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Central European raw materials: From the Field to the Czech National Lithotheca

At the end of October, we had the pleasure of meeting Professor Antonín Přichystal at Masaryk University — a geologist and the leading authority on raw materials in Central Europe. Our visit had two goals: first, to collect samples of local raw materials for our experimental work (WP1); and second, to give our German and French colleagues a unique glimpse into the Czech National Lithotheca — an exceptional collection built by Professor Přichystal throughout his career and now housed in the Department of Archaeology and Museology at Masaryk University.

The Czech National Lithotheca is an incredible resource. In this unique infrastructure, you can explore an outstanding collection of siliceous raw materials and other types of stones suitable for knapping or polishing. The collection includes extensive samples from across the Czech Republic, as well as remarkable specimens from Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and beyond!

https://archeo-muzeo.phil.muni.cz/en/research/research-infrastructure/national-lithoteque-of-stone-raw-materials

Project objectives and structure

The MOBILITH project focuses on a pivotal phase in the Neolithisation of Europe: the transition from the Linear Pottery culture (LBK) to the post-LBK cultural groups. The Neolithisation of continental Europe was initially driven by the LBK culture, which stretched from the Paris Basin to Ukraine. However, around 5000 BCE, this expansive cultural entity fragmented into a mosaic of post-LBK groups. To better understand the underlying mechanisms and the role of different forms of mobility in this cultural shift, the MOBILITH project will concentrate on four key areas (KA), each following a distinct chrono-cultural trajectory (Figure 1).

Figure 1 – Location of the 4 key-areas selected for MOBILITH project, © Solène Denis

KA 1 encompasses the Aldenhoven Plateau (Germany), Dutch Limburg (Netherlands), and the Hesbaye region of Liège (Belgium). These three areas followed divergent post-LBK trajectories. In eastern Belgium, two sites attributed to the Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain (BVSG) group were discovered on the eastern fringe of its cultural extent. In Limburg, an apparent archaeological void may indicate a lack of post-LBK occupation. In the Rhineland, after a significant depopulation at the end of the LBK, the region appears to have been reoccupied in the early 5th millennium BCE by groups associated first with Grossgartach, then Rössen cultures.

KA 2, located in Saxony and Bohemia, exhibits what appears to be a continuous transformation from the LBK to the Stroked Pottery culture.

KA 3: The distinctive features observed in Bavaria have led researchers to define a separate regional group, known as SOB, which shows strong affinities with the Stroked Pottery culture.

KA 4 represents Moravia, where a major population decline followed the end of the LBK, succeeded by sparse settlements of the Stroked Pottery culture and a notable demographic resurgence during the Lengyel period.

In these contexts of cultural transition, and through the examination of flint knapping activities, the project will explore the following questions:

To achieve these goals, the project will be structured around four main objectives:

[OB1] Sharpen the analytical tool for identifying learning networks in the Neolithic lithic production

[OB2] Determine the socio-economic contexts of production, circulation networks, learning networks and individuals by studying new archaeological contexts that lack information

[OB3] Model the mobility and migration patterns based on demographic analysis to determine population density and its impact on the articulation between micro- to macro-scales thanks to statistical and social network analysis

[OB4] Integrate other proxies in the modelling to pave a richer interpretation of these mobility and migration patterns among these Neolithic communities

To address these objectives, three complementary work packages have been defined (Figure 2):

Figure 2 – MOBILITH structure

MOBILITH Kick-off meeting

The MOBILITH project kick-off meeting took place in Paris and Nanterre on February 3rd and 4th, 2025. It brought together all collaborators, participants, and external experts. The program included an exhibition, lectures, and meetings…

As the MOBILITH project focuses on the mobility and migrations of early agro-pastoral populations, it was a unique opportunity to take the team to visit the exhibition Migrations, une odyssée humaine at the Musée de l’Homme!

After the inspiring exhibition at the Musée de l’Homme, the team gathered to delve deeper into the project’s themes through a conference organised at the Michelet Institute in Paris (see Section Events). We had the chance to listen to two insipring talks:

Neolithic mobility as social practice – questions for the LBK

By Daniela Hofmann

Professor of Archaeology

Bergen University

Daniela Hofmann, Conference, Michelet, 3 February 2025

and

Women’s mobility in the Neolithic: the story from isotopes

By Penny Bickle

Professor of Funerary Archaeology

Department of Archaeology, University of York

Penny Bickle, Conference, Michelet, 3rd February 2025

February 4th took us to Nanterre, where we visited the UMR 8068 TEMPS laboratory — especially its impressive technothèque.

Technothèque of the UMR 8068 TEMPS

La construction de référentiels expérimentaux et ethnoarchéologiques est un axe historique du laboratoire laboratoire Technologie et Ethnologie des Mondes PréhistoriqueS (Temps), au sein duquel chaque chercheur est impliqué dans l’archéologie expérimentale et produit des données. Les recherches expérimentales répondent aux problèmes d’interprétation que pose l’étude du matériel archéologique, en référence aux grandes problématiques archéologiques telles que, par exemple, l’hominisation ou la néolithisation, les transitions, la circulation des objets et des personnes. L’expérimentation constitue un support utile de l’identification des techniques de fabrication et de la fonction des objets préhistoriques ainsi que de la caractérisation des habiletés et des savoir-faire techniques.

The formal meeting of the MOBILITH project was held on the 4th floor of the MSH Mondes in Nanterre.
It was dedicated to presenting the project’s objectives, structure, and timeline.
Participants and experts shared the current state of knowledge on the LBK/post-LBK transition in the key areas targeted by the project:

Belgium (by Solène Denis and Pierre Allard)
Netherlands (by Luc Amkreuz and Ivo van Wijk)
Aldenhoven Platte and beyond (by Solène Denis and Johanna Hilpert)
Saxony (by Harald Stäuble)
Bavaria (by Lisa Bauer)
Moravia (by František Trampota)

Nathalie Le Tellier-Becquart introduced us to the principles of Open Science, and we discussed the structure of our databases as well as the tools that will support the implementation of the project.

Nathalie Le Tellier-Becquart introducing the Open Science Principles, Nanterre, MSH Mondes, 4th February 2025

We also took the opportunity to involve this gathering of Neolithic specialists in the new seminar series of L’Échangeur. František Trampota presented in this framework a talk entitled The Importance of Metabasite from the Jizera Mountains for the Emergence of the Early Neolithic in Temperate Europe.

In conclusion, this kick-off meeting offered a wide range of enriching activities. It was a wonderful opportunity for participants to get to know one another better and to lay the foundation for a rich and fruitful collaboration. A heartfelt thank you to everyone!

Theoretical background of the project

Neolithic societies in Europe are primarily defined by their shift to food production, with agriculture acting as a driving force linking these communities to sedentism [1,2]. However, recent advances in biomolecular studies have led to a “mobility turn” in archaeological research, encouraging a fresh focus on movement within these societies [3]. This shift has been pivotal in refining rigid social models, acknowledging that migration was part of the behaviour of early Neolithic settlers, possibly driven by prestige-related factors [7].

Continuer la lecture de Theoretical background of the project