Microscopic transformations in arable land and shell midden habitation in coastal Northern Europe during the 4th and 3rd Millennium BC

Project Information

MicroTRASH

Grant agreement ID: 894378

DOI

10.3030/894378

Project closed

EC signature date 3 March 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 31 December 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 175 572,48

EU contribution

€ 175 572,48

Coordinated by

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MicroTRASH (Microscopic transformations in arable land and shell midden habitation in coastal Northern Europe during the 4th and 3rd Millennium BC)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project MicroTRASH focused on using archaeological soil micromorphology and lipid biomarker analysis for the study of prehistoric middens, dating to the later 4th and 3rd millennium BC, the Middle and Late Neolithic, found along the North Sea and Baltic coasts of Europe. These sites are understudied, often lacking a clear chronology and detailed understanding of what people did there. The methods employed, thus allow for a change in perspective regarding coastal communities. Up to now, these settlements are often seen as part of agricultural, Neolithic and stable farming communities. But a more detailed analysis can inform us on the use of wild resources and the particular activities carried out at these sites, and the chronology of these sites (including the continuity and changes in practices).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We studied thin section slides from a number of archaeological sites along the North Sea and Baltic coast. Then we correlated the layers we observed with chronological data (radiocarbon) and bio- and geochemical data (lipids, aDNA, XRF). This combination allowed us to better characterise activities, put them in a chronological sequence, and understand human behaviour on a larger scale.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This project has opened up the possibility to write new narratives of prehistoric habitation traces along the North Sea and Baltic coasts. It has created a clearer picture of what these traces look like, what people did on these settlements, and what variability exists. Now we turn to creating new models of human occupation. Most sites are not short-term extraction camps, as people recurrently came back to places that were important previously, dumped masses of waste there (indicating collective behaviour), trampled on the waste and built large amounts of hearths. This all has the potential to provide alternative narratives concerning the Neolithisation process. People didn't simply "adopt farming" as previously thought.

Small scale excavation at Kreukelhof, a Neolithic settlement in North-Holland, the Netherlands