Re: [tied] LBK and IE

On Wed, 31 Oct 2001 14:30:35 -0800 (PST), george knysh
<gknysh@...> wrote:

>Just want to draw your attention to a very interesting
>article by Marek Nowak in the September 2001 issue of
>ANTIQUITY ("The second phase of neolithization in
>East-Central Europe", pp. 582-592). Nowak argues that
>LBK sites "aggregate mostly in small agricultural
>enclaves distinguished by highly fertile soil" (582).
>On p. 586 he notes about 11 such on the territory of
>Poland (perhaps 5-8% of the land).

But how many % of the population?

>These enclaves
>apparently remained stable for hundreds of years after
>the disappearance of LBK. The territory "in between"
>continued to be inhabited by Mesolithic foragers. So
>this initial agriculturalization produced "small
>islands of farmers" among "the immense sea of
>foragers" (p. 590).

I don't think that's entirely accurate. In terms of surface, yes, in
terms of demographics, I'd like to point out that quote from Renfrew
again, where it is stated that early Neolithic farming allowed for a
population density of what was it, 5000%? higher than
hunting-gathering.

>Nowak argues that it is only by
>and by that these foragers became interested in
>farming. But the break came shortly after 4000 BC. He
>considers the TRB (Funnel Beaker culture) to be not so
>much a development of previous farming communities as
>a creation of Mesolithic ex-foragers ready to make the
>transition to agriculture. The rest (incl. his
>arguments {from Mesolithic "forest management" to
>"farming") I omit here.===

He certainly has a point for the Ertebölle-Ellerbek culture.