Forskningsseminariet i arkeologi bjuder in till seminarium med Åsa Larsson, Riksantikvarieämbetet, som talar om "Change that matters. Revealing mobility, exchange and networks across the Baltic Sea in the 3rd millennium BCE through pottery analysis".
Abstract: In the 3rd millennium BCE, various Beaker cultures spread over much of Europe. Ancient DNA and isotope analyses have shown that population movements were a major contributing factor to these changes, establishing a foundation for the European Bronze Age networks. However, prehistoric organic remains are rare in many regions, making it difficult to pinpoint local and regional variations within the larger framework. Human mobility can also involve exchange or relocation after marriage as important social interaction effecting change, both in terms of culture and technology.
Pottery is introduced into South Sweden with the Funnel Beaker culture. The pottery in eastern central Sweden undergoes two distinct changes after this, first with the appearance of Pitted Ware culture in the late 4th millennium BC and later with the appearance of Battle Axe culture pottery (beakers). Analysing craft changes through the framework of chaîne opératoire reveal that there are two very different social processes driving these two changes. However, the networks established through the Pitted Ware/Comb ware cultures probably affect the spread of Corded Ware culture across the Baltic Sea to a significant degree. I will present a SEM EDS and PIXE analysis on clay properties and geochemistry of Corded Ware pottery from Finland, Estonia and Sweden. The results show complex inter-site and cross-Baltic Sea pottery exchange patterns that probably result both from resettlement and exchange. The long-term patterns of contact and mobility became more defined by analyzing the grog temper as well, i.e. previous generations of pots that were repurposed to make the new beakers.
