Dating the Neolithic: Methodological Premises and Absolute Chronology

Abstract

Ideas of Neolithic societies and of the identities of Neolithic individuals changed rapidly during the last decade. The archaeological concept of "culture" implies sequential changes of material culture in spatial and temporal "slices." The term 'society' describes human behavior within social identities, which could produce huge differences in material culture. Ideas of Neolithic "cultures" are no longer valid, as absolute chronological evidence points to overlapping phenomena of material culture and social developments. A combined use of correspondence analysis (to detect similarities and differences in material culture) and radiocarbon data (to identify the chronological character of material culture) exemplifies such an approach in the deconstruction and reconstruction of Neolithic central Germany.