{"id":480131,"date":"2026-10-18T10:20:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T17:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=480131"},"modified":"2026-10-18T10:21:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T17:21:01","slug":"climate-shifts-helped-shape-europes-first-farmers-and-may-have-hastened-their-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=480131","title":{"rendered":"Climate Shifts Helped Shape Europe\u2019s First Farmers \u2014 and May Have Hastened Their Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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AI generated by Grok<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Archaeologists in Gro\u00dfk\u00f6llnbach (Lower Bavaria, Dingolfing- Landau district, Germany) recently uncovered the remains of an adolescent who lived about 7,000 years ago, buried in an unusually twisted posture that departs from typical practices of the Linear Pottery culture (Linienbandkeramik or LBK).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discovery occurred during preventive excavations ahead of housing construction in the Steig\u00e4cker IV development area. After about five weeks of work, the team noticed a dark soil discoloration that turned out to be a pit containing human bones, located near one of the settlement\u2019s ancient ovens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remains date to the early Neolithic period<\/strong> (roughly associated with the LBK\u2019s presence in the region around 5300- 5000 BC), when the first farming communities were establishing permanent settlements across Central Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual burial position and other puzzles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People of the Linear Pottery culture<\/em> commonly used \u201ccrouched\u201d<\/em> or \u201chocker\u201d<\/em> burials: <\/strong>the body was laid on its side with legs drawn up, resembling a sleeping posture. In this case, the right leg was bent up extremely sharply (a position that would have been painful for a living person), while the left leg was angled outward. This creates a striking, twisted overall posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pit itself was irregular and sloping rather than carefully prepared. Archaeologists (including district archaeologist Dr. Florian Eibl) suggest the body may have slipped down the incline after placement, shifting bones or pressing them into soft clay. It is unclear whether the unusual pose was intentional (possibly a special or secondary burial in a pit originally dug for another purpose) or resulted from post- depositional movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cervical spine also shows a pronounced deformation. Researchers have not yet determined whether this reflects a pathological condition or physical peculiarity from the individual\u2019s lifetime, or whether it developed after burial due to pressure and decomposition processes. Initial examination confirms the person was an adolescent (growth plates\/epiphyses at the ends of the long bones had not yet fully fused); exact age and sex remain to be clarified through further anthropological study. The skeleton has been fully recovered and transferred to the district archaeology department for detailed analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broader settlement context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The skeleton is part of a larger LBK settlement landscape. Excavators documented around 150 features, including traces of three large longhouses (likely no more than two standing at the same time), well-preserved hearths, and domed clay ovens insulated underneath with packed pebbles. Grinding slabs (some of stone that may have come from beyond the Danube or the Bavarian Forest) indicate processing of grain and possible longer- distance procurement of materials. These finds offer insights into daily life, cooking, and communal activities among early farmers.\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site is not open to the public, and further scientific results (including more on the adolescent\u2019s life, health, and the circumstances of burial) are expected once analyses are complete. The find highlights both the routine settlement remains of Europe\u2019s first farmers and the occasional anomalies that continue to raise questions about individual lives and burial practices roughly seven millennia later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Map showing the Neolithic expansions from the 7th to the 5th millennium BC
Map of the spread of Neolithic farming cultures in Europe1 – Linear Pottery culture – Wikipedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Linear Pottery culture (LBK)<\/strong>, also known as the Linearbandkeramik, Linear Band Ware, or Danubian culture, was a major early Neolithic archaeological . It flourished roughly from c. 5500- 4500 BC<\/strong> (with some regional variation in start and end dates) and represents one of the first widespread farming societies in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes its name from the distinctive decoration on its pottery:<\/strong> simple handmade vessels (cups, bowls, vases, and jugs) ornamented with incised or impressed linear bands, spirals, meanders, and related geometric patterns. Early phases feature more uniform styles; later ones show increasing regional variation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origins and spread<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The culture emerged in the middle Danube region (areas of modern Hungary, Slovakia, Bohemia, and Moravia), likely deriving from or strongly influenced by earlier Balkan farming groups such as the Star\u010devo- K\u00f6r\u00f6s- Cri\u0219 complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there it expanded rapidly westward and northward along river valleys (Danube, Rhine, Elbe, and others), covering a vast area from western Hungary and Ukraine in the east to the Paris Basin, the Netherlands, and parts of France in the west, spanning roughly 1,500 km in a few centuries at an average rate of about 4 km per year.\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This expansion marks a key stage in the Neolithization of Europe:<\/strong> the shift from Mesolithic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to sedentary agriculture, driven primarily by the migration of farming communities (with some admixture of local hunter- gatherer ancestry confirmed by ancient DNA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economy and daily life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

LBK communities practiced mixed farming on fertile loess soils:<\/p>\n\n\n\n