Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany

The creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes required communities that engaged and interacted collectively. Starting from the appearance of early monumentality and depositional behaviour in Funnel Beaker communities, we trace the variation in this...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wunderlich Maria, Müller Michael, Behrens Anja
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2024-03-01
Series:Open Archaeology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0357
_version_ 1827315356499181568
author Wunderlich Maria
Müller Michael
Behrens Anja
author_facet Wunderlich Maria
Müller Michael
Behrens Anja
author_sort Wunderlich Maria
collection DOAJ
description The creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes required communities that engaged and interacted collectively. Starting from the appearance of early monumentality and depositional behaviour in Funnel Beaker communities, we trace the variation in this phenomenon among three study areas in what is now northern Germany. In doing so, we build on a specific perspective and approach, namely that of work-expenditure calculations for megalithic graves and flint axe heads. In the process, variable dynamics of construction and deposition activities within the Early and Middle Neolithic are revealed, which we regard as differentiated translations of widespread impulses, adapted to the needs of different socio-cultural communities. The similar developments seen in flint axe head depositions and in the construction of megalithic monuments are indicative of evolving spaces of memory, landscapes of cooperative collaboration, and an increasing structuring of local environments that seem to follow a specific understanding of, and interaction with, space.
first_indexed 2024-04-24T22:53:00Z
format Article
id doaj.art-cdf25050886940efaec20e738d6ff0d4
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2300-6560
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-24T22:53:00Z
publishDate 2024-03-01
publisher De Gruyter
record_format Article
series Open Archaeology
spelling doaj.art-cdf25050886940efaec20e738d6ff0d42024-03-18T10:28:16ZengDe GruyterOpen Archaeology2300-65602024-03-01101pp. 1113113210.1515/opar-2022-0357Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern GermanyWunderlich Maria0Müller Michael1Behrens Anja2Institute for Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Johanna-Mestorf-Straße 2-6, Kiel, 24118, GermanyIndependent Researcher, Berlin, GermanyIndependent Researcher, co/Niedersächsisches Institut für historische Küstenforschung, Wilhelmshaven, GermanyThe creation, maintenance, and modification of prehistoric built spaces and structural landscapes required communities that engaged and interacted collectively. Starting from the appearance of early monumentality and depositional behaviour in Funnel Beaker communities, we trace the variation in this phenomenon among three study areas in what is now northern Germany. In doing so, we build on a specific perspective and approach, namely that of work-expenditure calculations for megalithic graves and flint axe heads. In the process, variable dynamics of construction and deposition activities within the Early and Middle Neolithic are revealed, which we regard as differentiated translations of widespread impulses, adapted to the needs of different socio-cultural communities. The similar developments seen in flint axe head depositions and in the construction of megalithic monuments are indicative of evolving spaces of memory, landscapes of cooperative collaboration, and an increasing structuring of local environments that seem to follow a specific understanding of, and interaction with, space.https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0357collective actionneolithic monumentalitymegalithic architectureneolithic ritual practiceswork expenditure
spellingShingle Wunderlich Maria
Müller Michael
Behrens Anja
Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany
Open Archaeology
collective action
neolithic monumentality
megalithic architecture
neolithic ritual practices
work expenditure
title Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany
title_full Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany
title_fullStr Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany
title_full_unstemmed Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany
title_short Creating World Views: Work-Expenditure Calculations for Funnel Beaker Megalithic Graves and Flint Axe Head Depositions in Northern Germany
title_sort creating world views work expenditure calculations for funnel beaker megalithic graves and flint axe head depositions in northern germany
topic collective action
neolithic monumentality
megalithic architecture
neolithic ritual practices
work expenditure
url https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0357
work_keys_str_mv AT wunderlichmaria creatingworldviewsworkexpenditurecalculationsforfunnelbeakermegalithicgravesandflintaxeheaddepositionsinnortherngermany
AT mullermichael creatingworldviewsworkexpenditurecalculationsforfunnelbeakermegalithicgravesandflintaxeheaddepositionsinnortherngermany
AT behrensanja creatingworldviewsworkexpenditurecalculationsforfunnelbeakermegalithicgravesandflintaxeheaddepositionsinnortherngermany