Project Details
Projekt
Studies on Settlement, Economic and Social Archaeology of the Early Neolithic in the Itz Valley (Upper Franconia)
Subject Area
Prehistory and World Archaeology
Term
from 2014 to 2017
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 268795081
The Linear Pottery Culture (also Linearbandkeramik, LBK) is one of the best examined epochs of European Prehistory. What still is a major issue concerning research of this first farming culture of Central Europe is the insufficient correlation between absolute dates and relative phases based on archaeological methods. The latter do allow detailed reconstructions of the process of settlement formation in relative sequence, but so far the absolute chronological relations within the sixth millennium B.C. only rarely can be assured by absolute dating with the required precision. Due to the excellent preservation the excavation of a large LBK settlement near Stadel (Upper Franconia, Bavaria) offers the opportunity to close this research gap by using modern methods.On the basis of the exceptionally good source material of this so far largest excavated area of a LBK settlement in Northern Bavaria major topics concerning landscape development and subsistence of the first farmers in Upper Franconia can be discussed by carrying out scientific analysis. Considering the nearby sites, a closed settlement area of the second half of the sixth millennium B.C. can be defined within the Itz-Baunach-Hügelland. This, for the first time for this region, allows us to combine the results on different spatial scales focusing on Chronology as well as Economic and Social Archaeology. The Itz-Baunach-Hügelland therefore has the potential to become a key area for research on the LBK in southern Germany and beyond.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
