The Globular Amphora Culture (KAK). © The Comparative Archaeology WEB

Added November 18, 2001. Updated December 24, 2008, 16:28 hours.

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The Globular Amphora Culture (KAK)

Version 2.00

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.

List of Figures

Map of Europe

Map of North and part of Central Europe

Central and North German Chronological Table

Globular Amphora Culture ¹⁴C dates

Location

The Globular Amphora culture is abbreviated KAK, because it is called Kultura Amphor Kulistych in Polish and Kugleamphorenkultur in German.

Fig. 1. Distribution of the Globular Amphora Culture (after Wiślański 1970 and Szmyt (1998). 1: “German-West Poland” Group, 2: “Polish” Group, 3: East Group.

The KAK distribution (Fig. 1) overlaps with the eastern and central area of the Funnel Beaker culture (TRB). Thus, it reaches from just west of the Elbe River in Germany east via Poland to Ukraine in the East. However, beyond the distribution indicated in Fig. 1, it also occurs south of the “Polish” Group in the Czech Republic. Related artifacts have been mapped in Denmark (Davidson 1973, Ebbesen 1978, Furholt 2003). the TRB West Group exhibits stylistic similarities as far west as Netherland (Bakker 1979).

Wiślański (1966, Map 6) recognized some twenty phases and/or local groups. Among them is the Złota culture (or group) of Poland which may be partly associated with the Globular Amphora culture and partly with the Corded Ware/Single Grave culture (Furholt 2003, Krzak 1970, 1976).

Dating

Dating the KAK varies. Calculations by Ottaway’s (1999) yield a range of 3570 – 2470 cal BC based on sixteen ¹⁴C dates (Ottaway 1999 Appendix 13.2). Szmyt (1998) proposes a range of 3100 – 2500 cal BC based on 57 ¹⁴C dates. Müller (2001) argues for a KAK beginning around 3300 cal BC, but for the Central Elbe-Salle Region of Germany he proposes four overlapping phases, which range from ca. 3100 – 2550 cal. BC. Although the Kujavian KAK was seen as one of the major regions of origin, Furholt (2003:40 Fig. 18) calculates the sum of ¹⁴C dates from this region as 3100 – 2550 cal BC with 49% probability.

My own analysis of 85 ¹⁴C dates from sites that include KAK pottery suggests a range from 3200/3100 – 2850/2750 cal BC. However, the distribution of these dates may suggest that the KAK could have continued to exist after 2750 cal BC. This could simply mean that the pottery classification is insufficiently precise to distinguish between cultures and/or that some excavations (or excavation methods) produce inconstant correlations between different cultures.

Fig. 2. Globular Amphora burial chamber with globular amphora, Dovge, Temopol’, Ukraine (after M. Szmyt 1998 Fig. 5).

Evolution

Wiślański (1966, 1970) proposed that the KAK originated in Poland and spread outward from there. In accordance with this view, the KAK was thought to replace the TRB in Poland as early as ca. 3500 cal BC. This contrasts with East Germany, where the KAK is seen as the final Phase of the TRB (e.g. Nagel 1991).

The KAK East Group exhibits similarities to the pottery cultures of various eastern and southeastern cultures, including the Late Tripolye and the Pitted Grave culture. Globular Amphora-like pots also occur in the TRB West Group of Netherland and the Wartberg culture (Raetzel-Fabian 2002). Furthermore, KAK-related artifacts are found in the TRB North Group (Davidson 1973, Ebbesen 1978, Furholt 2003). In southern regions of Poland and in parts of the Czech Republic, the KAK appears to have partly coexisted with a the Baden culture (Baldia et al. 2008a, 2008b). Pottery similarities are also shared with the Jevišovice “culture” (Podborský et al. 1993). Finally, the KAK may have partly coexists with the wide-spread Corded Ware culture (German: Schnurkeramik), only to be replaced by it in many areas.

Burials

Traditionally, Polish archaeology attributes the construction of megalithic (large stone) chambers (Baldia 1995) to the KAK. However, late ¹⁴C dates from megalithic tombs with KAK artifacts raise doubts about this (Baldia et al. 2008a). Furthermore, in the East German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the KAK seems to have buried it’s dead in megalithic tombs (dolmen and passage-graves with megalithic mound enclosures), but they were apparently built by the TRB rather than the KAK (Nagel 1974, 1985a, 1985b, 1991). Nonetheless, it seems that the KAK occasionally refurbished the interior of such chambers (Baldia 1995, Schuldt 1972). Cattle were sometimes also buried in megalithic enclosures or next to megalithic tombs for humans. These bovine burials suggest a cattle cult. In addition, small stone cists and wooden chambers were constructed by the KAK (Fig. 2).

Single and multiple human interments occur. Treatment of the dead focuses primarily on the flexed position, but there are also cremations.

References and Credits

Bakker, Jan Albert

1979 The TRB West Group: Studies in the Chronology and Geography of the Makers of Hunebeds and Tiefstich Pottery. Universiteit van Amsterdam, Subfaculteit der Pre- en Protohistorie. Cingula V. De Bussey Ellerman Harms, Amsterdam.

Baldia, Maximilian. O.

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

Baldia, Maximilian O., Matthew Boulanger & Douglas S. Frink

2008a The Earthen Long-Barrow of Džbán, Moravia, Czech Republic and its Implications for the Interaction Between the Nordic Funnel Beaker and the Southern Baden Culture. In Martin Furholt, Marzena Szmyt, Albert Zastawny (Eds.), The Baden Culture and the Outside World. Studien zur Archäologie in Ostmitteleuropa. Rahden/Westf.: Verlag Marie Leidorf. In press.

Baldia, Maximilian O., Douglas S. Frink & Matthew T. Boulanger

2008b Problems in the Archaeological Legacy: The TRB/Lengyel-Baden Conundrum. In Martin Furholt, Marzena Szmyt, Albert Zastawny (Eds.) The Baden Culture and the Outside World. Studien zur Archäologie in Ostmitteleuropa. Rahden/Westf.: Verlag Marie Leidorf.

Beier, Hans-Jürgen

1988a Die Erforschung der Kugelamphorenkultur und der Begriff der "Lokalgruppe". Ethnographisch-Archäologische Zeitschrift, 29/1:125-128.

1988b Die Kugelamphorenkultur im Mittelelbe-Saale-Gebiet und in der Altmark. Veröffentlichungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle 41. Berlin.

1991 Zur Problematik der Genese der Kugelamphorenkultur. In Jankowska, D. (Ed.), Die Trichterbecherkultur: Neue Forschungen und Hypothesen II. Poznań, Instyitut Prahistorii Universitetu im. Adam Mickiewicza w Poznańiu Zakład Archeologii Wielkopolski IHKM PAN w Poznańiu, Poznań, Poland, 1991:33-42.

1993 Die Kulturgliederung im jüngern Mittelneolithikum des Mittelelbe-Saale-Gebietes: Ein Beitrag zur Methodik des neolithischen Kulturbegriffs. Ausgrabung und Funde, 38/4:173-178.

Coblenz, W.

1938 Grabfunde der Schnurkeramik und Kugelamphoren aus Sachsen. Inventaria Archaeologica, Deutschland, 6, Berlin.

Coblenz, W. and K. Fritzsche

1962 Doppelbestattung der Kugelamphorenkultur neben der rituellen Rinderbeisetzung von Zauschwitz. Ausgrabungen und Funde, 7:77 ff.

1961 Dreifache Rinderbestattung aus Zauschwitz, Kr. Borna. Ausgrabungen und Funde, 6:62 ff.

Davidsen, Karsten

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

Ebbesen, Klaus

1975 Die jüngere Trichterbecherkultur auf den dänischen Inseln. Serie B. Vol. 5. Akademisk Forlag, København.

Furholt, Martin

2003 Die absolutchronologische Datierung der Schnurkeramik in Mitteleuropa und Südskandinavien. Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie 101. Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn 2003.

Krzak, Zygmunt

1970 Recent results of research on Złota Culture. Archaeologia Polona 12, 1970:61–92. (http://www.iaepan.edu.pl/archaeologia-polona/article/160 Electronic file).

1976 The Złota Culture. Polska Akademia Nauk, Ossolineum, Wrocław, Poland.

1981 Der Ursprung der schnurkeramischen Kultur. Germania, 1981:21-29.

1989 Zlota Culture: Złota near Sandomierz, Woj. Tarnobrzeg, sites "GrodziskoI" and "Nad Wawrem," Cemeteries. Przegląd Archaeologiczny, 36:255-269. Poland.

Laux, Friedrich

1982 Nachbestattungen der Kugelamphorenkultur in Steingräbern der Lüneburger Heide. Lüneburgs Blätter, 25/26:71-86.

Müller, Johannes

2001 Soziochronologische Studien zum Jung- und Spätneolithikum im Mittelelbe-Saale-Gebiet (4100-2700 v.Chr.): Eine sozialhistorische Interpretation prähistorischer Quellen. Vorgeschichtliche Forschungen 21. Verlag Marie Leidorf 2001. Rahden/Westf., Germany.

Nagel, Erika

1974 Das Ganggrab von Wilsen, Kreis Lübz, im Rahmen der Kugelamphorenkultur in Mecklenburg. Bodendenkmalpflege in Mecklenburg, Jahrbuch 1973:89-97.

1985a Ein unvollständiges Megalithgrab von Groß-Zastrow, Kreis Demmin, und Gedanken zur Architectur. Bodendenkmalpflege in Mecklenburg, Jahrbuch 1984:7-20.

1985b Die Erscheinungen der Kugelamphorenkultur im Norden der DDR. VEB Deutescher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin, 1985.

1991 Zur Chronologie der mecklenburgischen Trichterbecher Kultur. In Jankowska, D. (Ed.), Die Trichterbecherkultur: Neue Forschungen und Hypothesen II. Poznań, Instyitut Prahistorii Universitetu im. Adam Mickiewicza w Poznańiu Zakład Archeologii Wielkopolski IHKM PAN w Poznańiu, Poznań, Poland, 1991:7-10.

Podborský, Vladimír, et al.

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

Raetzel-Fabian, Dirk

2002 Revolution, Reformation, Epochenwechsel? Das Ende der Kollektivgrabsitte und der Übergang von der Wartberg- zur Einzelgrabkultur in Nordhessen und Westfalen. JunsgSteinsiete, Article of 5. January, 2002. http://www.jungsteinsite.uni-kiel.de/pdf/2002_3_fabian.pdf.

Schuldt, Ewald

1972 Die mecklenburgischen Megalithgräber: Untersuchungen zu ihrer Architektur und Funktion. Museum für Ur- und Frühgeschichte Schwerin. VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin.

Szmyt, Marzena

1998 Die Kugelamphorenkultur und die Gemeinschaften der Steppenwald- und Steppenzone Osteuropas. Der Forschungsstand und die Forschungsperspektiven im Grundriß. In B. Hänsel and J. Machnik (Eds.) Das Karpatenbecken und die osteuropäische Steppe. Nomadenbewegungen und Kulturaustausch in den vorchristlichen Metallzeiten (4000-500 v.Chr.). Prähistorische Archäologie in Südosteuropa 12 – Südosteuropa-Schriften 20. Verlag Marie Leidorf. Rahden/Westf., Germany, 1998:221-231.

2006 Dead Animals and Living Society. Jungsteinseite Article of 15. Dezember 2006 (http://www.jungsteinsite.uni-kiel.de/pdf/2006_szmyt_high.pdf).

Wiślański, Tedeus S.

1966 Kultura amfor kulistych w. Polsce północno-zachodniej. Wroclaw-Warszawa-Krakow.

1970 The Globular Amphora Culture. In The Neolithic in Poland. T. Wiślański (Ed.), The Neolithic in Poland. Instytut Historii Kultury Materialnej, Polskiej Akademii Nauk Wroclaw-Warszawa-Krakow 1970b:178-231.