New investigations, spearhead by scientists from the University of Vienna and Harvard University, indicate that communities belonging to the Linear Pottery Culture (Linearbandkeramik, LBK), who were pioneers in disseminating agriculture across extensive European territories, exhibited no discernible evidence of societal stratification.
Prehistoric Central European women’s manual labor was tougher than rowing in today’s boat crews.
“The agricultural revolution in Central Europe commenced during the 6th millennium BCE,” stated Dr. Pere Gelabert of the University of Vienna, in conjunction with his colleagues.
“Within a remarkably compressed timeframe of only a few generations, agriculturalists originating from the Balkan region disseminated themselves along the Danube corridor into what now comprises France, and extended eastward into the territories of present-day Hungary and Ukraine.”
“While the cultural remnants left by these early farmers present a striking homogeneity across vast geographical expanses, spanning thousands of kilometers, the scarcity of comprehensive genetic data derived from numerous family units has historically impeded a thorough understanding of whether these societies operated on principles of social egalitarianism, or for that matter, to ascertain the precise individuals responsible for the continental migrations.”
In their comprehensive research endeavor, Dr. Gelabert and his collaborative team meticulously sequenced and analyzed the genomic profiles of 250 individuals from the LBK period, in addition to examining other substantial datasets.
“The LBK populace experienced territorial expansion exceeding hundreds of kilometers within mere generations,” Dr. Gelabert elaborated.
“We identified genetically linked individuals in Slovakia and others in Western Germany, separated by distances surpassing 800 kilometers.”
“This investigation marks the inaugural instance of reporting that familial units at the archaeological study sites of Nitra in Slovakia and Polgár-Ferenci-hát in Hungary did not exhibit disparities in their dietary consumption patterns,” observed Dr. Ron Pinhasi, a distinguished researcher at the University of Vienna.
“This observation strongly implies that the inhabitants of these Neolithic settlements were not organized hierarchically based on kinship structures or biological sex, and crucially, we found no indicators of inequality, which is understood in this context as differential access to resources or living spaces.”
The LBK cultural phenomenon drew to a close circa 5000 BCE, with a multitude of hypotheses having been put forth to elucidate the factors contributing to its dissolution.
Certain theories posit that this era was characterized by significant socio-economic challenges, frequently linked to instances of pervasive interpersonal conflict.
“Among the most notable documented events is the Massacre of Asparn-Schletz in Lower Austria, where the remains of over 100 individuals were exhumed from an ancient ditch network,” the research team noted.
“This site, alongside the location at Herxheim in Germany, represents one of the most substantial known collections of individuals who met a violent end during the Early Neolithic period. The skeletal remains bear clear evidence of trauma and multiple fractures.”
“Our rigorous genetic examination of the individuals recovered from Asparn-Schletz revealed that fewer than 10 were genetically related, which fundamentally challenges the prevailing hypothesis that the massacre constituted an event involving a singular, cohesive population group,” Dr. Gelabert stated.
“Prior anthropological investigations had already identified a notable paucity of young women among the remains, and our contemporary genetic data further substantiates a complete absence of familial connections within this group.”
“The substantial presence of numerous children among the deceased opens avenues for a variety of interpretations regarding this significant episode of Neolithic violence.”
The conclusions drawn from this research have been formally published in the esteemed journal Nature Human Behaviour.
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P. Gelabert et al. Social and genetic diversity in first farmers of central Europe. Nat Hum Behav, published online November 29, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-02034-z
