Af Harvig, Lise
Speciale – FHA 308, Kandidatuddannelsen 1998
Afleveret 1. februar 2008
Vejleder: Klavs Randsborg
Bivejleder: Pia Bennike
Abstract
This thesis deals with the social organization of Late Neolithic society, by implementing a multidisciplinary, bioarchaeological approach. A bioarchaeological discussion and contextual re-evaluation of the preserved human skeletal material from the Late Neolithic period in Denmark, reveals new observations about the social organisation of the Late Neolithic society. A re-interpretation, re-registration and re-evaluation of older typological physical anthropological and craniometrical studies, former studies of non-metric traits and new registrations of dental and anthropometric variation of the cranial material from the Late Neolithic collection are combined with the archaeological context of the skeletal material (the grave structures and datings from the period). This approach reveals that family groups, seemingly both genetically and socially founded, formed the basic structure of Late Neolithic society. Continuity in the megalithic tombs in Jutland and discontinuity on the Danish islands in the period preceding the various new grave forms in LN I is proposed to be linked to a small genetic influence on the more international society that rose in Southern Scandinavia either during—or at the end of—the Single grave period, perhaps caused by marriage alliances. Modern genetic analyses propose a slow, but continuing shift in the genetic profile of Northern Europe in Prehistory. In addition, it is proposed here that the primary new genetic and cultural influence of the Late Neolithic society of Southern Scandinavia was slightly more female (maternal), which is partly evident in the former nonmetric and craniometrical studies and partly seen archaeologically by imported artefacts of the female sphere at the beginning of the period. This theory is also supported by a comparison of the Late Neolithic society to the Indo-European assumed patriarchal (patri-local) societies of the time. However, these traditions probably varied much between groups and the different beliefs evident at the time. Hopefully DNA will be able to address these issues more thoroughly in the future.