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On account of recent developments in the absolute chronology of circular-shaped grave deposits from Bavaria, new bibliographic research and a series of discoveries in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain, we can now advance the hypothesis of an origin of this phenomenon in Central Europe, between the Czech Republic and Bavaria. These regions have yielded the earliest deposits with typologies encompassing all of the defined categories: burials in conventional or non-conventional positions, asymmetrical deposits, mixed deposits, anatomic segments, etc. The introduction of this practice in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain and in the Neckar Valley, undoubtedly under the direct influence of Münchshofen, occurs in the second third of the 5th millennium: it is illustrated in particular by mixed deposits, anatomic segments, isolated individuals in conventional or non-conventional positions, singular deposits with a warrior connotation and deposits of animals. The Michelsberg culture, attested in Lower Alsace at the end of the millennium, perpetuates this practice which undergoes a new development during the middle stage of this culture and a direct diffusion towards Upper Alsace. To the east, in Slovakia, it is possible that the group from Ludanice, affected by the phenomenon during the last centuries of the 5th millennium, played a relay role in diffusion towards early Trichterbecherkultur groups.Thus, rather than a progressive diffusion of the phenomenon from the Chassean towards Michelsberg, then towards the Danubian regions, we propose a polycentric model in which South and Central Europe evolve separately without necessarily interacting. De récentes mises au point sur la chronologie absolue des dépôts en fosse de plan circulaire en Bavière, de nouvelles recherches bibliographiques ainsi qu’une série de découvertes réalisées dans le sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur nous permettent d’émettre l’hypothèse d’une origine de ce phénomène en Europe centrale, entre la Tchéquie et la Bavière. Ces régions ont en effet livré les dépôts les plus anciens et leur typologie recouvre l’ensemble des catégories définies : inhumations en position conventionnelle ou non conventionnelle, dépôts asymétriques, dépôts mixtes, segments anatomiques, etc. L’introduction de cette pratique dans le sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur et dans la vallée du Neckar, sans doute sous influence Münchshofen directe, intervient dans le second tiers du 5e millénaire. Elle est notamment illustrée par des dépôts mixtes, des segments anatomiques, des individus isolés en position conventionnelle ou non, des dépôts singuliers à connotation guerrière et des dépôts d’animaux. La culture de Michelsberg, attestée en Basse-Alsace à la fin du millénaire, perpétue cette pratique qui connaît un nouvel essor lors de l’étape moyenne de cette culture et une diffusion en direction de la Haute-Alsace. À l’est, en Slovaquie, il est possible que le groupe de Ludanice, touché par le phénomène dans les derniers siècles du 5e millénaire, ait joué le rôle de relais dans sa diffusion vers les groupes de la Trichterbecherkultur ancienne. Au principe d’une diffusion progressive du phénomène du Chasséen vers le Michelsberg, puis vers les régions danubiennes, nous proposons donc de substituer un modèle polycentrique dans lequel le Midi et l’Europe centrale évoluent indépendamment et sans nécessaires interactions.

Present-day domestic cattle are reproductively active throughout the year, which is a major asset for dairy production. Large wild ungulates, in contrast, are seasonal breeders, as were the last historic representatives of the aurochs, the wild ancestors of cattle. Aseasonal reproduction in cattle is a consequence of domestication and herding, but exactly when this capacity developed in domestic cattle is still unknown and the extent to which early farming communities controlled the seasonality of reproduction is debated. Seasonal or aseasonal calving would have shaped the socio-economic practices of ancient farming societies differently, structuring the agropastoral calendar and determining milk availability where dairying is attested. In this study, we reconstruct the calving pattern through the analysis of stable oxygen isotope ratios of cattle tooth enamel from 18 sites across Europe, dating from the 6th mill. cal BC (Early Neolithic) in the Balkans to the 4th mill. cal BC (Middle Neolithic) in Western Europe. Seasonal calving prevailed in Europe between the 6th and 4th millennia cal BC. These results suggest that cattle agropastoral systems in Neolithic Europe were strongly constrained by environmental factors, in particular forage resources. The ensuing fluctuations in milk availability would account for cheese-making, transforming a seasonal milk supply into a storable product.

International audience; A preventive excavation carried out in 2016 at the Achenheim Strasse 2 site, west of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) investigated part of a ringed village, over an area of one hectare, attributed to the Bruebach-Oberbergen horizon, an Epiroessenian group settled in Lower Alsace between 4400 and 4250 BC. Most of the storage pits discovered belong to this horizon (at least 211 and probably more than 350), and a long section of enclosure outlining a segment of a circle over 155 linear metres followed on from them, consisting of a continuous V-shaped ditch, on average 1.70 metres wide and of equivalent depth. The ditch was probably flanked on the inside by an earthen embankment, as indicated by the asymmetrical profiles of the fillings, and is interrupted twice by openings with structures assimilated to fortified entrances. The construction of the enclosure was carried out as a single project where only the entrances were redeveloped, to varying degrees. The discovery of this enclosure, identified as a defensive structure, marks an important stage in research into regional Neolithic enclosures. Indeed, up until now, such structures were only represented, from the Early Neolithic to the end of the fifth millennium, by ‘Rosheim-type’ monuments, identified by recent research as ceremonial centres. The number of excavations, the large volume of certain storage pits and the surface covered by the enclosure (which we know extends over at least 3 or 4 hectares) suggest that the site hosted a large population. This unprecedented configuration depicts the organisation of the territory and of Bruebach-Oberbergen society in a very different way from reconstructions based on regional sites, which point rather to settlements composed of farms or small scattered hamlets. We examine the historical context that led to the emergence of this large fortified village and propose a correlation with an episode of collective violence that affected Lower Alsace around 4250 BC. This episode is illustrated at Achenheim itself by very specific human deposits with vestiges of warrior rites (victory celebrations). In addition to the important reconstruction of the historical processes at work in the last third of the fifth millennium, the relative abundance of exhumed material from the site also provides the opportunity to better define the stylistic evolution of pottery, to characterise lithic and bone tools, as well as the husbandry system of the Bruebach-Oberbergen group.; Une fouille préventive conduite en 2016 sur le site d’Achenheim Strasse 2, à l’ouest de Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), a permis l’étude, sur une surface d’un hectare, d’une partie d’un village ceinturé attribué à l’horizon Bruebach-Oberbergen, groupe épiroessénien installé en Basse-Alsace entre 4400 et 4250 av. J.-C. À cet horizon appartient la majorité des fosses de stockage mises au jour (au moins 211 et probablement plus de 350) et un long tronçon d’enceinte dessinant un segment de cercle suivi sur 155 m linéaires, constitué par un fossé continu à profil en V, large d’1,70 m en moyenne pour une profondeur équivalente. Le fossé, probablement flanqué vers l’intérieur d’une levée de terre comme l’indiquent les profils dissymétriques des comblements, est interrompu à deux reprises par des ouvertures présentant des dispositifs avancés que nous proposons d’assimiler à des entrées fortifiées. La construction de l’enceinte s’inscrit dans un projet unique ; seules les entrées ont, à divers degrés, fait l’objet de réaménagements. La découverte de cette enceinte que nous identifions comme un ouvrage à vocation défensive, marque une étape importante de la recherche sur les enceintes néolithiques régionales, jusqu’ici représentées, du Néolithique ancien à la fin du Ve millénaire, par les seuls monuments de « type Rosheim », monuments que les recherches récentes reconnaissent comme des centres cérémoniels. Le nombre de creusements, le volume important de certaines fosses de stockage et la surface couverte par l’enceinte (dont nous savons qu’elle se développe sur au moins 3 ou 4 hectares) suggèrent que le site a accueilli une population nombreuse, configuration inédite qui donne de l’organisation du territoire et de la société Bruebach-Oberbergen, une image très éloignée de celle que les sites régionaux nous avaient jusqu’ici amené à restituer : celle d’un habitat composé de fermes ou de petits hameaux dispersés. Nous nous interrogeons sur le contexte historique ayant favorisé l’émergence de ce grand village fortifié et proposons une corrélation avec un épisode de violence collective ayant touché la Basse-Alsace aux alentours de 4250 av. J.-C, épisode notamment illustré, à Achenheim même, par des dépôts humains très particuliers où nous identifions des vestiges de rites guerriers (fêtes de victoire). Outre son intérêt pour la restitution des processus historiques à l’œuvre dans le dernier tiers du Ve millénaire, le site offre également, par la relative abondance du mobilier exhumé, l’opportunité de mieux définir l’évolution stylistique de la céramique, de caractériser l’outillage lithique et osseux ainsi que le système d’élevage du groupe de Bruebach-Oberbergen.

International audience; The Alsace region bordering the Rhine River was extensively occupied during the Neolithic by farming societies with domesticated animal. The first settlers were two sub-groups of the Linearbandkeramik who appeared to diverge in several respects, including: pottery styles, house orientations and funerary rituals. To explore whether this was reflected in food procurement practices investigations were performed of organic residues in nearly 900 pottery vessels from sites across the region. The results reveal lipid biomarker and stable carbon evidence for exploitation of plant and bee products, and most significantly, extensive domestic animal products including: non-ruminant carcass products, and ruminant primary and secondary products. Critically, culturally-related economic differences were seen spatially between the upper and lower Alsatian groups. Temporal differences were confirmed using compound-specific radiocarbon dating of fatty acids preserved in potsherds, showing that while milk exploitation was widespread during the early Neolithic in UA, it only became commonplace in LA generations later.

Museum collections not only provide educational tools for the public, but also reference material for osteological research and baseline information for understanding historical population dynamics and food webs. Such applications are only possible, however, with accurate identifications of museum osteological specimens, which is sometimes challenging, as specimens can be separated from their original information. In order to clarify missing information about provenience and species identifications, we analysed 13 historical whale bone specimens from the Museum of Zoology, Strasbourg, using a multidisciplinary approach that combined historical document analysis, osteology, and Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). These analyses enabled identification of elements from seven different whale species: five baleen whales (Mysticeti) and two toothed whales (Odontoceti). Two skeletons could be connected with letters from the early 1900s indicating they derived from whales stranded on the shores of South Island, New Zealand. One of these skeletons was digitized using a 3D scanner and can be freely viewed online. All of the samples will be available through a digital archive. The identification and digitization of these museum whale specimens, which include threatened and endangered whale species whose past histories are not yet fully understood, is of great value and ensures they are fully available for future systematic research. The study demonstrates a new and useful application of ZooMS, particularly in concert with other methods, to support museum collections research. 1. Introduction 2. Material and Methods 2.1. Assessment of collection 2.2. Historical documents 2.3. Osteological analysis 2.4. Peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS) 2.5. Overall identifications 3. Results 3.1. Description of the bones 3.2. Documents and historical data 3.3. Osteological determinations and observations 3.4. ZooMS identifications 3.5. Combining identifications and reuniting individuals 4. Discussion 5. Conclusion

L’importante représentation de vestiges osseux de chien au sein du remplissage du fossé interne du site de Herxheim (Allemagne, Rhénanie-Palatinat) daté du Rubané final est l’occasion de revenir sur la question de la place du chien au Néolithique ancien et de son rôle auprès des premiers éleveurs en Europe occidentale. L’objet de cette contribution est de présenter les caractéristiques de cet assemblage qui représente, pour le Néolithique ancien d’Europe occidentale, la série d’ossements la plus importante attribuée à cet animal. L’état de conservation et de fragmentation, les marques liées à la découpe des carcasses, les traces de cuisson par grillade suggèrent qu’il s’agit de restes d’animaux qui ont été préparés pour la consommation et qui ont fait l’objet de diverses préparations (découpe en quartiers, cuisson par rôtissage à la flamme…). Cette consommation du chien est une pratique circonscrite au fossé interne du site et semble étroitement liée à la nature des activités particulières dont il a été le cadre. Les restes de chien y côtoient d’autres vestiges osseux remarquables comme de nombreuses chevilles osseuses de ruminants, un dépôt de mandibules de carnivores, mais surtout d’importantes accumulations d’ossements humains dont l’état de fragmentation, les nombreuses traces de désarticulation et de prélèvement des chairs, les traces de mâchouillage laissent fortement soupçonner des pratiques de cannibalisme.

Europe has played a major role in dog evolution, harbouring the oldest uncontested Palaeolithic remains and having been the centre of modern dog breed creation. Here we sequence the genomes of an Early and End Neolithic dog from Germany, including a sample associated with an early European farming community. Both dogs demonstrate continuity with each other and predominantly share ancestry with modern European dogs, contradicting a previously suggested Late Neolithic population replacement. We find no genetic evidence to support the recent hypothesis proposing dual origins of dog domestication. By calibrating the mutation rate using our oldest dog, we narrow the timing of dog domestication to 20,000–40,000 years ago. Interestingly, we do not observe the extreme copy number expansion of the AMY2B gene characteristic of modern dogs that has previously been proposed as an adaptation to a starch-rich diet driven by the widespread adoption of agriculture in the Neolithic., The European continent is thought to have played a major role in the origins of modern dogs. Here, analysing two ancient dog genomes from Germany, the authors find significant genetic continuity throughout the Neolithic period and time dog domestication to ∼20,000–40,000 years ago.

Background Climatic and environmental fluctuations as well as anthropogenic pressure have led to the extinction of much of Europe’s megafauna. The European bison or wisent (Bison bonasus), one of the last wild European large mammals, narrowly escaped extinction at the onset of the 20th century owing to hunting and habitat fragmentation. Little is known, however, about its origin, evolutionary history and population dynamics during the Pleistocene. Results Through ancient DNA analysis we show that the emblematic European bison has experienced several waves of population expansion, contraction, and extinction during the last 50,000 years in Europe, culminating in a major reduction of genetic diversity during the Holocene. Fifty-seven complete and partial ancient mitogenomes from throughout Europe, the Caucasus, and Siberia reveal that three populations of wisent (Bison bonasus) and steppe bison (B. priscus) alternately occupied Western Europe, correlating with climate-induced environmental changes. The Late Pleistocene European steppe bison originated from northern Eurasia, whereas the modern wisent population emerged from a refuge in the southern Caucasus after the last glacial maximum. A population overlap during a transition period is reflected in ca. 36,000-year-old paintings in the French Chauvet cave. Bayesian analyses of these complete ancient mitogenomes yielded new dates of the various branching events during the evolution of Bison and its radiation with Bos, which lead us to propose that the genetic affiliation between the wisent and cattle mitogenomes result from incomplete lineage sorting rather than post-speciation gene flow. Conclusion The paleogenetic analysis of bison remains from the last 50,000 years reveals the influence of climate changes on the dynamics of the various bison populations in Europe, only one of which survived into the Holocene, where it experienced severe reductions in its genetic diversity. The time depth and geographical scope of this study enables us to propose temperate Western Europe as a suitable biotope for the wisent compatible with its reintroduction. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-016-0317-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In this paper we reconstruct the palaeodietary setting of LBK Vaihingen an der Enz, south-west Germany (later sixth millennium cal. bc) using δ13C and δ15N values of human and faunal bone collagen and of charred plant remains from cereal crops (e.g. emmer and einkorn wheat) and pulses (lentil and pea). Our examination of this Neolithic dietary ‘food web’ incorporates crop δ15N values within a linear-mixing model to examine the estimated proportions of animal and plant protein in the human diet. We interpret the stable isotope dietary model outcomes together with accompanying archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological evidence to shed light on the role of crops in land use strategies and human diet, and conclude that (manured) crops probably formed the dominant protein source.

Community differentiation is a fundamental topic of the social sciences, and its prehistoric origins in Europe are typically assumed to lie among the complex, densely populated societies that developed millennia after their Neolithic predecessors. Here we present the earliest, statistically significant evidence for such differentiation among the first farmers of Neolithic Europe. By using strontium isotopic data from more than 300 early Neolithic human skeletons, we find significantly less variance in geographic signatures among males than we find among females, and less variance among burials with ground stone adzes than burials without such adzes. From this, in context with other available evidence, we infer differential land use in early Neolithic central Europe within a patrilocal kinship system.

The extinct aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius) was a large type of cattle that ranged over almost the whole Eurasian continent. The aurochs is the wild progenitor of modern cattle, but it is unclear whether European aurochs contributed to this process. To provide new insights into the demographic history of aurochs and domestic cattle, we have generated high-confidence mitochondrial DNA sequences from 59 archaeological skeletal finds, which were attributed to wild European cattle populations based on their chronological date and/or morphology. All pre-Neolithic aurochs belonged to the previously designated P haplogroup, indicating that this represents the Late Glacial Central European signature. We also report one new and highly divergent haplotype in a Neolithic aurochs sample from Germany, which points to greater variability during the Pleistocene. Furthermore, the Neolithic and Bronze Age samples that were classified with confidence as European aurochs using morphological criteria all carry P haplotype mitochondrial DNA, suggesting continuity of Late Glacial and Early Holocene aurochs populations in Europe. Bayesian analysis indicates that recent population growth gives a significantly better fit to our data than a constant-sized population, an observation consistent with a postglacial expansion scenario, possibly from a single European refugial population. Previous work has shown that most ancient and modern European domestic cattle carry haplotypes previously designated T. This, in combination with our new finding of a T haplotype in a very Early Neolithic site in Syria, lends persuasive support to a scenario whereby gracile Near Eastern domestic populations, carrying predominantly T haplotypes, replaced P haplotype-carrying robust autochthonous aurochs populations in Europe, from the Early Neolithic onward. During the period of coexistence, it appears that domestic cattle were kept separate from wild aurochs and introgression was extremely rare.

In the last decades data concerning the economy and environment of the Neolithic period of lake dwellings (4300-2400 B.C.) in Central Europe increased considerably and also palaeoecological data concerning lake level fluctuations were thoroughly elaborated. Lake shores were mainly settled during warm and rather dry climate periods which caused a regression of the lake-levels. Nevertheless, there were strong and partly very short-term shifts in the economy during the lake-dwelling period. These can be recognised only because the settlement layers can be very precisely dated by dendrochronology. In this article we discuss in an interdisciplinary way possible interrelations between climatic and economical shifts. To explain the latter, we assume as main reason crop failures, which caused intensified hunting and gathering. Three different possibilities can be supposed as reasons for this: cold-wet summers, severe drought during spring and summer, or local over-exploitation of soils in densely settled areas.

Cattle dominate archaeozoological assemblages from the north-central Europe between the sixth and fifth millennium BC and are frequently considered as exclusively used for their meat. Dairy products may have played a greater role than previously believed. Selective pressure on the lactase persistence mutation has been modelled to have begun between 6000 and 4000 years ago in central Europe. The discovery of milk lipids in late sixth millennium ceramic sieves in Poland may reflect an isolated regional peculiarity for cheese making or may signify more generalized milk exploitation in north-central Europe during the Early Neolithic. To investigate these issues, we analysed the mortality profiles based on age-at-death analysis of cattle tooth eruption, wear and replacement from 19 archaeological sites of the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture (sixth to fifth millennium BC). The results indicate that cattle husbandry was similar across time and space in the LBK culture with a degree of specialization for meat exploitation in some areas. Statistical comparison with reference age-at-death profiles indicate that mixed husbandry (milk and meat) was practised, with mature animals being kept. The analysis provides a unique insight into LBK cattle husbandry and how it evolved in later cultures in central and western Europe. It also opens a new perspective on how and why the Neolithic way of life developed through continental Europe and how dairy products became a part of the human diet.

Ranging from the valves of exotic marine shells (Spondylus) to anthropomorphic figurines fashioned on metapodials, and from carnivore tooth beads to the deposition of partial carcasses, the representation of fauna in the graves of the early Neolithic in northern France and in the upper Rhine valley takes very diverse forms. This contribution focuses on those remains which can be associated with the practice of food deposits in order to better define the modalities of this type of such finds (choice of species and body parts, preparation, arrangement and position in the grave), understand their meaning and outline their characteristics in relation to other categories of animal bone items (ornaments, tools…) which form part of the grave assemblage.

The spread of farming from western Asia to Europe had profound long-term social and ecological impacts, but identification of the specific nature of Neolithic land management practices and the dietary contribution of early crops has been problematic. Here, we present previously undescribed stable isotope determinations of charred cereals and pulses from 13 Neolithic sites across Europe (dating ca. 5900–2400 cal B.C.), which show that early farmers used livestock manure and water management to enhance crop yields. Intensive manuring inextricably linked plant cultivation and animal herding and contributed to the remarkable resilience of these combined practices across diverse climatic zones. Critically, our findings suggest that commonly applied paleodietary interpretations of human and herbivore δ15N values have systematically underestimated the contribution of crop-derived protein to early farmer diets. ispartof: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol:110 issue:30 pages:1-6 ispartof: location:United States status: published

International audience; The Early Neolithic central place at Herxheim is defined by a perimeter of elongated pits containing fragments of human bone, together with pottery imported from areas several hundred kilometres distant. This article offers a context for the centre, advancing strong evidence that the site was dedicated to ritual activities in which cannibalism played an important part

A Mesolithic grave has been found near a late Neolithic collective grave during a rescue excavation on the site of Val-de-Reuil, "Les Varennes " (Eure). This Mesolithic grave provided a complex fill divided in two layers : the lower level provided the remains of several individuals (probably three), who could have been deposited one after the other in the grave ; only the most recent one is close to the position in which he was originally placed. Only 9 non retouched flint flakes were found near the bones. The sediment was coloured with ochre ; the top level only yielded burnt animal bones (Cervidae, Bovidae, Suidae and beaver). The cremation seems to have occurred above the grave. Some hypotheses regarding the function of the deposits are proposed, based on the study of the bone remains and their distribution., La fouille préventive menée sur le site de Val-de-Reuil (Eure) au lieu-dit "Les Varennes " a permis la découverte d'une sépulture isolée, datée du Mésolithique, située à faible distance d'une allée sépulcrale du Néolithique final. Cette sépulture renferme un remplissage complexe qui se divise en deux parties : le niveau inférieur a livré les restes de plusieurs individus (probablement trois) qui pourraient avoir été déposés successivement dans la tombe, et dont seul le dernier est proche de sa position de dépôt. Son mobilier archéologique comporte seulement 9 silex taillés non retouchés. Le sédiment y est coloré par de l 'ocre ; la partie sommitale comporte uniquement des restes d'ossements animaux brûlés (cervidés, grands bovidés, suidés, castor), dont la crémation semble avoir eu lieu au-dessus de la tombe. Des hypothèses de fonctionnement des dépôts sont proposées à partir de l 'étude des restes osseux, ainsi que de leur répartition spatiale., Billard Cyrille, Arbogast Rose-Marie, Valentin Frédérique, Querré Guirec, Barriel Véronique. La sépulture mésolithique des Varennes à Val-de-Reuil (Eure). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 98, n°1, 2001. pp. 25-52.