"The project is a migration study of a compact population group into a new natural-climatic zone and its existence in new cultural surroundings. As example will be given the Linear Pottery (LBK) and Starčevo Cultures. They were the first farmers in Central and South-East Europe, existed in neighbouring territories and were synchronous during 250 years from 5650 to 5400 BC. This research includes several aspects:
• Economic/social reasons for migrations;
• Adaptation of newcomers to the new environments;
• Changes in the culture of the newcomers;
• Formation of the new culture with syncretic traditions as a result of the coexistence of two cultural groups.
This research is interdisciplinary:
• Typology is applied for the analysis of archaeological materials.
• Radiocarbon dates define a sequence of cultural changes and a scheme of cultural interactions.
• The detailed scheme of climatic changes will be used to give an explanation of this Starčevo migration, the origins of the LBK and forms of adaptation of the first farmers.
• The comparative-historical method with the use of ethnographical data will allow reconstructing the forms of human adaptation to climatic changes and different types of cultural contacts.
Contacts between these cultures belonged to the non-directed type, when the innovations were integrated into another culture according to cultural interests. However the formation of LBK was associated with another type of contact, when during distribution of the new cultural group in local surroundings a merging of both cultures with a predominance of the intrusive culture took place. Our model of ""cultural transfer"" will include an adaptation of new elements by separate individuals with their distribution among members of the society due to factors of prestige/practical significance, the modification of their shape and/or semantic content in the final integration into the cultural matrix."