ABSTRACT

The spread of arable and stock farming reached parts of western Central Europe from the middle of the 6th millennium cal BC onwards, where the earliest and contextually unequivocal agricultural finds are of the early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) or, simply Bandkeramik culture. The LBK settlement, structures and the evidence from graves provide no indication of social ranking and it is likely that a more or less egalitarian social structure existed at that, time. This chapter considers an archaeobotanical dataset from certain Bandkeramik sites. Sherds of a foreign pottery have been found in some settlements of the western distribution area of the LBK culture. This is La Hoguette pottery, the decorative style of this pottery suggests some form of relationship with the Mediterranean Cardial culture. Compared with later prehistoric periods the Bandkeramik agricultural system appears relatively restricted as far as the crop species are concerned.