1st Conference on the
EARLY NEOLITHIC of EUROPE
The Unit ‘Archaeology of Social
Dynamics’, hosted in the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC-IMF,
Barcelona), in collaboration with the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, has organized the 1st Conference on the EARLY
NEOLITHIC of EUROPE (Barcelona, 6-8 November, 2019). This conference aims to be a meeting of researchers
studying the early Neolithic in Europe and surroundings areas, in relation with
the neolithisation process in the continent. This process followed different
rhythms and presented singularities in each geographic area, and was therefore
a very complex phenomenon. In order to address this scientific challenge, the
conference is organised in nine thematic sessions:
1. Neolithic spread and supraregional interactions (Chair: Catherine Perlès,
Université Paris Nanterre). This session will be devoted to understanding the
origin of the earliest farming communities in Europe, focusing on their
diffusion from the Near East into Europe, the subsequent spread within the
continent and the development of supraregional interactions. We will take into
account population movements/migration, plants, animals and abiotic material
circulation and technological transfers between regions. Comparative studies of
the similarities or differences observed in key aspects of the neolithisation
processes in these regions are also encouraged. Another research topic covered
by this session is the role of the north African Neolithic in the early stages
of the neolithisation process in parts of southern Europe, such as the southern
Iberian Peninsula.
2.
Chronology and modelling (Chair: Stephen Shennan, University
College London). The introduction of the Neolithic followed different dynamics
in each geographical area in the European continent. Chronological modelling
has changed and redefined our understanding of the neolithisation processes
with the development of high resolution and precise regional models. The
establishment of a high resolution and robust chronology for the appearance and
spread of Neolithic novelties is able to determine the timing of social
interaction between the last hunter-gatherers and first farming societies. This
session is intended to be a forum for the critical assessment of chronological
models, dating methods and radiocarbon programs as a way to refine the
understanding of the timing and rhythms of the processes related to the
development of the Early Neolithic.
3.
Human–environment interaction (Chair: Jean-François Berger, Université
Lumière Lyon). This
session aims to investigate human-environmental interaction during the early
stages of the Neolithic in Europe. We intend to unite the archaeological record
with environmental sciences to produce integrated regional studies about past
human-environmental interaction at the beginning of the farming economy.
Contributions will focus on environmental and human responses to climate
changes, their effects on population dynamics and on the process of the spread
of farming itself. Specific research topics covered within this session include
the impact of sea level changes on coastal settlements, human responses to
aridity and hydrological stress, impact of human activities on the landscape,
resilience or vulnerability of the first farming systems to climate instability
and their relationships with the ecosystems in which they developed.
4.
Population characteristics and
dynamics (Chair:
Mattias Jakobsson, Uppsala Universitet). Defining bioanthropological
characteristics of the first farming communities and local hunter-gatherers is
a key approach to gain a better knowledge about the agents of the
neolithisation process. This section will integrate aspects dealing with health
and stress markers in skeletons or genetic and epigenetic characterization of
populations. Studies on population dynamics could include research on group
size, age structure, endogamy-exogamy in reproduction or death and birth rates.
Mechanisms of migration, of both hunter-gatherers and farmers and their
demographic interaction, via substitution, interbreeding or group fusion and
fission are also important aspects to elucidate in this session.
5.
Territory and settlement (Chair: Daniela Hofmann, University
of Hamburg). The new economic bases inherent in the development of farming
communities entailed a new type of relationship with the territory and
resources. We propose that the settlement pattern can be analysed as a proxy to
approach human-territory interaction and the inhabitation of landscapes, taking
into account aspects such as settlement duration, nature and seasonality of
occupations or inter-site relationships, among others. The exploitation of
resources will also be approached, stressing the mobility of Neolithic
communities in their territories. Contributions focusing on intra-site perspectives,
such as the organization of the inhabited spaces according to the activities
carried out there, or the development of territoriality as a social strategy,
are also encouraged.
6.
Subsistence (Chair: Amy Bogaard, University of
Oxford). The beginning of arable farming and animal husbandry are among the
most significant questions to track changes in Early Neolithic life, although
the rhythm of the changes and their spread through Europe are still under
debate. This session aims to bring together researchers working on the
introduction of new species, the exploitation of wild resources –including
hunting, fishing or gathering-, and husbandry strategies, taking into account
regional singularities. Studies approaching human diet by means of isotopic analyses,
tooth micro-wear, etc. are also welcomed. The ultimate goal is to obtain a
Europe-wide perspective about when and how farming was adopted in different
regions, and the characteristics of the subsistence strategies.
7.
Technological processes (Chair: Annelou van Gijn,
Universiteit Leiden). A range of technological innovations derived from the
broad socioeconomic changes that took place during the Mesolithic to Neolithic
transition. For this session, we are interested in contributions dealing with
both innovations and the continuity and/or transformation of previous
technological processes. In this sense, we especially encourage contributions
focusing on the appearance and proliferation of new technologies, tool-types
and tasks associated with the new subsistence practices, such as sickle blades
and harvesting, cooking and storage technologies related to pottery production
and use, and exploitation of new raw materials and resources due to a more
intensive use of the territory.
8.
Funerary practices (Chair: Christian Jeunesse, Université de
Strasbourg). Rites
related to funerary practices reveal customs and habits connected with human
behaviour in the face of death, symbolic thought and ideology. On the one hand,
these topics will be addressed by means of the study of mortuary sites,
emphasising the location of tombs and their relationship with others in the
vicinity, to determine the character of these places. Special attention will be
paid to the funerary architecture as well as the arrangement of the space in order
to accommodate the corpses. On the other hand, contributions concerning the
body position, its arrangement for burial and the characteristics of objects
and offerings linked to the individuals as grave goods are considered for this
session.
9.
Symbolism (Chair: Goce Naumov, University
Goce Delcev). Shifts in symbolic concepts and representations are some of the
key innovations appearing in the Neolithic. The relevance of human iconography,
symbolic depictions at open-air painted or engraved sites, the use of pottery
as a surface to represent graphic conventions and symbols, and the
monumentalization of the landscape are some of the manifestations of a new way
of understanding concepts related to human beings, society and the relationship
with nature appearing in the Neolithic. This session aims to be a forum for the
discussion of traditional and new approaches in the study of these phenomena
among the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers and their contribution to
the understanding of the neolithisation process.
The call
for abstracts is open from October 1, 2018 to May 15, 2019. We positively
welcome multidisciplinary approaches, regional syntheses and/or contextualised
case studies. For more details, please check the conference website: www.ene2019.org
