Bylany (archaeological site)

The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) comes from the German word ‘Linearbandkeramik’, which translates to ‘linear band pottery’.[3][4] The name is derived from the style of pottery decoration used by the culture, more so the incised lines or bands.[4][12] Bylany is one of the largest LBK settlements in central Europe.[4][6] The genesis of the LBK is thought to be in the Carpathian basin.[6][16] Estimates place the culture at the site at around 5600-5500 cal. BC until approximately 5000-4900 cal. BC.[4][7] The LBK period at Bylany is thought to have had 25 settlement phases.[3]

The Stroked Pottery culture (STK), originating from the German word ‘Stichbandkeramik’ translating into English “Stitch band pottery”, was the successor to the LBK.[3][5][14][17] The culture gets its name from the different style of pottery decoration used, which was the narrower engraved lines, increased density of strokes, and proliferation of engraved lines with punctures.[12] The estimated timeline of the culture is the period between 5000 cal. BC and 4400 cal. BC.[12][14] These dates are conflicted with one study suggesting the date is 4950-4400 cal. BC.[14]

The changing of pottery style is the feature that defines the chronology of the LBK and STK cultures.[12][14][15] The pottery differs in decorative features with both cultures using numerous characteristics that differentiated one another.[4][12][15] LBK cultures can be seen to have used engraved broad grooves, engraved lines, engraved bands filled with punctures, engraved lines with punctures, dense punctures on a very fine engraved line, independent punctures, and engraved lines with adjacent punctures.[4][12][15] The STK cultures began to use narrower engraved lines, increased density of strokes, and proliferation of engraved lines with punctures.[4][12]

An example of pottery crafted by the Stroked Pottery culture.

A generalised Neolithic longhouse that would be found at Neolithic sites such as Bylany.

Two units of pottery were created; coarse ceramics (course ware) and fine ceramics (fine ware), both with individual uses in society.[12] Course ware can be identified by its course, thick walls, whereas fine ware was of an elegant appearance typically with engraved linear decorations.[12] Fine ware is thought to have needed a great proficiency as the decorations were more complex (incised lines), whereas course ware did not necessary demand this skill.[12] Various cases have found that LBK and STK fine ware share commonalities.[15] Course ware is theorised to have been used for food preparation, storage, and packaging.[12] Fine ware in contrast is believed to have been used for food consumption.[12]

Archaeologists use modern technology such as micro-tomography (uCT) as one way to determine the manufacturing technique used to create the pottery.[17] This technique was created to visualise the inner structure of i.e. pottery sherds.[17] The digital creation shows the porous structure and geometrical parameters (total porosity, pore size distribution and pore shape).[17] This technique is able to identify the organic temper in cases where all the organic material is burnt due to the firing process in hardening the pottery paste.[17]

LBK Neolithic pottery was created by a facet of techniques.[17] One technique is the coiling of the potters clay.[17] The clay is rolled out into a cylindrical shape.[17] The clay is then coiled and layered onto one another forming any basic or more complex structure desired.[17]

Archaeologists theorise techniques in which the pottery was tempered.[15] One theorised technique is adding cow-dung in varying ratios to be used for tempering the clay, this may increase the clays plasticity.[15] A modern study tested the hypothesis that dung was used in the crafting of pottery.[18] The study suggests that the "presence of gel-forming hydrated organic polymers increases the clay's plasticity".[18] The porous nature of the resultant vessel may also serve to preserve water in warmer condition as the pot keeps the contents cool by permitting slow evaporation through the porous walls.[18] Other organic tempering materials may have been used by the LBK such as wood and straw, these materials leave voids in the pottery with specific morphology.[17]

Socio-economic status and or newcomers from other LBK settlements are theorised to have produced atypical decorations on pottery.[15] This theory is postulated on the basis that the finding of these types of fragments are in smaller houses.[15]

None of the physical structures remain from the Neolithic period at Bylany, rather they have left imprints to the likes of pits, post holes, grooves and foundation trenches in the ground and archaeologist are able to decrypt their formal and spatial relationship.[2][4][7]

An aerial image of a Neolithic rondel.

One common structure includes longhouses, referred to as European Neolithic longhouses, which were made of wooden timber framing and wattle daub walls and typically ranged in length between four and fifty meters, with early studies (1950s) and more recent (2013) studies placing the average between six and twenty meters.[2][4][6] Long houses were typically a quadrangular shape.[6] The elevation of these structures is debated, as it is unknown if the houses were on terrain level or elevated.[4] Long houses are thought to have originated in the Carpathian basin, specifically in western Hungary.[6][16] Past research suggested that longhouses were rather from the western section of central Europe, as this type of finding was rare in the Carpathian basin.[6][16] Recent excavations in Transdanubia (Hungry) has provided evidence of sedentary life and the formative period.[6][16] It uncovered the earliest Central European house type.[6][16] Extensive excavations in the Balaton region and across Transdanubia have also revealed 45,050 LBK houses (arranged in regular rows).[6][16] The finding of LBK houses in the Transdanubia has risen ten-fold.[6][16]

A typical structure in agricultural areas of Central Europe (including Bylany) are rondels, sometimes referred to as earthworks enclosures, circular ditched enclosures, or Kreisgrabenanlagen.[5] They are circular ditched enclosures, usually with palisades forming what is speculated to be some sort of defensive structure.[5] Rondels date to at least the fifth millennium BC and can be associated with both the LBK and STK cultures.[5] The artefacts were identified using non-destructive methods i.e. aerial or geophysical prospection.[5] Issues arise with these methodologies as the thick layer of loess beneath the topsoil does not allow for clear visualisation of these features.[5] Some studies have opted to use magneto-metric (Geometrics G-806 and G-816 proton magnetometers, Geoscan Research FM-36 single fluxgate gradiometer, and the Magneto-Arch five-channel fluxgate gradiometer system with FMG-650B fluxgate gradiometer) surveying techniques.[5] The Bohemia region alone has uncovered 30 Neolithic rondels, archaeologist are adamant that there are a greater number yet to be discovered.[5] In the 1980s the postulated and "archaeologically anticipated" double ditched circular enclosure was documented.[5] The specifications for the double ditched enclosure were: Inner ditch 90m diameter, 2.2m width, and a 1.3m depth; Outer ditch 110m diameter, 2.4m width, and a 1.3m depth. Later studies (1990-1992) identified a third outer ditch, which was considered to be irregular.[5]

Optical 3D scanning is not new in the field of archaeology.[7] It can scan an object or environment and create a point cloud of the sample, which can be reconstructed to create a three-dimensional image which can, if chosen, display colour and texture.[7][19] This type of device has the advantage of creating realistic spatial models of the artefact.[7] The device used in this study was the smartSCAN-3D scanner.[7]

Multi-image photogrammetry uses multiple images in conjunction with specific software to create three-dimensional objects.[7] This study used Photomodeler and ImageMaster as the processing software.[7] It has enabled archaeologists to digitise immovable objects.[7]

Three-dimensional models are created using the two-dimensional data i.e., floor plans and aerial photos.[7] After a preliminary image is created extra layers are added such as the roofing, string walls and interior and exterior equipment.[7] The authors of this report opted to use the programme Blender (open source).[7]

The Neolithic period (9500 cal. BC – 1900 cal. BC), which current evidence (cultivation and animal domestication) suggests began in southwest Asia in 9500 cal. BC, changed the way we as human survived and diminished the necessity of hunting and gathering with the adoption of farming and animal keeping.[4][3][7] Evidence found at Bylany (settlement agglomeration) and even Eythra (wooden water wells), Herxheim (rondels with human remains), and Těšetice (circle wall enclosures), have shifted the insight into the first European farmers.