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

公元前5百万年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-公元前5百万年的下半年（中晚期新石器时代过渡）-被解释为一个明显的突破。这些发展的考古证据可以在铜冶金的兴起，纪念性围栏的建造，一种反映更高居住流动性的新定居方式（例如，湿地定居点的发展，更小，更不耐用，更短命的房屋）或陶器装饰的缓慢消失中看到，仅举几例。此外，第三波的新石器化到黄土带以外的地区进行了讨论。然而，中欧考古记录的农业实践，土地利用模式和定居模式的第一次变化变得明显，已经在上半年的第5百万。BC。这意味着变革和多样化的开始较早，而且是一个长期的过程。然而，对于中欧黄土地区，这一点尚未得到系统的研究。因此，我们的建议旨在系统地分析公元前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的问题。我们的分析是基于一个历时性的和区域性的比较记录从主要的弗兰肯，韦特劳，莱茵兰和威斯特伐利亚-具有相当好的考古记录-在公元前5百万年通过跨学科的方法集成考古学，考古植物学，植被历史，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.