No future? No past? Mesolithic heritage in Neolithic burials

Abstract

Summary
Social economic processes during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition are divers in their character, duration, and conseqeunces in different regions of Europe. Burial mode and offerings of personal ornaments in Neolithic graveyards show the Mesolithic heritage of the dead. These facts partly form a contrast to the general Neolithic-centric view. Archaeology, palaeogenetics and isotopic examination should be better coordinated in future research. Is genetic relationship much less important for the cultural orientation, the economy, and the collective identity than has been widely assumed up to now? This question will be discussed on the basis of different examples from Central Europe that illustrate the currently available information.

• early neolithic
• lithic artefacts
• mesoliithic burials
• middle neolithic
• neolithic
• personal ornaments
• stable isotopes

Resources

• Gehlen_MesoBurials_Halle_2017.pdf

Bibliography

Gehlen, B. (2016): No future? No past? Mesolithic heritage in Neolithic burials. Landesmuseum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Halle. B. Gehlen, No future? No past? Mesolithic heritage in Neolithic burials. In: Mesolithic Burials - Rites, symbols and social organisation of early postglacial communities. International Conference in Halle (Saale), Germany, 18th-21st September 2013. Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle 15 (Halle [Saale] 2016), Vol. 2, 827-849.