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The transmission of pottery technology among prehistoric European hunter-gatherers

Dolbunova, Ekaterina, Lucquin, Alexandre, McLaughlin, T. Rowan, Bondetti, Manon, Courel, Blandine, Oras, Ester, Piezonka, Henny, Robson, Harry K., Talbot, Helen, Adamczak, Kamil, Andreev, Konstantin, Asheichyk, Vitali, Charniauski, Maxim, Czekaj-Zastawny, Agnieszka, Ezepenko, Igor, Grechkina, Tatjana, Gunnarssone, Alise, Gusentsova, Tatyana M., Haskevych, Dmytro, Ivanischeva, Marina, Kabaciński, Jacek, Karmanov, Viktor, Kosorukova, Natalia, Kostyleva, Elena, Kriiska, Aivar, Kukawka, Stanisław, Lozovskaya, Olga, Mazurkevich, Andrey, Nedomolkina, Nadezhda, Piličiauskas, Gytis, Sinitsyna, Galina, Skorobogatov, Andrey, Smolyaninov, Roman V., Surkov, Aleksey, Tkachov, Oleg, Tkachova, Maryia, Tsybrij, Andrey, Tsybrij, Viktor, Vybornov, Aleksandr A., Wawrusiewicz, Adam, Yudin, Aleksandr I., Meadows, John, Heron, Carl, Craig, Oliver E.·2022·Nature Human Behaviour
DOI 10.1038/s41562-022-01491-8PMC PMC9957732
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Abstract

Human history has been shaped by global dispersals of technologies, although understanding of what enabled these processes is limited. Here, we explore the behavioural mechanisms that led to the emergence of pottery among hunter-gatherer communities in Europe during the mid-Holocene. Through radiocarbon dating, we propose this dispersal occurred at a far faster rate than previously thought. Chemical characterization of organic residues shows that European hunter-gatherer pottery had a function structured around regional culinary practices rather than environmental factors. Analysis of the forms, decoration and technological choices suggests that knowledge of pottery spread through a process of cultural transmission. We demonstrate a correlation between the physical properties of pots and how they were used, reflecting social traditions inherited by successive generations of hunter-gatherers. Taken together the evidence supports kinship-driven, super-regional communication networks that existed long before other major innovations such as agriculture, writing, urbanism or metallurgy.

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Authors
Dolbunova, E., Lucquin, A., McLaughlin, T. R., Bondetti, M., Courel, B., Oras, E., Piezonka, H., Robson, H. K., Talbot, H., Adamczak, K., Andreev, K., Asheichyk, V., Charniauski, M., Czekaj-Zastawny, A., Ezepenko, I., Grechkina, T., Gunnarssone, A., Gusentsova, T. M., Haskevych, D., Ivanischeva, M., Kabaciński, J., Karmanov, V., Kosorukova, N., Kostyleva, E., Kriiska, A., Kukawka, S., Lozovskaya, O., Mazurkevich, A., Nedomolkina, N., Piličiauskas, G., Sinitsyna, G., Skorobogatov, A., Smolyaninov, R. V., Surkov, A., Tkachov, O., Tkachova, M., Tsybrij, A., Tsybrij, V., Vybornov, A. A., Wawrusiewicz, A., Yudin, A. I., Meadows, J., Heron, C., & Craig, O. E.
ORCID
Venue
Nature Human Behaviour
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-12-22
Volume
7
Issue
2
Pages
171-183
ISSN
2397-3374
DOI
10.1038/s41562-022-01491-8
PMC
PMC9957732
Cited by
47
References
4
Language
en
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