id
	15606
Url
	https://chloe.cnr.it/s/BiDiAr/item/15606
Resource template
	Book
Resource class
	bibo:Book
Title
	Mobility, Subsistence and Mortuary practices. An interdisciplinary study of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age megalithic populations of southwestern Sweden
Creator
	Blank, Malou
Date
	2021
Language
	eng
Abstract
	The main objective of this thesis is to gain new knowledge of the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age societies  constructing and using megalithic graves in inland southwestern Sweden. The aim is addressed with  an interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological, osteological, radiocarbon, Sr isotope, and stable  isotope data, genetic sex assessment and mtDNA haplogroup determination. The thesis encompasses four  themes: the use-time of megalithic graves, mobility and exchange networks, diet and subsistence practices,  and mortuary practices. This research mainly focuses on the skeletal remains, even though grave architecture  and artefacts are also part of the investigations. The megalithic graves and the material recovered from  them are used as a source for understanding individual life stories and the past living societies.  The main study area is Falbygden, located in the southwestern Swedish region of Västergötland. Falbygden  has one of northern Europe’s largest concentrations of passage graves, along with many gallery graves. The  clear spatial structure of the geology and the well-preserved human and animal bone material make it an  unusually fruitful study area for investigations combining bioarchaeological and archaeological methods to  understand prehistoric economy and society.  This thesis relies on a vast range of source material from Falbygden and the surrounding area of Västergötland.  For this study, 61 water sources and five archaeological animal remains were sampled for baseline  Sr isotope analyses. Nine domestic animal bones from five megalithic graves and one settlement were  analysed for radiocarbon dating, and stable isotopes. ZooMS were performed on six of these samples. Furthermore,  221 human remains from 47 megalithic graves and one wetland deposit were sampled for dating  and isotope analyses, and some of these for genetic sex assessment and mtDNA.  The most important results are that the megalithic chamber forms are more varied than previously thought  and that in some cases, Late Neolithic gallery graves can be difficult to separate from Early/Middle Neolithic  megalithic graves. The construction and burial use of the megalithic graves appear in two phases, ca.  3500 to 2600 cal BC and ca. 2200 to 1100 cal BC. The two phases are separated by a time of disuse, which  corresponds to the Battle Axe Culture period. The data acquired within this thesis demonstrate a distinct  increase in human mobility and genetic diversity in the late use-phase compared to the early phase. The  mobility in the early phase seems to be dominated by adults moving into the area, while in the later phase,  mobility also involves migrations of groups, perhaps families with children. Furthermore, movements of  artefacts, cattle and humans seem to have been part of different, only partly overlapping networks. No clear  indications of a more stratified society or intensified agriculture could be observed in the Late Neolithic  material from Falbygden. Instead, the results point to a less regulated and ritualized society, with more  extensive farming and more varied agropastoral strategies in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age,  compared to the earlier phase.
Isbn
	978-91-85245-85-7
Uri
	https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/69923
Homepage
	https://www.zotero.org/groups/5293298/bidiar/items/9PW5548Z/item-list

--