.

This page will be updated occasionally to add and revise information.

The Later Bandkeramik

Version 2.01

Maximilian O. Baldia

Introduction

The purpose of this text is to provide a general overview of the culture and is intended as a resource for students and teachers of European Archaeology.

Site Location

The first full-fledged farmers of Central and parts of North Europe are known by the German term "Linearband-" or "Linienbandkeramik" (LBK), Linear Band Pottery. The most characteristic pottery sports diagnostic curvilinear bands. As their relatively uniform cultural assemblage spread beyond the Danube Basin, different local groups developed. Most of the local styles are defined through pottery typology, which are not fully congruent with available C¹⁴dates. For this reason, I have divided the culture merely into the Early Bandkeramik (often referred to as Earliest Bandkeramik) and the Later Bandkeramik.

The Later Bandkeramik expands beyond the territory of the Early Bandkeramik. It ultimately ranges from the Seine Bay (on the British Channel of the North Sea in France) to Ukraine and from beyond the Southern Hungarian border to Oder/Odra River delta (near the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Poland) (Map 1, Map of Central Europe). This distribution includes the Rubané Récent of France and the later period of the Alföld Bandkeramik (AVK) in Hungary.

Looking at the site locations in more detail, the LBK had a preference for the European loess soils (Sielmann 1971). However, the extensive loess plains, such as those of the Northwest German state of Westphalia, really did not allow any choice in soil type or elevation on which settlements could be located (U. Fischer 1980a, Linke 1976). It was discovered that, although loess was an important factor for the location of settlements, a mildly sloping relief of 4° or less within 500 m of the settlement and a distance of less than 250 m to the nearest freshwater source were also significant. The tendency to pick such locations apparently became more refined through time, presumably because the LBK agriculturists became more efficient in their adaptation to the local environment. Empty areas of 30-40 km between settlements may be due to a preference for level land, the desire for fertile soil, and the need for water, but could also be connected with the varying intensity of archaeological research (Fischer 1980b:372).

Recent surveys and excavations in the German state of Hesse, which has a more varied elevations than the loess plains, have produced new sites, located at far higher elevations than expected. Sites are located between 250 – 400 m above sea level.

Evolution

The Later Bandkeramik includes Rubané Récent (inspite of an early C¹⁴ date) appears in Northeast France, Belgium and adjacent regions. The regional differenciation occurs in the Hungarian Early Neolithic, as the later Alföld Bandkeramik (AVK), develops into Szakálhát, Esztár, and Tiszado.

For the Middle Rhein valley of Germany a long coexistence is proposed. The migrating farmers are even suggested to actually have married local Mesolithic women.[1] This hypothesis is based on Strontium analysis of five bones and 11 teeth and burial orientation at the LBK burial grounds of Flomborn (5300 – 5200 cal BC) and Schwetzingen 5100 – 5000 cal BC). The possibility that the LBK population migrated into this region, perhaps from as far away as Slovakia or Hungary, only to merry the women of the local La Hoguette foragers-herders (in later ?) generations is considered. However, this must remain one of several hypotheses, since no bone or teeth from the very rare Mesolithic sites in the wider vicinity seem to be available, nor has a comparative sample from the regions where the migrants supposedly came from, been analyzed thus far. On the other hand, the most northerly LBK finds of a single pot from the Weser marsh near Verden on the Aller River in Germany (Schwabedissen 1979:207) may suggest interaction with the local Mesolithic groups of North Europe towards the end of the LBK.

The breakup of the Bandkeramik occurs around 5000 cal BC. Rubané Récent is followed by the Cerny style, sometimes still considered to be part of the LBK. Other cultures are the Stichbandkeramik (Stroke-Ornamented Pottery) found in parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, and Großgartach located in eastern France, Bohemia, and Southwest Central Germany. Others, include Hinkelstein (once thought to be part of the later LBK), Rössen, the late Rössen's Bischheim group, and Gatersleben in and around Germany. In the East the Lengye/Lengyel-Polgar sphere develops, leading to the Austrian/Moravian Painted Ware I (Ö-MBK I) and Jordanów/Jordanov/Jordansmühl in and around Silesia (on both sides of the Czech-Polish border).

Dating

Although the LBK has the most C¹⁴ dates of any Neolithic culture, it’s phases are not easily dated, because they are based on pottery typology. Thus the C¹⁴ dates do not fully support such cultural divisions. However, the Later LBK deems to last from about 5300/5200 – 5000 cal. BC.

Houses

The later LBK long-houses on average may have become longer than those of the Earliest LBK. In addition, subterranean or pit houses may have existed (e.g. Lička and Tempír 1999 [?]).

Enclosures

The LBK also built numerous earthen embankments, sometimes showing evidence of timber palisades. Some are relatively humble circular structures. Others, such as the LBK enclosure at Asparn-Schletz, are extremely large and somewhat irregular in shape. Their function has been interpreted as religious or domestic. The apparent massacre at Asparn-Schelz and other places, indicated by physical violence, suggests that the LBK ended in an unexplained upheaval around 5000 cal BC.

Wells

The large LBK longhouses were not the only technological innovation of the LBK. The remnants of the oldest dated wooden wells also belong to the LBK and date to around 5100 cal. BC. At least some of the wells were constructed within large settlements.

References and Credits

Archäologie in Deutschland 2/1998 - April-June

1998 Official summary report in German: with excavation picture of Zwenkau well.

Baldia, M. O.

1997 Causewayed enclosures, the oldest roads, the first wagon tracks, and the development of megalithic tombs in southern Scandinavia and Central Europe. (Includes brief discussion of a possible Bandkeramik road, leading through the Asparn-Schletz enclosure).

1995 A Spatial Analysis of Megalithic Tombs. Vol. 1-2. Ph. D. Dissertation. Southern Methodist University.

Bogucki, Peter

1988 Forest Farmers and Stock Breeders: Early Agriculture and its Consequences in North-Central Europe. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Fischer, U.

1980a Book review: Wolgang Linke, Frühes Bauerntum und geographische Umwelt: Eine historisch-geographische Untersuchung des Früh- und Mittelneolithikums westfälischer und nordhessischer Bördelandschaften. Bochumer Geographische Arbeiten 28. Schöningh, Paderborn, 1976. In Fundberichte aus Hessen, 17/18:370-373, 1977/1978.

1980b Book review: Klaus Günther, Die jungsteinzeitliche Siedlung Deiringsen/Ruploh in der Soester Börde: Ergebnisse der Grabung bis 1970. Bodenaltertümer Westfalens 16. Verlag Aschendorf, Münster, 1976. In Fundberichte aus Hessen, 17/18:375-378, 1977/1978.

Klaus Günther

1976 Die jungsteinzeitliche Siedlung Deiringsen/Ruploh in der Soester Börde: Ergebnisse der Grabung bis 1970. Bodenaltertümer Westfalens 16. Verlag Aschendorf, Münster, 1976.

Kuper, R., J. Lüning, and P. Stehli

1975 Bagger und Bandkeramiker: Steinzeitforschung im Rheinischen Braunkohlengebiet. Schriften des Rheinischen Museumamtes; Museen - Ausstellungen - Inventare Rheinischer Museen, Rheinisches Museumsamt, Bonn, 1975.

Kuper, R., H. Löhr, J. Lüning, P. Stehli, A. Zimmermann

1977 Der Badkeramische Siedlungsplatz Langweiler 9, Gemeinde Aldenhoven, Kreis Düren. Beiträge zur neolithischen Besiedlung der Aldenhovener Platte II. Rheinhessische Ausgrabungen, 18/1-3, Habelt, Bonn.

Laufer, Eckhard

2002 Ein spätbandkeramisches Erdwerk bei Usingen im Taunus. Jungsteinseite.

Linke, Wolfgang

1976 Frühes Bauerntum und geographische Umwelt: Eine historisch-geographische Untersuchung des Früh- und Mittelneolithikums westfälischer und nordhessischer Bördelandschaften. Bochumer Geographische Arbeiten 28. Schöningh, Paderborn.

Lička, Milan and Tempír, Zdeněk

1999? Příspěvek k neolitickému osídlení kosoře, okr. Praha-Západ. (Beitrag zur neolithischen Besiedlung der Gemeinde Kosoř, Bezirk Praha-Západ. http://www.phil.muni.cz/archeo/sbornikm4/licka.html (accessed July 27, 2001)

Podborský, Vladimír, et al.

1993 Praveké Dejiny Moravy. Vlastiveda Moravská Zeme a Lid, Nová Rada 3. Muzejní a vlastivedna spolecnost, Brno.

Schwabedissen, H.

1979 Der Beginn des Neolithikums im nordewestlichen Deutschland. In H. Schirnig (Ed.), Großsteingräber in Niedersachsen. Lax, Hildesheim, 1979:203-222.

Stäuble, Harald

1995 Radiocarbon Dates of the Earliest Neolithic in Central Europe. Radiocarbon 37/2:227-237.

Windl, Helmut (Ed.)

1996 Rätsel um Gewalt und Tod vor 7.000 Jahren: Eine Spurensicheurng. Ausstellung im Museum für Urgeschichte Asparn a. d. Zaya. Katalog des NÖ Landesmuseums, N.F. 393. Asparn a. d. Zaya. 1996:7-45.

Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.