The Corded Ware / Single Grave Culture. © The Comparative Archaeology WEB

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The Corded Ware / Single Grave Culture

Maximilian O. Baldia

List of Tables

Table 1. Central and North German chronological table

Table 2. Danish and North German Single Grave culture Periods

List of Figures

Figure 1. Map of Corded Ware distribution

Figure 2. Corded Ware artifacts from Central Europe

Figure 3. Single Grave artifacts from the Lüneburg region, Germany

Figure 4. Single Grave close-up of pottery and battleaxes

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.

Location

The wide-spread Corded Ware culture complex (German: Schnurkeramik) derives its name from the frequent use of decorative cord impressions on the pots. The pottery roughly covers the former territory of the Funnel Beaker and related cultures. However, in the east it goes far beyond its confines. Thus, it is found throughout much of North, Central and Eastern Europe (Map of Corded Ware distribution). On the map I divide the complex into the Single Grave culture, the Central European, and the Eastern European Corded Ware. The red line is a gap in the distribution that runs roughly along a line from Vienna to St. Petersburg. This line is also meant to indicate that precise comparative analysis of the pottery and chronology based on a common methodology will be necessary before one can determine the exact cultural relationship between all the distant Corded Were groups. For a similar reason I have not closed the eastern boundary completely.

In the west, the distribution boundary reaches Netherland, West Germany and parts of Switzerland. In the North the Corded Ware is found in Southern Scandinavia, the countries around the Baltic and the eastern North Sea. It’s southern distribution ranges from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and includes the upper portions of the streams that flow into the Black Sea.

Within the boundaries are small additional regional groups, often referred to as cultures in their own right, which probably should be (partly) classed with the Corded Ware. Among these is the Zlota or Złota culture of Southern Poland. It is found between the Kamienna, Vistula, Nida, and Bobrza (a tributary of the Black Nida) Rivers, in the Małopolska (Malopolska) Plateau. To the south, in Moravia, Czech Republic, and adjacent Lower Austria, the Jevišovice (Jevisovice) culture also must be partly related to the Corded Ware. Both of these groups also indicate Baden culture similarities.

Origins

The origins of the Corded Ware are debated. As in other prehistoric European cultures, theories based on general similarities of pottery styles and stone tools abound. Theories include a derivation from the Funnel Beaker culture. Some pottery shows relationships to the Globular Amphora culture, which also overlaps with the Funnel Beaker culture

, but extends further east. Some have argued that the Corded Ware represents another invasion from the eastern steppe region, perhaps indicating the introduction of the Indo-European language group. Indo-European includes almost all modern European and several other languages, scattered all the way to

India

Chronology

The relative chronology is based on the pottery style, the classification of ground stone battle-axes, and the location of the burial in relation to the mound.

The Corded Ware culture of Northern Switzerland and adjacent Germany, follows the Horgen culture. In West Germany it may overlap or succeed the Wartberg culture. Along its southeastern periphery, the Corded Ware replaces the Baden culture.

Absolute dates fall between ca. 2900 – 2450/2350 cal. BC. Its beginnings are buttressed by tree-ring dates (dendrochronology) from Switzerland.

The northern variant, called the Single Grave culture (German: Einzelgrabkultur), replaces the Funnel Beaker culture in Scandinavia, Northwest Germany and Netherland between 2900 – 2800 cal BC. In other regions, such as Poland it succeeds the Globular Amphora culture. In Denmark, this is still the Middle Neolithic B (Danish Mellemneolithikum B) or MN B, dated from 2800 – 2350 cal BC. The MN B is divided into three periods.

Table 2. Danish and North German Single Grave culture Periods

Time	Period	English	Danish	German
2800 – 2600 BC	MN B I	Under-grave Period	Undergravstid	Untergrabzeit
2600 – 2450 BC	MN B II	Floor-grave Period	Bundgravstid	Bodengrabzeit
2450 – 1850 BC	MN B III	Upper-grave Period	Overgravstid	Übergrabzeit

The end of the Corded Ware complex is difficult to date. It has been argued that there is a 500 year overlap with the Bell Beaker culture. However, the quality of the pottery typology, the radiocarbon date ranges, and drastic wiggles in the radiocarbon curve itself, may conspire to create much of this chronological overlap. On the other hand, one should also consider that cultural and pottery type transitions do not occur suddenly, except perhaps under unusual conditions.

Burials

Men, women, children and even infants are buried in mostly rectangular pits, occasionally lined or framed with cobbles. Male and female burials have opposite directions. The preferred burial was probably in a round mound (tumulus). However, most such mounds are plowed away, so that little evidence of them remains. Frequently the mounds contain a round ditch. Some tumuli are surrounded by a circular ditch, that may have a causeway. (In other words, the circular ditch may only partly surround the burial.) Sometimes a circle of small stones with or with out an accompanying ditch occurs. Occasionally, a wheel-shaped configuration are found, so that spoke-like, low, linear stone walls radiate from the burial pit to the stone circle.

In Denmark the Single Grave culture variant of the Corded Ware culture is seen as the Middle Neolithic B (MN B), characterized by tumuli (round burial mounds). The earliest interments (ca. 2800 – 2600 cal BC) are individual interments on the bottom of the mounds. This is the “under grave” phase (German: Untergrabzeit; Danish: Undergravstid). Graves added to the middle of the enlarged mound “middle grave” phase (German: Mittelgrabzeit; Danish: Bundgravstid) date to ca. 2600 – 2450 cal BC. During the final phase (ca. 2450 – 2350 cal BC individual burials occurred in the upper fill of the final mound construction (“upper grave phase;” Danish: Overgravstid).

Tumuli in Netherland may be associated with prehistoric roads. Megalithic tombs were frequently reused in Southern Scandinavia and northern parts of Germany. The artifacts are found in the upper or final layer of many megalithic chambers. In addition, cists (small chambers made from upright stone slabs) were built by the Single Grave and Corded Ware culture.

Central European Corded Ware burials contain articulated flexed interments. Sometimes two or more people are buried together. The burials in the Czech Republic are thought to be “flat-graves” (burials in pits, apparently not covered by mounds). The graves occur in large numbers, spreading over wide areas. Burial pits in the Złota (Zlota) culture are rectilinear pits large pits with multiple, flexed burials (German: Hocker). Some stones appear to be associated with the structures.

Pottery

Vessels include beakers, and often very wide amphorae. The pottery is usually brown to a tan ocher color.

Some pottery is impressed with round or even rectilinear holes. Cord impressions are common. Necks are frequently decorated and often elongated. Similarly, the upper belly of the amphoras are often heavily decorated. The Barbed wire designs occur chevron designs may cover much of the pot.

Economy

In many countries it is assumed that the economy was primarily based on cattle. A semi-nomadic or transhumant herding is often envisioned. However, more recently it has become clear that land use depends on the region. While there are overall similarities in pottery and ax style, the local economies were tailored to their individual environments.

Copper

Copper manufacture is rather sophisticated. Complex copper axes, some with all-over chevron design, msy include projecting shaft tubes. The whole ax, including the handle, can also be cast. Copper spiral bracelets are relatively common.

Wagons

Wetland sites in Netherland, Denmark and Switzerland yield single and multi piece wheels for wagons.

Houses

A post-built house is stipulated for Poland, based on a bone engraving. However, evidence of houses are rarely found.

The wetland site Torwiesen II, southern Germany, was located in the marsh, half way between the “lakeshore” of the Federsee and an island. It bisected a log road. The village consisted of longhouses and smaller buildings. Walls were constructed of double poles, holding either horizontal planks of large sticks. The houses faced the log road with their gable (narrow) end. A ca. 1.5 m wide stick covered walkway separated the houses.

Stone Tools

The ground stone tools include the famous battleaxes. These are relatively small axes with a shaft hole near the center, or offset towards the butt (back or blunt end). They also include celts, that is, axes without a shaft hole. They were hafted (tied) to a wooden handle.

The chipped stone tools include triangular arrowheads, sometimes exhibiting a slightly concave base. However, the most famous chipped stone tools are the often most skillfully knapped daggers blades (foreground left), thought to imitate copper ones. In addition, there are retouched blades, scrapers, knives etc.

Adornments

Jewelry includes amber beads, shell, snail and bone pendants, and perforated animal teeth.

References and Credits

Bakker, J. A.

1992 The Dutch Hunebedden: Megalithic tombs of the Funnel Beaker culture. Archaeological Series 2, International Monographs in Prehistory, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Bakker, J. A. and J. D. van der Waals

1973 Denekamp-Angelsoo, cremation, collared flasks and a Corded Ware sherd in Dutch final TRB context. In Daniel and Kjærum (Eds.) 1973:17-50.

Bąlbel, Jerzy T.

1992 Wybrażenie wioski prehistorcznej naze Złotej, woj. Tarnobrzeskie. (The image of a prehistoric village on a find from Złota, Tarnobrzeg Province.

Baldia, M. O.

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

Behrens, Herrmann

1973 Die Jungsteinzeit im Mittelelbe-Saale-Gebiet. Veröffentlichungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte in Halle, 27, VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin.

Daniel, G. E. and P. Kjærum (Eds.)

1973 Megalithic Graves and Ritual: Papers presented at the Third Atlantic Colloquium, Moesgård 1969, Jutland Archaeological Society Publications, 11, København.

Davidsen, Karsten

1973 Valbykeramik und Kugelamphorenkultur: Zur Verbreitung zweier mittelneolithischer Keramikgruppen in Schleswig-Holstein und Nachbargebieten. Offa, 29, 1972:133-137.

1978 The Final TRB Culture in Denmark: A Settlement Study. Arkæologiske Studier V. Akademisk Forlag, København.

1982 Undergravstid på de danske øer. Årbøger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie 1980, 1982:38-48.

Glob, P. V.

1945 Studier over den jyske Enkeltgravskultur. Årbøger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie 1944, 1945:15-156.

Hafner, Albert and Peter Suter

2001 Das Neolithikum im 4. Jahrtausend v. Chr.: Tradition, Einflüsse und Entwicklung. Archäeologische Informationenen 24/2, 2001:291-309. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte e. V., Bonn.

Hansen, Mogens and Hans Rostholm

1993 Grave fra enkelgravstid og senneneolitikum. Hvass, S. and B. Storgaard (Eds.) Da klinger I Muld …25 års arkæologi i Danmark. Aarhus Universitetsforlag. Århus. 1993:116-121.

Jager, Sake W.

1985 A prehistoric Route and Ancient Cart-Tracks in the Gemeente Anloo (Province Derenthe). Paleohistoria, 27:185-202.

Kühl, Joachim

1980 Ein eingetiefter erweiterter Dolmen mit einzelgrabzeitlichen Nachbestattungen bei Ratekau, Kreis Ostholstein. Die Heimat, 87/10:310-318.

Müller, Johannes

2000 Zur räumlichen Darstellung von Radiokarbondaten: Zwei Beispiele aus dem Endneolithikum. JungSteinsite. www.jungsteinsite.de (http://www.uni-bamberg.de/ggeo/jungsteinzeit/2000_mueller/14c_raum.htm#Fallstudie%202, accessed September 28, 2003)

Rech, M.

1979 Studien zu den Depotfunden der Trichterbecher- und Einzelgrabkultur des Nordens. Neumünster.

Stadler, P.

? Schnurkeramische (?) Gräber Mannersdorf/March. (Calibrated absolute dates from three Corded Ware burials in Austria) http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/NHM/Prehist/Stadler/LVAS/QAM/14C/SchnurkeramischeGraebervonMannersdorf.html (Accessed October 5, 2003)

Struve, Karl W.

1955 Die Einzelgrabkultur in Schleswig-Holstein und ihre kontinentalen Beziehungen. Offa-Bücher, Neue Folge 11, Wachholtz, Neumünster, Schleswig-Holstein.

Suter, Peter

1985 Neue absolut datierte Fundkomplexe aus dem Raume Zürich - Ein Beitrag zur Chronologie und Entwicklung des Neolithikums der Schweitz. Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 15/4:431-443.

Schlichterle, Helmut and Wolfgang Hohl

2002 Fortschritte der Ausgrabung in der endneolithischen Moorsiedlung Torwiesen II in Bad Buchau am Federsee, Kreis Biberach, Baden-Würtemberg. Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie 9 2002:61-65.

Wiermann, Roland R.

2003 Getrennt und doch vereint. Summary. Archaeologie in Deitschland. http://www.theiss.de/AiD/2003/5/thema3.php (accessed September 28, 2003.

Winghart, Stefan

1987 Vorgeschichtliche Deponate im ostbayrischen Grenzgebirge und im Schwarzwald. Zu Horten und Einzelfunden in Mittelgebirgslandschaften. Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission, 67, 1986:89-201.

Whittle, Alasdair W. R.

1996 Europe in the Neolithic: the creation of new worlds. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, 1996.

Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.