<p>The discovery and excavation of Long Barrows has been one of the major developments in the understanding of the Early Neolithic in Southern Scandinavia during the last decade. The Long Barrows are one of the oldest monumental burial forms that we see in northern Europe in the neolithic. They are also the first example of a common idea that is connected to a monumental burial form amongst the people. In this essay I attempt to show that there actually are quite a large number of Long Barrows in Scandinavia that show similarities with Long Barrows in well-known areas such as Kujavia (Poland) and Pommerania (Germany/Poland), in both architecture and location in the landscape. I also scrutinise some theories regarding this phenomenon and discuss, and i some cases, criticise them. I especially focus on the stated similarity between LBK houses and Long Barrows. My aim was to see if these theories were appliciable to the relatively recent discoveries of Long Barrows in Southern Scandinavia.</p>

<p>This master essay deals with the changes in the use of and the abandonment of the Avebury monument and the change of the surrounding landscape during the late Neolitihic, about 3000 B.C, and into the Bronze age, about 1500 B.C. The change in the way people supported themselves, the development of agriculture, brought along many other changes as well. I am in this paper dealing with these issues, how and what lead up to these changes, the peoples own part in the development, and I am also looking into the fact that these changes might not have meant an end of old ideologies, but rather a development in the expression of beliefs where the monuments of the neolithic no longer had a place in society.</p>

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Les régions de la moyenne et haute Tyrrhénienne, la Ligurie et la Provence ont connu pendant le VIème millénaire BCE d’intenses activités maritimes et d’échange, dans le contexte de la néolithisation de la Méditerranée occidentale et intimement liées à l'exploitation et à la circulation des matières premières telles que l'obsidienne, le silex et les roches vertes; dans ce contexte, la définition de la circulation céramique constitue évidement un point central pour la compréhension des rapports économiques et culturels entre les différents groupes néolithiques.Afin de contribuer à la recherche sur le complexe culturel du Néolithique ancien de la zone considérée, nous avons abordé les échanges et les interactions possibles entre les différents groupes grâce à la caractérisation de la matière première des productions céramiques, leur origine et leur diffusion. Notre méthodologie est fondée sur l'analyse pétrographique (microscope stéréoscopique et/ou microscope optique) des matériaux céramiques de certains des principaux sites du techno-complexe Impressa-Cardial afin de déterminer les potentielles zones d'origine des matières premières et les choix techniques de production, par la confrontation des données de géo-ressources et des céramiques archéologiques.Sur la base des résultats d’analyses obtenus, nous avons essayé de définir les productions céramiques et leur circulation entre la moyenne-haute Tyrrhénienne, la Ligurie et la Provence, pour les différentes étapes chrono-culturelles du Néolithique ancien. / Intense seafaring and cultural/commercial exchanges took place in the region among the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian sea, Liguria and Provence during the VI millennium BCE; these contributed to the neolithisation of the western Mediterranean and were intimately linked to the exploitation and circulation of raw materials, such as obsidian, chert and greenstone. Within this framework, the assessment of ceramic circulation paths is obviously central to understand the economic and cultural relations between different Neolithic groups.Exchanges and potential interactions between different groups were assessed by characterising raw materials used in pottery production, as well as their provenance and diffusion, in order to contribute to research on the early Neolithic in the above mentioned areas.The methodology was aimed at sourcing raw materials and defining technical choices in pottery production by petrographic analyses (stereo- and / or optical microscope) of ceramic samples from some key sites of the Impressa-Cardiale Ware techno-complex, and on their comparison with geo-resources and archaeological pottery data.Pottery production and circulation among the Tyrrhenian, Liguria and Provence areas, in distinct chrono-cultural stages of Early Neolithic, was defined upon the results of these analyses.

Les figurines néolithiques de la Thessalie est un sujet très débattu. Dans le cadre d'une recherche fortement focalisée sur les qualités morphologiques des figurines, nous considérons indispensable d'aborder un aspect constamment négligé, à savoir leur fabrication. Fondée sur les principes de la technologie culturelle, notre étude vise non seulement à reconstituer les processus techniques de la fabrication des figurines néolithiques depuis la préparation des matières premières, jusqu'au produit fini, mais aussi de repenser les connotations imaginaires du déroulement de ces procédés et de considérer leurs implications culturelles multiples. En utilisant l'outil analytique de la chaîne opératoire, nous avons entrepris une étude technologique des figurines provenant de différents sites en Thessalie, afin de reconstituer le processus de leur fabrication. L'identification des chaînes opératoires particulières nous a permis de circonscrire la physionomie de la production idoloplastique et d'aborder, dans un deuxième temps, la fonction des figurines. Considérant que la fabrication fait partie intégrante de la fonction, nous avons jugé indispensable de nous tourner vers l'ethnologie, afin de nous procurer des exemples qui pourraient servir de références susceptibles d'éclairer nos données archéologiques. Deux enquêtes ethnographiques dans l'Anti-Atlas marocain et le recours à l'expérience anthropologique nous ont permis d'éclairer l'organisation de la production des figurines néolithiques de la Thessalie et leurs fonctions possibles. / The neolithic figurines of Thessaly is a subject that has sparkled many debates. In the context of a research strongly focused on the morphological qualities of the figurines we consider it essential, to address a constantly neglected aspect, their manufacture. Based on the principles of cultural technology, our aim is not only to identify the technical processes involved in the manufacture of neolithic figurines, from the preparation of the raw materials to the finished product, but also to rethink the imaginary connotations of these processes and to consider their multiple cultural implications. Using the analytical tool of the chaîne opératoire, we undertook a technological study of figurines from different sites in Thessaly, in order to reconstruct the processes of manufacture. The identification of the particular chaînes opératoires allowed us to circumscribe the physiognomy of idoloplastic production and then to address the question of the function of the figurines. Considering that manufacturing is an integral part of the function, we considered it indispensable to turn to ethnology, in order to obtain examples that could serve as references and thus help us to interpret the archaeological data. Two ethnographic surveys in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas and the appeal to the anthropological experience, have allowed us to reconstruct the organization of the production of neolithic figurines of Thessaly and their possible functions.

Archaeologists working in the Eastern Mediterranean do not fully understand the relationship between the earliest known farming communities of the Early Neolithic and the earliest known proto-urban communities of the Late Neolithic, despite more than a century of intensive study. The ongoing excavations at Beisamoun Pond 11, in the Hula Valley of northern Israel (ca. late 8th – early 7th millennia BCE), provide a rare opportunity to better understand this transition. For this study, micromorphological analyses were performed on the earthen construction materials and the surrounding sediments from a large, multiphase structure and several partially preserved architectural features. These analyses were performed alongside excavation in order to clarify the stratigraphic relationships, site formation processes, and degree of preservation of context at the site. Five main conclusions are drawn. First, the earliest exposed layers were built on a sloping, irregularly surfaced wetland soil. Second, construction material at the Pond 11 area was composed of local silty clay loam mixed with ashes, dung, and plant temper. Third, construction material and archaeological accumulation degraded during a period of semi-abandonment, ca. 6700 – 6600 BCE, and the degradation products (e.g., adobe, ash, coprolites, and charcoal) are spread over 175 m. Fourth, several walls of the early Pond 11 structure survived for centuries and were reused during later periods of rebuilding. Finally, bioturbation and pooling water have greatly disturbed the upper layers; the earlier layers are better preserved. The micromorphological results lead to a discussion of community continuity and social memory during this period. The extent of the deposits indicates a large early site, which may have continued elsewhere after ca. 6600 BCE. The reuse and reoccupation of the main structure suggest continuity social values in the wider Beisamoun site, even as new forms of mortuary practice suggest social change. The conclusion adds to recent data that the Early to Late Neolithic transition was more gradual and subtle than claimed previously. At the methodological level, this dissertation provides a further example of the benefits of integrating micromorphology during ongoing excavation.

Durant la période préhistorique où les gens vivaient en chasseurs-cueilleurs et nomades l'interaction entre les humains et les plantes a connu à long terme diverses modifications. L'agriculture en est une et probablement la plus importante. L'intervention directe de l'homme au cycle vital de différentes plantes l'a conduit aussi à s'installer un nouvel ordre et s'y adapter. Les bases de cette interaction d'une profonde influence sur les deux parties a été jetées séparément dans les différentes contrées du monde au début et au milieu de l'Holocène. Les données les plus anciennes datent environ de 12 000 ans et proviennent de différentes régions de l'Asie du Sud-Ouest. Dans ce processus où la vie Néolithique commence à se former avec ses divers éléments, l'Anatolie centrale est une région spécifique qui se différencie par ses particularités dans le cadre du Néolithique de l'Asie du Sud-Ouest. Dans cette région où le savoir sur la consommation des plantes et les activités agricoles de l'Epipaléolithique et du Néolithique est restreint, Asikli Höjük qui date du Néolithique ancien (9e et 8e millénaires av..1.-C. cal.) est l'un des plus anciens sites. Depuis sa première sédentarisation la communauté d'Asikli connaît l'agriculture et la pratique. Sous un régime où les plantes sauvages et domestiques sont cultivées d'une façon mixte et où la cueillette des plantes sauvages garde son importance la communauté se concentre de plus en plus aux activités agricoles ; la production alimentaire devient une partie importante de la vie. Avec ses 1000 ans d'habitation Asikli est un site privilégié pour comprendre du point de vue local et régional le processus d'appropriation de l'agriculture. / The interaction between people and plants experiences various and long-term changes throughout prehistory, in which people mostly lived a hunter-gatherer and nomadic way of life. In this rooted relationship, agriculture represents one of the phases, may be the most important one. With this new behavioural pattern including different plant species and the complete people intervention to the life-cycle of the plants, people toohad to establish new arrangements in their life and harmonize with them. The foundation of this relationship effecting deeply both populations, was laid out independently in different parts of the world during Early and Middle Holocene. The earliest finds,though, come approximately 12.000 years ago from South-west Asia. In this period, the Neolithic way of life emerges with its various aspects, and CentralAnatolia represents a distinct region within South-west Asian Neolithic with its local characters and developments. In this area where our knowledge on Epipaleolithic and Neolithic plant consumption and agricultural practices is limited, A¸sıklı Höyük (9th-8th mill. cal. BC) is one of the earliest sites experiencing the changes on people and plant interaction, and the agricultural way of life. The inhabitants of A¸sıklı hadthe knowledge and practice of agriculture since the earliest occupation phases, andin this life style including cultivation of a mixture of wild and domestic crops and also the importance of gathered wild plants, they focused more and more on the agricultural practices throughout the occupation and made the food production an important part of their life. A¸sıklı community also experienced transformations in different life aspects during its 1.000 years of occupation; therefore, it is a privileged site to understand the process of agricultural adoption both in the local and regional context.

Laang Spean est la plus grande grotte préhistorique du nord-ouest du Cambodge, située au sud-ouest de la province de Battambang à environ 330 km de Phnom Penh. Nichée au sommet de la colline calcaire de Phnom Teak Trang, cette grotte a été découverte et fouillée dans les années 1960 par Cécile et Roland Mourer puis reprise en 2009 par la Mission préhistorique franco-cambodgienne (MNHN, Paris et le Ministère de la Culture du Cambodge). Les découvertes obtenues entre 2009 et 2015 constituent le matériel d’étude de cette thèse et ont permis d’enrichir la séquence archéologique connue sur une puissance stratigraphique de 5 mètres de profondeur. Les horizons culturels comprennent des artefacts lithiques (galets et silex), de la poterie, des os d'animaux et des sépultures humaines. Le résultat principal repose sur la mise en évidence de trois couches distinctes d'occupation comprise entre 71000 BP à 3000 BP : Néolithique, Hoabinhien, pré-hoabinhien. Un nouveau cadre chrono-culturel a été obtenu en croisant des méthodes modernes de datation (14C-AMS, OSL, U-Th et fraction minérale). Nous avons pu ainsi discuter de l'occupation Hoabinhienne (derniers chasseurs-cueilleurs du Sud-Est asiatique) et la replacer à la transition pléistocène-holocène. Antérieur au niveau Hoabinhien (11 à 71ka), une autre occupation de chasseurs-cueilleurs a été enregistrée avec des restes de faune et des éclats de silex, qui conduit à nous interroger sur la succession des activités humaines préhistoriques avant l’Holocène dans cette région calcaire du nord- ouest du Cambodge. Les résultats chronologiques et archéo-stratigraphiques nous permettent à présent de mieux comprendre la position du techno-complexe Hoabinhien dans son cadre culturel, environnemental et spatial à des fins de comparaisons futures avec d’autres sites de chasseurs-cueilleurs d’Asie du Sud-Est continentale. Enfin, l’étude du site de Laang Spean met en parallèle deux modèle inédits d’occupation ancienne et d’exploitation du territoire : un campement pour les chasseurs Hoabinhiens et une nécropole pour les gens du Néolithique. / Laang Spean is the biggest prehistoric cave situated near the top of the limestone mountain known as Phnom Teak Treang, southwest of Battambang province, northwest of Cambodia, and approximately 330 km from Phnom Penh. The cave was discovered and initially excavated by Cécile and Roland Mourer in the 1960s. Since 2009, the site has been re-excavated by the Franco-Cambodian Prehistoric Mission (MNHN-Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Cambodia). The abundant archaeological remains collected between 2009 and 2015 represent the database of this Ph.D. and have now been complemented the archaeological occupations on 5 meters of a long sequence. The cultural layers included lithic artefacts (pebbles and flint), pottery, animal bones, and human burials. The new results from seven years of excavation campaigns reveal three main occupation layers ranging from 71 000 BP to 3000 BP: Neolithic, Hoabinhian, and Pre- Hoabinhian levels. A new chronological framework was obtained using modern complementary methods (14C, OSL, U-Th dating and mineral fraction). We were able to discuss the Hoabinhian occupation (last hunter-gatherers of Southeast Asia) and replace the Pleistocene - Holocene transition. Previous Hoabinhian level (11 to 71ka), another hunter-gatherers occupation was registered with animal remains and flint flakes, which lead to question about the succession of prehistoric human activities before the Holocene in this limestone region of Northwestern Cambodia. The chronological and archaeo-stratigraphic results allow us now to better understanding the position of the Hoabinhian techno-complex in its cultural, environmental and spatial framework for the purpose of future comparisons with other hunter-gatherer sites in Mainland Southeast Asia. Finally, the Laang Spean study case shows an association of two kinds of occupation and territory exploitation: a living camp for Hoabinhian hunters and a burial site during the Neolithic period.

Thesis focuses mainly on the architectural concept of neolithic house in the context of social stratification and anthropo-social issues in the southern Balkan region. The relations between a common house and an atypical house with a different shape, dimension, or interior layout and inventery, is observed. The clear catalogued list of settlements is included.

abstract: This dissertation investigates the long-term consequences of human land-use practices in general, and in early agricultural villages in specific. This pioneering case study investigates the "collapse" of the Early (Pre-Pottery) Neolithic lifeway, which was a major transformational event marked by significant changes in settlement patterns, material culture, and social markers. To move beyond traditional narratives of cultural collapse, I employ a Complex Adaptive Systems approach to this research, and combine agent-based computer simulations of Neolithic land-use with dynamic and spatially-explicit GIS-based environmental models to conduct experiments into long-term trajectories of different potential Neolithic socio-environmental systems. My analysis outlines how the Early Neolithic "collapse" was likely instigated by a non-linear sequence of events, and that it would have been impossible for Neolithic peoples to recognize the long-term outcome of their actions. The experiment-based simulation approach shows that, starting from the same initial conditions, complex combinations of feedback amplification, stochasticity, responses to internal and external stimuli, and the accumulation of incremental changes to the socio-natural landscape, can lead to widely divergent outcomes over time. Thus, rather than being an inevitable consequence of specific Neolithic land-use choices, the "catastrophic" transformation at the end of the Early Neolithic was an emergent property of the Early Neolithic socio-natural system itself, and thus likely not an easily predictable event. In this way, my work uses the technique of simulation modeling to connect CAS theory with the archaeological and geoarchaeological record to help better understand the causes and consequences of socio-ecological transformation at a regional scale. The research is broadly applicable to other archaeological cases of resilience and collapse, and is truly interdisciplinary in that it draws on fields such as geomorphology, computer science, and agronomy in addition to archaeology. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Anthropology 2013