Archaeological Sequence for N Europe.

From: Mark Odegard
Message: 3007
Date: 2000-08-08

Archaeological Sequence for Northern Europe.

LBK/Linear Band Ware Culture.

The Linear Band Ware (German Linearbandkeramik) culture is the major Neolithic culture of temperate Europe which spanned the region from the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France on the west to Romania and the Ukraine on the east. The culture flourished during the period 5500-4500 BC.
--EIEC, 'Linear Ware Culture', p. 354.
Mixed agriculture and stockbreeding. This is suggested to be PIE for those favoring a Danubian/Northern European Urheimat. It is away from any seashore, and the paucity of IE terms for the oceans agrees with this.

The Black Sea flood occurs ca. 5500 BCE. The southeastern corner of LBK would have know of it, at least through word-of-mouth, and perhaps directly from refugees.

Lengyl Culture.

The Lengyel Culture was the eastern successor of the Linear Band Ware culture, especially in the lands west of the Tisza river,  i.e., southern Poland south to Croatia and from Hungary, Slovakia and northeast Austria. The culture dates to c 5000-3400 BC.
EIES, 'Lengyl Culture', p. 349.
Cattle, pigs, sheep; grain.

This could be PIE speaking. Hungary seems the logical place to look for the homeland, but I listen to my betters.

Rössen Culture.

Successor to the Linear Ware Culture in western Europe c 4500-4000 BC. Rössen sites are known from northwestern France across southern and central Germany to eastern Switzerland.
--EIEC, 'Rössen Culture', p. 489.
They had agriculture.

TRB/Funnel Beaker Culture.

The TRB (Trichterbecher or 'Funnel-necked-beaker') culture is the primary Neolithic culture of the north European plain c 4500-2700 BC. Sites are distributed from the Netherlands across northern Europe, including the Netherlands, south Scandinavia, Germany, Poland and the northwest Ukraine.
--EIEC, 'TRB Culture', p. 596)
Their economy was mixed agricultural with some pastoralism. They are either said to be culturally descended from the Rossen and Lengyel cultures, but it is also argued they were natives and adopted cultural traits from newcomer agriculturalists. First wheeled vehicles in northern Europe. Kiev is near or within its southeast corner.

If you want a northern Europe Urheimat, this might be it. For such a model to work, I think you have to allow wholesale language replacement, if even only one IE dialect by another.

Globular Amphora Culture.

The Globular Amphora (German Kuglamphoren) culture was distributed broadly across central and eastern Europe, from the Elbe to the middle Dneiper, c 3400-2800 BC.
EIEC, 'Globular Amphora Culture', p. 226).
A successor to the Funnel Beakers.  Domestic horses. Apparently, suttee was practiced. This may indeed be 'kurganized'.

Corded Ware Culture.

The Corded Ware culture is the major north and central European cultural group of the Copper Age during the period c 3200-2300 BC. The culture, reflected primarily by its burials, is know from the Netherlands and Switzerland in the west, across southern Scandinavia and central Europe as far east as the upper Volga (Fatyanovo-Balanovo culture) in Russia and the middle Dnieper (Middle Dneiper culture) and in the Ukraine.
--EIEC, 'Corded Ware Culture', p. 127.
Once bruited as *the* PIE homeland culture (coming from the west). Still regarded as primarily an IE phenomenon. Agriculture and stockbreeding. Everybody had wheeled vehicles by now. PIE has probably broken up by now. Anatolic is probably off south of the Danube involved with the Ezero Culture.

Mark.