Danubian culture
Encyclopedia
The term Danubian culture
was coined by the Australian archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe
to describe the first agrarian society in central and eastern Europe
. It covers the Linear Pottery culture
(Linearbandkeramik, LBK), stroked pottery
and Rössen culture
s.
The beginning of the Linear Pottery culture dates to around 5500 BC. It appears to have spread westwards along the valley of the river Danube
and interacted with the cultures of Atlantic Europe
when they reached the Paris Basin
.
Danubian I peoples cleared forests and cultivated fertile loess
soils from the Balkans
to the Low Countries
and the Paris Basin
. They made LBK pottery and kept domesticated cows, pig
s, dog
s, sheep and goat
s. The diagnostic tool
of the culture is the Shoe-last celt
, a kind of long thin stone adze
which was used to fell trees and sometimes as a weapon, evidenced by the skulls found at Talheim, Neckar
in Germany and Schletz in Austria. Settlements consisted of longhouse
s. According to a theory by Eduard Sangmeister, these settlements were abandoned, possibly as fertile land was exhausted, and then reoccupied perhaps when the land had lain fallow for long enough. In contrast, Peter Modderman and Jens Lüning believe the settlements were constantly inhabited, with individual families using specific plots (Hofplätze). They also imported spondylus
shells from the Mediterranean.
A second wave of the culture, which used painted pottery with Asia
tic influences, superseded the first phase starting around 4500 BC. This was followed by a third wave which used stroke-ornamented ware
.
Danubian sites include those at Bylany
in Bohemia
and Köln-Lindenthal in Germany
.
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
was coined by the Australian archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe
Vere Gordon Childe
Vere Gordon Childe , better known as V. Gordon Childe, was an Australian archaeologist and philologist who specialised in the study of European prehistory. A vocal socialist, Childe accepted the socio-economic theory of Marxism and was an early proponent of Marxist archaeology...
to describe the first agrarian society in central and eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It covers the Linear Pottery culture
Linear Pottery culture
The Linear Pottery culture is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic, flourishing ca. 5500–4500 BC.It is abbreviated as LBK , is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incised Ware culture, and falls within the Danubian I culture of V...
(Linearbandkeramik, LBK), stroked pottery
Stroke-ornamented ware
The Stroke-ornamented ware or Stichbandkeramik , Stroked Pottery culture, Danubian Ib culture of V...
and Rössen culture
Rössen culture
The Rössen Culture is a Central European culture of the middle Neolithic .It is named after the necropolis of Rössen...
s.
The beginning of the Linear Pottery culture dates to around 5500 BC. It appears to have spread westwards along the valley of the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and interacted with the cultures of Atlantic Europe
Atlantic Europe
Atlantic Europe is a geographical and anthropological term for the western portion of Europe which borders the Atlantic Ocean. The term may refer to the idea of Atlantic Europe as a cultural unit and/or as an biogeographical region....
when they reached the Paris Basin
Paris Basin (geology)
The Paris Basin is one of the major geological regions of France having developed since the Triassic on a basement formed by the Variscan orogeny.-Extent:...
.
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soils from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
to the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
and the Paris Basin
Paris Basin
Paris Basin may refer to:*As a hydrological basin, it is largely the basin of the River Seine* Paris Basin , the geological basin...
. They made LBK pottery and kept domesticated cows, pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s, dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, sheep and goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s. The diagnostic tool
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
of the culture is the Shoe-last celt
Shoe-last celt
A Shoe-last celt is a long thin stone tool characteristic of the early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik and Hinkelstein cultures, also called Danubian I in the older literature. See also celt.-Appearance:...
, a kind of long thin stone adze
Adze
An adze is a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards his feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind...
which was used to fell trees and sometimes as a weapon, evidenced by the skulls found at Talheim, Neckar
Talheim, Neckar
Talheim is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is commonly known for its wine, the tennis tournament Heilbronn Open in its industrial park, and, additionally, for the Death Pit discovered in 1983....
in Germany and Schletz in Austria. Settlements consisted of longhouse
Neolithic long house
The Neolithic long house was a long, narrow timber dwelling built by the first farmers in Europe beginning at least as early as the period 5000 to 6000 BC. This type of architecture represents the largest free-standing structure in the world in its era...
s. According to a theory by Eduard Sangmeister, these settlements were abandoned, possibly as fertile land was exhausted, and then reoccupied perhaps when the land had lain fallow for long enough. In contrast, Peter Modderman and Jens Lüning believe the settlements were constantly inhabited, with individual families using specific plots (Hofplätze). They also imported spondylus
Spondylus
Spondylus is a genus of bivalve molluscs, the only genus in the family Spondylidae. As well as being the systematic or scientific name, Spondylus is also the most often used common name for these animals, though they are also known as thorny oysters or spiny oysters.There are many species of...
shells from the Mediterranean.
A second wave of the culture, which used painted pottery with Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
tic influences, superseded the first phase starting around 4500 BC. This was followed by a third wave which used stroke-ornamented ware
Stroke-ornamented ware
The Stroke-ornamented ware or Stichbandkeramik , Stroked Pottery culture, Danubian Ib culture of V...
.
Danubian sites include those at Bylany
Bylany (archaeology)
Bylany is a Danubian Neolithic settlement located around east of Prague in the Czech region of Bohemia. Excavation began in 1956 and work continues today....
in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Köln-Lindenthal in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.