Diversification and change – Analysing settlement patterns and agricultural practice during the 5th mil. BC in Central Europe

公元前5世纪中欧的考古记录反映了连续性和变化。特别是第一个世纪的特点是Bandkeramik传统，而在接下来的几个世纪中，文化、社会和经济的变化变得明显，这在公元前5世纪后半叶（新石器时代中期到晚期的过渡）被解释为一个明显的突破。这些发展的考古证据可以从铜冶金术的兴起、纪念性围场的建造、反映了更高的居住流动性的一种新的定居方式（例如，小型、不那么耐用、寿命更短的房屋的湿地定居点的发展）或陶器装饰的逐渐消失等方面看到。此外，讨论了第三波新石器时代进入黄土带以外地区。然而，根据中欧关于农业实践的考古记录，土地利用模式和定居模式的第一次变化在公元前5世纪上半叶就已经很明显了。这暗示了一个较早的开始和一个长期的变化和多样化过程。然而，对于中欧黄土地区，这一点尚未进行系统研究。因此，我们的建议旨在系统分析公元前5世纪该地区定居模式和农业实践的变化和多样化过程。与此相关的是这些过程的原因和关系问题。我们的分析是基于一个历时和区域比较的记录，主要来自Main-Franconia， weterau， Rhineland和Westphalia，具有相当好的考古记录，在公元前5世纪，通过跨学科的方法，综合考古学，考古植物学，植被史，考古动物学，地质考古学，分子考古学和同位素分析。

The archaeological record of the 5th mil. BC in Central Europe reflects continuity and change. Particularly the first centuries are characterized by Bandkeramik traditions while during the following centuries cultural, social and economic change becomes apparent, which – for the 2nd half of the 5th mil. BC (Middle to Later Neolithic transition) – is interpreted as a clear break. Archaeological evidence for these developments is seen in the rise of copper metallurgy, the construction of monumental enclosures, a new way of settling which reflects a higher residential mobility (e.g. the development of wetland settlements with smaller, less durable, more short-lived houses) or the slow disappearance of pottery decoration, to name but a few. Moreover, a third wave of neolithisation into areas beyond the Loess belt is discussed.However, for the Central European archaeological record on agricultural practice, land use patterns and settlement patterns first changes become apparent already during the first half of the 5th mil. BC. This hints at an earlier start and a prolonged process of change and diversification. For the Central European Loess areas this has not been studied systematically, though. Therefore, our proposal aims at a systematic analysis of processes of change and diversification in settlement patterns and agricultural practice during the 5th mil. BC in this area. Related to this is the question of causes for and relations of these processes. Our analysis is based on a diachronic and regional comparison of the record from Main-Franconia, Wetterau, Rhineland and Westphalia – with a quite good archaeological record – during the 5th mil. BC by an interdisciplinary approach integrating archaeology, archaeobotany, vegetation history, archaeozoology, geoarchaeology, molecular archaeology and isotope analysis.