Added December 20, 1999. Updated November 28, 2001, 15:24 hours.

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Austrian-Moravian Painted Ware I

By

Maximilian O. Baldia
(Copy Right © 1999-November 28, 2001. All rights reserved)

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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 Lengyel Interaction Sphere spawned painted pottery (Fig. 1). In Austria and Moravia this pottery is called Austrian/Moravian Painted Ware (A/MPW). It follows the Stroke Ornamented Pottery (STK).

Dating

In Austria and Moravia two main phases are distinguished. The first phase of the Austrian/Moravian Painted Ware (A/MPW I) lasted from about 4700-4500 cal BC (Podborský et al. 1992), although Lengyel itself is dated 4900 – 4300 cal BC, based on the 68.2 % interval of 68 radiocarbon dates (Stadler 1995 Table 2). The duration of  MPW II is less well defined.

The A/MPW I has been divided typologically into Ia and Ib (Podborský et al. 1992:111). In Austria it was found at Fribriz and Langenzersdorf. In Southern Moravia it is found at Boskovštein-Výhon and Těšetice-Kyjovice, okr. Znojmo. From the last site two widely varying A/MPW I C¹⁴ dates are reported (Table 1).

Table 1.

Těšetice-Kyjovice (Podborský et al 1992:73) : 5800±60BP

68.2% probability

4720BC (62.5%) 4580BC

4570BC ( 5.7%) 4550BC

95.4% probability

4790BC (95.4%) 4490BC

Těšetice-Kyjovice (Podborský et al 1992:73) : 5450±90BP

68.2% probability

4450BC ( 4.0%) 4420BC

4400BC ( 0.7%) 4380BC

4370BC (54.2%) 4220BC

4200BC ( 7.6%) 4160BC

4120BC ( 1.8%) 4110BC

95.4% probability

4460BC (95.4%) 4040BC

The Pottery

Based on the typology by J. Palliardi and F. Vildomec, it is thought that the polychrome pottery with complex designs of primarily red and yellow paint belong to the Phase I (Fig. 1 top). The pottery is subdivided into Phase Ia (Fig. 2) and Ib (Fig. 3).

Figure 1. Color Photo of MPW I-II (Podborský et al. 1993 Plate 12-14).

Figure 2. MPW Ia pottery (Podborský et al. 1993).

Figure 3. MPW Ib pottery (Podborský et al. 1993).


Stone Tools

The retouched stone tools in Austria and Moravia consist of scrapers and blades, some with polish or “sickle sheen.” Some small tools are made of obsidian imported from Tokaj, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemblén, Hungary and East Slovakia, continuing a tradition that started during the Bandkeramik LBK.

Figure 4. Retouched stone tools

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References and Credits

Behrens, Hermann

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

Baldia, M. O.

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

Kulczycka-Leciejewiczowa, A.

1970 The Linear and Stroked Pottery cultures. In Wiślański, T. (Ed.) The Neolithic in Poland. Instytut Historii Kultury Materialnej, Polskiej Akademii Nauk Wrocław, Warszawa, Krakow, Wroclaw, Warszawa and Krakow, 1970:1-75.

Lenneis, E., C. Neugebauer-Maresch, E. Ruttkay

1995 Jungsteinzeit im Osten Österreichs. Forschungsberichte zur Ur- u. Frühgeschichte 17. Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus u. Verlagsgesellschaft, St. Pölten – Wien.

Midgley, Magdalena S.

1992 TRB Culture: The First Farmers of the North European Plain. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Neugebauer-Maresch, C.

1995 Mittelneolithikum: Die Bemaltkeramik. In Lenneis, E., C. Neugebauer-Maresch, E. Ruttkay, Jungsteinzeit im Osten Österreichs. Forschungsberichte zur Ur- u. Frühgeschichte 17. Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus u. Verlagsgesellschaft, St. Pölten – Wien. 1995:57-107.

Podborský, Vladimír, et al.

1993 Pravěké Dějiny Moravy. Vlastivěda Moravská Země a Lid, Nová Řada 3. Muzejní a vlastivědna společnost, Brno.

Ruttkay, Elizabeth and Christian Mayer

1995 Spätneolitikum. In Lenneis, E., C. Neugebauer-Maresch, E. Ruttkay, Jungsteinzeit im Osten Österreichs. Forschungsberichte zur Ur- u. Frühgeschichte 17. Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus u. Verlagsgesellschaft, St. Pölten – Wien. 1995:108-209.

Stadler, Peter

1995 Ein Beitrag zur Absolutchronologie des Neolithikums in Österreich auf Grund der ¹⁴C-Daten. In Lenneis, E., C. Neugebauer-Maresch, E. Ruttkay, Jungsteinzeit im Osten Österreichs. Forschungsberichte zur Ur- u. Frühgeschichte 17. Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus u. Verlagsgesellschaft, St. Pölten – Wien. 1995:210-224.

Wiślański, T. (Ed.)

1970 The Neolithic in Poland. Instytut Historii Kultury Materialnej, Polskiej Akademii Nauk Wrocław, Warszawa, Krakow 1970b:178-231.

Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.