The early days of Neolithic Alsónyék: the Starčevo occupation

Abstract

The excavations at Alsónyék revealed numerous Starčevo features, over 50 in the southern part of subsite 10B and some 500 in subsite 5603. The overwhelming majority of the features uncovered were individual pits and pit complexes. Traces of houses or above-ground structures were recorded, but no certain house plans could be identified; numerous hearths and ovens were found. 25 Starčevo burials have been identified, with some in disused pits and ovens. The occupation excavated in subsite 5603 was substantial, the largest yet discovered in Transdanubia. The north-west distribution of the Early Neolithic cultural complex of the northern Balkans – the Starčevo, Körös and Criş cultures – represents the first food-producing communities in many parts of the Carpathian basin. Starčevo sites are now known in the southern part of western Hungary up to Lake Balaton, but there are many unresolved questions about the precise chronology of the Early Neolithic in Transdanubia and beyond, in the Starčevo-Körös-Criş complex as a whole, and about the character and identity of the first farmers of the region. This paper presents 34 radiocarbon dates from 33 samples, interpreted within a Bayesian framework, for the dating of the Starčevo occupation at Alsónyék. 18 samples of human and animal bone were selected as part of the OTKA-funded project Alsónyék: from the beginnings of food production to the end of the Neolithic in collaboration with the ERC- funded The Times of Their Lives project, in conjunction with 15 existing dates from human burials. The programme aimed to date Starčevo occupation and burials at Alsónyék, and in so doing to contribute to further understanding of the character and pace of the spread of the Neolithic way of life in the region. The Bayesian model presented estimates that Starčevo activity probably began in 5775–5740 cal BC (68% probability), probably lasted for 190–245 years (68% probability), and probably ended in 5560–5525 cal BC (68% probability). The transition from pottery Style group 1 to 2 probably occurred in 5760–5730 cal BC (68% probability), with the transition from pottery Style group 2 to 3 probably in 5595–5570 cal BC (68% probability).The implications of these estimates for the character of the Starčevo occupation at Alsónyék are discussed, as well as for the wider development of the Starčevo culture and of the Early Neolithic in the region as a whole. The current picture suggests the densest Starčevo presence in south-east Transdanubia within the Hungarian distribution of the culture, with a gradual spread to the north later on. The results also demonstrate that Early Neolithic settlements in western Hungary lasted for a substantial period of time, across several human generations.