Glossary

Adze A tool with a polished stone blade used for cutting and shaping wood, similar to an axe. The wooden haft is not preserved in most archaeological contexts. Unlike an axe, the cutting edge of an adze blade is at right angles to the haft. caprine Sheep and/or goat. As the skeletons are very similar, it is often impossible to distinguish between sheep and goat bones from archaeological sites.

Comb decoration Impressed decoration made by pressing a tool with a short, serrated edge into the soft clay surface. daub A building material for walls made by mixing soil, water, and chopped straw or other plant fibers. Daub is plastered onto a wooden framework and survives in archaeological contexts when it has been hardened by fire. dendrochronology A dating technique based on the comparison of annual growth rings from trees. A complete dendrochronological calendar has been established for oak in Europe, including the whole Neolithic period. Oak from archaeological contexts with a sufficient quantity of growth rings preserved can thus be dated very precisely. fine-ware pottery Thin-walled vessels, often in the smaller size range, with well-finished surfaces. flexed burial The body is placed in the grave on its side, with the legs slightly bent at the hips and knees. impressed techniques Decoration of pottery before firing by pressing a fingertip, natural objects such as shells, or specially made tools in wood or bone, into the soft clay surface, leaving a negative.

Incised decoration Decoration of pottery before firing by drawing a sharp instrument across the soft clay surface to create shallow lines.

The Early Neolithic is defined here as the initial period of the spread of farming into western Europe between 6000 and 5000 cal BC. Archaeological data currently available from most regions suggest that this process involved the westward migration of farming communities, rather than the adoption of agriculture by indigenous hunter-gatherers. Steady demographic growth was the most likely cause of population movement. Originating from southeast Europe, farmers moved west along two principal routes, the Mediterranean coast and the Danube valley, each producing characteristic archaeological remains and cultural sequences. Thus a distinction can be drawn between the Mediterranean Early Neolithic of Italy, southern France and Spain, and the Early Neolithic of western Germany, Benelux, and northern France, closely linked to central Europe. Contrasts in the scale of fieldwork should also be underlined. In many Mediterranean regions, excavation has often been limited to caves rather than open-air sites, whereas the more northerly regions have a much longer history of large-scale settlement excavation.