DOI chapter:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI chapter:Kotula, Andreas: Paths of innovation – the site Dąbki, Poland, and the early forager pottery in the Baltic Sea region
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0229
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Paths of innovation - the site Dqbki, Poland, and the early forager pottery in the Baltic Sea region
Neolithic groups (e.g. Kabacinski / Terberger 2015;
cf. Gronenborn 2010). The analyses of the animal
remains further pointed out possible trading goods
(Schmolcke / Nikulina 2015): With more than 60%
beaver bones dominate the mammal remains from
the site. While this is extremely unusual in the con-
text of the Late Mesolithic in the southern Baltic Sea
area (beaver bones on Ertebolle sites generally only
averaging around 0.1 %), a dominance of beaver re-
mains can be found in Mesolithic and Neolithic sites
especially in northeastern Europe (Schmolcke /
Nikulina 2015). The overall number of remains
from fur bearing animals distinctly surpasses the
estimated local demand, and it is thus suggested that
the exchange of furs was an important part of the
extra-local network (Schmolcke / Nikulina 2015;
Kotula in press). The overall evidence indicates that
Dqbki was integrated within the exchange networks
of the Baltic Sea area, with close similarities to the
Ertebolle culture of the western Baltic and strong
network connections with Neolithic communities
to the south.
Chronology: site occupation and
pottery
More than 70 14C-dates have been obtained from dif-
ferent materials in the bog (Table 1). They confirm
settlement activities on the site between c. 5,200
calBC and 3,600 calBC. The oldest date stems from
charcoal in feature 28 on the sandy settlement site
(Poz-52527: 6,240±40 BP). Hazel tree trunks, some
of them with cut marks, from the bottom of the bog
stratigraphy confirm human activities before the
water level rose in connection with the Littorina
transgression (Poz-27402: 6,220±50 BP; Poz-10437:
6,140±40 BP; Gd-3127: 6,250±40 BP) and the envi-
ronment became an island. A series of datings from
different materials confirm regular and intensive
settlement activities throughout the 5th millennium
calBC and the early 4th millennium calBC, with the
latest dates around 3,600/3,500 calBC (food resi-
due on pottery Poz-27412: 4,920±40 BP; horse bone
KIA-10330 A: 4,787±33 BP), before the settlement
was abandoned, probably due to the development of
unfavourable environmental conditions in the area
(Kalis et al. 2015).
Numerous direct dates from crusts of pottery
sherds have been obtained, and reservoir effect has
to be taken into consideration here (cf. e.g. Fischer /
Heinemeier 2003; Philippsen 2015). All datings
from pointed-bottom ware and one lamp date fall
within the time frame of the 5th millennium calBC.
The oldest date is an outlier in the sequence with
4,937±60 calBC (Poz-41583: 6,040±40 BP; Table 1).
More numerous evidence starts from c. 4,770 calBC
(Poz-10436: 5,900±40 BP; Poz-18654: 5,890±50 BP;
KIA-26386: 5,880±37 BP; KIA-26385: 5,831±28 BP)
throughout the 5th millennium calBC. The young-
est date 4,082±75 calBC (Poz-27401: 5,250±40 BP)
fits well into a transitional context to the North-
ern group of the TRB culture (e. g. Hartz / Lubke
2004; Kotula et. al 2015; Glykou 2016). One vessel
unit was dated several times, including one sherd
dated twice (Poz-41580: 5,740±40 BP; Poz-18609:
5,660±40 BP) as well as another non-refitting sherd
(KIA-26386: 5,880±37 BP). The results diverge, only
partly overlapping in the 1 and 2 g range, and a
minimum reservoir effect of c. 100/250 years can
be stated for this vessel. It remains unclear, if and
to what extent the youngest date is also affected by
reservoir effect. A recent extensive study of lipids
from forager pottery crusts around the Baltic Sea
area pointed out a higher component of aquatic lipid
markers (APAAs) in the Dqbki sample compared to
Ertebolle, Narva and other sampled sites, making
reservoir effect in food crust dates generally likely
here (Courel et al. 2020). However, the existing data
from pointed-bottom pottery does agree with the
general time frame of the introduction of hunter-
gatherer ceramics in the central and western Baltic
area c. 4,600 calBC (Hartz 2008).
14C-data were also obtained from Funnel Bea-
ker pottery in Dqbki, and results show remarkable
differences between typo-chronology and 14C-ages
(Kotula et al. 2015). Dates start as early as 5,039±88
calBC (Table 1; Poz-41578: 6,100±50 BP), c. 1,000
years earlier than usually expected for an early fun-
nel beaker in northern Europe (Hartz / Lubke 2004;
Glykou 2016), and most TRB dates from Dqbki are
older than expected. The huge age discrepancy is
in accordance with observations from other sites
(e.g. Hartz et al. 2012; Philippsen / Meadows
2014; Philippsen 2015). At the northern German
Ertebolle site Schlamersdorf, dating results of inner
and outer crust of an Ertebolle sherd differ by 1,500
years. 14C-datings of TRB pottery from Bebensee
also resulted in ages c. 1,000 older than expected
(Philippsen / Meadows 2014). For the northern Ger-
man inland site Friesack freshwater reservoir age was
estimated at c. 1,200 years (Meadows et al. 2018).
Unfortunately, isotopes were only measured for few
sherds from Dqbki (Fig. 2). Most of the TRB sherds
fall into the isotope range of inland Ertebolle and
TRB pottery, and this suggests a mixture of terres-
Paths of innovation - the site Dqbki, Poland, and the early forager pottery in the Baltic Sea region
Neolithic groups (e.g. Kabacinski / Terberger 2015;
cf. Gronenborn 2010). The analyses of the animal
remains further pointed out possible trading goods
(Schmolcke / Nikulina 2015): With more than 60%
beaver bones dominate the mammal remains from
the site. While this is extremely unusual in the con-
text of the Late Mesolithic in the southern Baltic Sea
area (beaver bones on Ertebolle sites generally only
averaging around 0.1 %), a dominance of beaver re-
mains can be found in Mesolithic and Neolithic sites
especially in northeastern Europe (Schmolcke /
Nikulina 2015). The overall number of remains
from fur bearing animals distinctly surpasses the
estimated local demand, and it is thus suggested that
the exchange of furs was an important part of the
extra-local network (Schmolcke / Nikulina 2015;
Kotula in press). The overall evidence indicates that
Dqbki was integrated within the exchange networks
of the Baltic Sea area, with close similarities to the
Ertebolle culture of the western Baltic and strong
network connections with Neolithic communities
to the south.
Chronology: site occupation and
pottery
More than 70 14C-dates have been obtained from dif-
ferent materials in the bog (Table 1). They confirm
settlement activities on the site between c. 5,200
calBC and 3,600 calBC. The oldest date stems from
charcoal in feature 28 on the sandy settlement site
(Poz-52527: 6,240±40 BP). Hazel tree trunks, some
of them with cut marks, from the bottom of the bog
stratigraphy confirm human activities before the
water level rose in connection with the Littorina
transgression (Poz-27402: 6,220±50 BP; Poz-10437:
6,140±40 BP; Gd-3127: 6,250±40 BP) and the envi-
ronment became an island. A series of datings from
different materials confirm regular and intensive
settlement activities throughout the 5th millennium
calBC and the early 4th millennium calBC, with the
latest dates around 3,600/3,500 calBC (food resi-
due on pottery Poz-27412: 4,920±40 BP; horse bone
KIA-10330 A: 4,787±33 BP), before the settlement
was abandoned, probably due to the development of
unfavourable environmental conditions in the area
(Kalis et al. 2015).
Numerous direct dates from crusts of pottery
sherds have been obtained, and reservoir effect has
to be taken into consideration here (cf. e.g. Fischer /
Heinemeier 2003; Philippsen 2015). All datings
from pointed-bottom ware and one lamp date fall
within the time frame of the 5th millennium calBC.
The oldest date is an outlier in the sequence with
4,937±60 calBC (Poz-41583: 6,040±40 BP; Table 1).
More numerous evidence starts from c. 4,770 calBC
(Poz-10436: 5,900±40 BP; Poz-18654: 5,890±50 BP;
KIA-26386: 5,880±37 BP; KIA-26385: 5,831±28 BP)
throughout the 5th millennium calBC. The young-
est date 4,082±75 calBC (Poz-27401: 5,250±40 BP)
fits well into a transitional context to the North-
ern group of the TRB culture (e. g. Hartz / Lubke
2004; Kotula et. al 2015; Glykou 2016). One vessel
unit was dated several times, including one sherd
dated twice (Poz-41580: 5,740±40 BP; Poz-18609:
5,660±40 BP) as well as another non-refitting sherd
(KIA-26386: 5,880±37 BP). The results diverge, only
partly overlapping in the 1 and 2 g range, and a
minimum reservoir effect of c. 100/250 years can
be stated for this vessel. It remains unclear, if and
to what extent the youngest date is also affected by
reservoir effect. A recent extensive study of lipids
from forager pottery crusts around the Baltic Sea
area pointed out a higher component of aquatic lipid
markers (APAAs) in the Dqbki sample compared to
Ertebolle, Narva and other sampled sites, making
reservoir effect in food crust dates generally likely
here (Courel et al. 2020). However, the existing data
from pointed-bottom pottery does agree with the
general time frame of the introduction of hunter-
gatherer ceramics in the central and western Baltic
area c. 4,600 calBC (Hartz 2008).
14C-data were also obtained from Funnel Bea-
ker pottery in Dqbki, and results show remarkable
differences between typo-chronology and 14C-ages
(Kotula et al. 2015). Dates start as early as 5,039±88
calBC (Table 1; Poz-41578: 6,100±50 BP), c. 1,000
years earlier than usually expected for an early fun-
nel beaker in northern Europe (Hartz / Lubke 2004;
Glykou 2016), and most TRB dates from Dqbki are
older than expected. The huge age discrepancy is
in accordance with observations from other sites
(e.g. Hartz et al. 2012; Philippsen / Meadows
2014; Philippsen 2015). At the northern German
Ertebolle site Schlamersdorf, dating results of inner
and outer crust of an Ertebolle sherd differ by 1,500
years. 14C-datings of TRB pottery from Bebensee
also resulted in ages c. 1,000 older than expected
(Philippsen / Meadows 2014). For the northern Ger-
man inland site Friesack freshwater reservoir age was
estimated at c. 1,200 years (Meadows et al. 2018).
Unfortunately, isotopes were only measured for few
sherds from Dqbki (Fig. 2). Most of the TRB sherds
fall into the isotope range of inland Ertebolle and
TRB pottery, and this suggests a mixture of terres-