Chalcolitic and Bronze Age Archeology

In recent years, high-resolution geomagnetic surveys in Cucuteni-Tripolye settlements led to the discovery of large, so far unknown building structures which are located at prominent positions within settlements. Due to their extraordinary size, positioning and special architectural characteristics this structures are interpreted as some kind of public or communal buildings such as temples or assemblage houses. Within large settlements two classes of such buildings can be distinguished: high-level 'mega-structures' for the whole settlement and low level ring-or pathway buildings for parts of the commune. The second category of buildings, normally show regular distributions within settlements which likely reflect some kind of communal organisation. In order to achieve better understanding of construction and functional aspects of such buildings, we excavated one of the low-level ring-or pathway building in the large settlement Maidanetske in the frame of a Ukrainian-German cooperation. Detailed collection of information regarding the finds and their context, of imprints of construction timber on daub, and the dense sampling for botanical, zoological, pedological, and geoarchaeological investigations should provide arguments for the evaluation of functional aspects of this building in comparison to 'normal' houses. In order to understand transformations in the social organisation of Tripolye communities, we would like, on the other hand, evaluate such buildings in a diachronic perspective based on plans of geomagnetic surveys. Thereby, important aspects like frequency and positioning of within settlements and the size of the structures in relation to the use group size will be discussed.

In this session we would like to discuss the question, if different mound building practices of the 4th millennium BCE in Northern, Western and Eastern Europe occurred synchronously as a reaction to the same or similar processes or if those barrows represent different, unconnected stories and independent ideas. We would like to invite colleagues who are willing to engage in a transregional discussion about this large-scale European phenomenon.

Müller, J., Hofmann, R., Ohlrau, R., Shatilo, M., 2018. The social constitution and political organisation of Tripolye mega-sites: hierarchy and balance, in: Meller, H., Gronenborn, D., Risch, R. (Eds.), Überschuss ohne Staat - Politische Formen  in der Vorgeschichte. Surplus without State - Political Forms in Prehistory, Landesmuseum, Halle, pp. 247-262.

An exceptional phenomenon of European Prehistory is the concept of well-planned mega-sites of Late Tripolye communities at the borderland between the North-European forest zone and North-Pontic Grass steppe ca. 4100–3700 BCE. Even though population agglomerations of about 10.000–15.000 inhabitants within singular sites are evident, archaeological indicators of social stratification are difficult to detect. Is it possible to reconstruct political institutions of societies without rule that integrated such huge settlements into a balanced social constitution?