Added February 4, 2001.
Updated November 24, 2002, 17:32 hours.
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La Hoguette
By
Maximilian O. Baldia
(All rights reserved ©)
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.
Limburg and La Hoguette (ca. 5500-5300? cal BC)
The Dutch archaeologist Moddermann and his coworkers first recognized an
unusual pottery in Dutch Limburg in 1981 (Winiger 1998:3-4). It belonged to a
partly Neolithic, partly Mesolithic population that differed from the Bandkeramik (LBK)
farmers (Moddermann 1986:121).
Two years later, the French archaeologist Jeunesse named this kind of
assemblage La Hoguette – the
type-site in Western France. By the end
of the 1980’s the German archaeologist Lüning and his colleagues presented
numerous additional finds (Winiger 1998:3-4).
The Cardial/Impressed pottery using groups along the Mediterranean Coast of
Italy and France (6000-5600 cal BC)[1]
apparently gave rise to La Hoguette. Sheep/goat, but not cattle and pig,
are in evidence. The assemblage is characterized by bone-tempered pottery. Although the
domesticated animals and the pottery are thought to derive from the
Mediterranean, the stone tools indicate
the continuation of a local Mesolithic tradition.
The earliest dates start around 5500 cal BC according to Price (2000a) and Jochim (2000) (Chronological Table). La Hoguette seems to coexist with the Bandkeramik (LBK) in many sites. One exception is the assemblage in Bad-Cannstatt “Wilhelma” near Stuttgart, Germany. It is described as being “relatively pure” (e.g. Jochim 2000, Price 2000a). This and the French site of Bavans, Franche-Comté, may suggest that the pottery is older than the LBK in Western Europe (Winiger 1998:7). Table 1 shows the dates from Bavans. But the basal layer, apparently mixed with Mesolithic worked flint, contains undecorated pottery as well as decorated La Hoguette-stile pottery and a few Later LBK sherds. The LBK pottery increases in the higher strata.
Distribution
The site distribution and the relationship to the Oldest or Earliest LBK is illustrated on Map 1. The Limburg variant is located primarily near the Maas River. La Hoguette is found in the Rhône valley, Northern France, Switzerland and Southwest Germany (e.g. Jochim 2000:192-193).
Although most researches stipulate a western Mediterranean relationship, it has been suggested that La Hoguette could be a part of a broad distribution of East and North European pointed-bottom pottery that was split in two by the intrusion of the LBK.
Table 1
Bavans Layer C5
Base Ly 1415 : 6060±70BP
68.2% probability
5050BC (66.7%) 4840BC
4820BC ( 1.5%) 4810BC
95.4% probability
5210BC ( 5.6%) 5160BC
5150BC (89.8%) 4770BC
Bavans Layer C5
Middle Ly 5705 : 5705±100BP
68.2% probability
4690BC (68.2%) 4450BC
95.4% probability
4780BC ( 2.7%) 4740BC
4730BC (92.7%) 4340BC
Bavans Layer C5 Middle
K-2633 : 5100±75BP
68.2% probability
3970BC (68.2%) 3790BC
95.4% probability
4050BC (95.4%) 3700BC
References and Credits
Cziesla, Erwin
1998 Die
mittlere Steinzeit im südlichen Rheinland-Pfalz. In Conard and Kind 1998:57-76.
Jochim, Michael
The origins of Agriculture in South-Central Europe. In T. Price
(Ed.) 2000:197-218.
Modderman, Pieter J. R.
1986 Die
Bandkeramik im Graetheidegebiet, Niederländisch-Limburg. Berichte der Römisch- Germanischen Kommission, 66:1985:25-121.
Price, T. Douglas
(Ed.)
2000 Europe's
First Farmers. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; New York.
2000a Europe’s First
Farmers: An Introduction. In T. Price (Ed.) 2000:1-18.
Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.