Communality and Discord in an Early Neolithic Settlement Agglomeration: The LBK Site of Vráble, Southwest Slovakia

Abstract

Our research at the large LBK settlement site of Vráble, southwest Slovakia, revealed dynamics of social integration and antagonisms unfolding in an agglomerated, early farming community. During its lifespan from 5250 to 4950 bc, it constantly grew until around 5050 bc it was inhabited by about 70 contemporaneous longhouses. We found that Vráble consisted of markedly autonomous farmstead units that were held together by village-wide social institutions including sharing and communality. Nevertheless, from the beginning, a contradiction between particular farmstead and collective village and neighbourhood interests existed and rose. Towards the end of the village's existence, around 5075 bc an elaborate enclosure was constructed around one of the three neigbourhoods, actively blocking contact with the others. Along this enclosure, human bodies were deposited, showing a social categorization that we interpret as relating to social inequality. This rising level of conflict and emerging social inequality was, we argue, not sustainable under the conditions of early farming societies and led to the village's abandonment at 4950 bc.

Lithic industries, territory and mobility in the western Linear Pottery Culture

“…Also, in this region, the site of Rosheim "Sainte Odile" appears to correspond to the notion of central sites due to its diverse artefact assemblage, indicating long-distance exchanges (Lefranc 2014). At the European scale, the recent discovery of Vráble in Slovakia, or the much earlier discovery of Bylany in Bohemia, is similar in this regard (Furholt et al 2020). While not going as far as to propose a strict correlation with siliceous resources, following this study, we advance the possibility that the insufficient availability of an essential element of the resources needed by a community could encourage greater mobility and thus increase social relations, thereby making these regions more attractive via the exchange and circulation of goods and people.…”

“…Each entity is similar in size, approximately 15 ha. and separated by a stream and a depression (Furholt et al 2020). An enceinte surrounds the south-western group of houses and, for this author, this tripartition, which could also suggest neighbourhoods, represents an intermediary level of organization between the house and the village.…”

Conflict, violence, and warfare among early farmers in Northwestern Europe

“…The perpetrators of violence might have become more clearly defined, while lethal raids and indiscriminate massacres still occurred, as multiple examples show (e.g., refs. ( 38 , 70 , and 71 )). In the following Bronze Age, the face of conflict changed even further, to include specialized weapons of violence and large-scale battles likely fought by dedicated warriors ( 72 ).…”

Stable isotopic insights into crop cultivation, animal husbandry, and land use at the Linearbandkeramik site of Vráble-Veľké Lehemby (Slovakia)

“…1) Vráble is one of the largest LBK settlements so far identified in central Europe, with over 313 house structures in an area of ca. 50 ha (Furholt et al 2014(Furholt et al , 2020Müller-Scheeßel et al 2020). It is located in Nitra region and lies on the northern edge of the Danube plain in southwestern Slovakia (Fig.…”

“…Over-specialisation may also have exposed LBK farmers to crop failure due to unseasonable weather during the crop cycle. Small herds may not have provided populations within the three neighbourhoods with sufficient resources to cope with subsistence crisis caused by crop failure, potentially leading to inequality and strife between communities (Furholt et al 2020). Trauma pathologies found within populations in later phases of the LBK has been proposed to be evidence of violent conflict over resources (Golitko and Keeley 2006), and diminished food supplies may have contributed to the eventual 'collapse' of LBK societies (Shennan et al 2013).…”