Neolithic and Bronze Age Chiefdoms of Thy, Denmark

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With National Science Foundation support Dr. Timothy Earle and his colleagues will continue their archaeological research on the Thy peninsula which is located in northeastern Jutland, Denmark. While limited work has been done in this area, the region is known to be rich in archeological remains including large numbers of barrows or burial chambers. In a first season of survey and excavation Dr. Earle located a number of additional sites which are settlement or living areas. During the next two seasons a number of these will be excavated. He and his team will first conduct a reconnaissance survey of 2 square kilometers in two parishes and undertake intensive line walks over 5 square kilometers to locate more sites. Surface materials will be collected and the upper "plowzone" level of the soil will be sampled. More intensive excavation will be conducted at 15 sites distributed across the Neolithic and Bronze age periods. On this basis it should be possible to determine how complex societies developed in this region. Following the development of agriculture and pastoralism in many parts of the world, one can trace changes in social organization which lead, ultimately, to the rise of states. Early in this process, chiefdoms arose and anthropologists still do not understand the mechanisms through which this happened. Some argue that population growth permitted by a more stable subsistence base provided the driving force while others point to other factors such as the development of long distance trade. Over the course of the Bronze and Iron Ages in Scandinavia, chiefdoms underwent cycles of rise and decline. The data collected from this area will allow comparison with cases from other parts of the world. From this it should be possible to separate historical particulars from the more basic underlying mechanisms. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will also increase our understanding of the processes which led to the rise of complex societies such as our own.