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The authors present an early evidence for the use of complex fishing techniques for obtaining variable fish resources in prehistoric south-east Europe as recovered at the Neolithic site of Vinča – Belo Brdo in Serbia. In particular, a group of bone artefacts have been analysed through the application of an integrated approach combining technological, use-wear, and residue analyses as well as the comparisons with ethnographic artefacts. The results of the functional analysis indicate that these artefacts were parts of lure hooks, i.e. composite hooks, probably used to catch large predatory fish. On methodological grounds, the discussion proposed in this paper could be relevant for other case studies worldwide where one finds prehistoric communities with evidence of fishing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a geochemical analysis of a remarkable assemblage from the early La Tène period (4th century BCE): the Duchcov hoard found in the late 19th century in north-western Bohemia. More than a thousand pieces of bronze jewellery (mostly brooches and bracelets) in a bronze cauldron were deposited in a natural spring. This possibly ritual offering of unknown purpose might have involved a large community whose origin and structure could be discussed using archaeometric data from the hoard. The typologically and chronologically highly homogeneous assemblage with stylistic parallels across western and central Europe offers a unique opportunity to study Iron Age bronze metalworking, for which scientific data in Europe are still sparse. The assemblage was studied using a range of methods to derive information on the composition of the alloys and to determine their provenance using trace element patterns and lead isotope analysis. The results show that this seemingly homogeneous assemblage contains several chemically distinctive groups that are compatible with the spread of the so-called Duchcov-Münsingen horizon in the 4th century BCE. Mobility patterns or economic networks that may have resulted in such diverse geochemical data are discussed. The paper also discusses the multi-statistical approach to evaluating data in order to determine provenance. The findings and their narrative are discussed in the historical framework of the 'Celtic migrations' in Europe in the 4th century BCE. • First publication of the geochemical analysis of early La Tène objects in Europe. • Lead isotopes revealed a remarkably wide geographical spread for the samples. • Object origins identified across western and central Europe. • Robust statistical methods were used to discuss provenance. • The provenance of metals is linked either to people's mobility patterns or possible exchange networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct evidence for the intentional patination of metal objects is difficult to ascertain and therefore studies concerning this technique are controversial. Only a couple of objects with artificially patinated surfaces have been positively identified, ranging in date from the early 2nd millennium BC to Roman and medieval times. In this paper a skillfully crafted and coloured Early Iron Age bronze axe belonging to the Villanova culture of ancient Italy was selected for examination. Optical microscopy and multiple mineralogical analyses of the surface of this object demonstrate that it was patinated deliberately by a thermal treatment technology (thermal patination). So far, this Iron Age axe is the oldest European object where this technology had been applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical models of Neolithic spread use dispersal histograms to estimate some of the parameters necessary to obtain quantitative spread rates that can be compared to those inferred from the archaeological record. However, it has been never determined if dispersal histograms are a reasonable approximation to the complete distribution of dispersal distances. Indeed, it is unknown if long-distance dispersal events are important in Neolithic spread, similarly to what happens in many ecological invasions. In this paper, we first exemplify the possible importance of long-distance dispersal by using a detailed histogram for a modern, industrialized population. We show that using such an histogram yields substantially faster spread rates than those of Neolithic waves of advance, and that this is due to the existence of long-distance dispersal events (of several hundred kilometers). Next we address the question of whether such a behavior is also observed in pre-industrial populations. For this purpose, we use a complete set of dispersal distances for the individuals of a pre-industrial population for the first time, and we find that long-distance dispersal events (i.e., of several hundred kilometers) are absent. We also show that, using this complete set of dispersal distances, the spread rates predicted by a mathematical model are consistent with those of the Neolithic, both in continental Europe and in Scandinavia. Moreover we observe, quite surprisingly, that computing histograms (even with only 4 bins) from the complete set of individual distances introduces negligible changes in the results. We argue that these results (the absence of long-distance dispersal events, the agreement with the archaeological record, and the validity of the histogram approach) imply that the propagation of Neolithic waves of advance can be described using a sound mathematical approach, which also yields reliable estimates on the relative importance of demic and cultural diffusion. This is applied to several case studies (Europe, Scandinavia and some specific ceramic cultures in Neolithic Europe). • We apply a pre-industrial census to estimate dispersal distances between birthplaces of parent and their children. • Dispersal histograms (even with only 4 bins) are a reasonable approximation to the complete set of dispersal distances. • We analyze the spread of the Neolithic in Europe, Scandinavia and some specific ceramic cultures in Neolithic Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various research fields, from archaeology to landscape history and ecology, it is important to know the date of the origin of historical settlements (i.e. towns, villages, hamlets, isolated farms) as precisely as possible. In Central Europe, there are two primary ways to obtain the date when a settlement was founded: "historical dating" (based on historical written sources) and "archaeological dating" (based on archaeological findings). Historical dating usually does not reflect the real time of origin, since the first reference to a settlement in written sources can be recorded many years after the real origin of the settlement. However, the time lag is unknown. Until now, no study has attempted to show exactly how the time lag differs in different centuries, or whether the time lag has been affected by any geographical factors. This paper compares the dates of origin from archaeological data and from written sources of medieval and early modern settlements (n = 527, AD 850–1600) in the present-day Czech Republic. We also tested the influence of local environmental conditions on the time lag. Our comparison shows that the time lag has been decreasing with the passing of calendar years (from a time lag of 250 years for AD 1000 to approx. 80 years for AD 1400). Towns and places close to major towns also have a shorter time lag in their historical dating (the difference is almost 100 years). These results make an interpretation of the historical dating of medieval towns and villages more complicated. The length of the time lag and its dispersion means that, for the purposes of settlement dating, historical dating needs to be combined with other dating methods (especially in the medieval period). Our results also identify a possible bias in the chronology of landscape transformation. • Written sources are not reliable for dating medieval settlements in Central Europe. • We have assessed the concordance between written sources and archaeological data. • The usual time lag in written sources decreases with increasing calendar year. • Around AD 1200, the typical time lag of written sources is 150 years. • Around AD 1600, written sources agree with archaeological data in 70% of the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]