Neolithic bowls and lugged beakers with chevron bands

Abstract

Neolithic bowls and lugged beakers with chevron bands.

A diagnostic type for a south-west Danish phase of the Nordic Funnel Beaker culture at the transition between Early and Late Neolithic.

On the basis of his excavation in Satrup Bog in Schleswig (1), H. Schwabedissen divided the Early Neolithic in Schleswig-Holstein into two phases (2). The youngest of these -the Fuchsberg phase- is primarily characterized by bowls and lugged beakers decorated with large chevron bands covering the surface, the so-called Fuchsberg pottery. The Schleswig-Holstein finds have, however, not been published primarily, and a correct evaluation of the postulated phases has therefore not been possible hitherto. Against the background of a rapidly growing Danish material an evaluation is now possible. Not least, the investigations at Toftum (no. 5), Røjlemose (no. 14), Sarup (no. 17) and Sønder Nærå (no. 20) (the first three of which have been excavated by the present authors) have yielded important material.

By Fuchsberg pottery we understand bowls and lugged beakers, in which the whole surface of the vessel is decorated either with an angular chevron band or with single bands which unite in pairs above or below. In the bowls the bands run from rim to foot, whereas in lugged beakers two sets of bands occur, one on the neck and one on the belly. In the list of finds and on the distribution map fig. 1 the known Danish sites with Fuchsberg pottery are marked.

The Fuchsberg pottery

Form repertoire

The predominant form is the bowl. Only at Sarup do lugged beakers comprise about half the Fuchsberg vessels; at Toftum they comprise only one tenth, and the only other place where they are definitely present is Rævebakken. The bowls occur in two variants, one an open simple bowl with straight or convex sides (fig. 9b) (6) the other a double-curve open bowl with everted rim (fig. 8a) (7). The simple bowl is the most frequent variant.

Bands

The upper band termination can be divided into four variants according to the formation of the chevron (fig. 2 a-d). In addition an ordinary vertical band termination is seen at several sites (fig. 2 e). In several cases, it is possible that the bands meet in an angle below, so we can speak of Fuchsberg pottery, but a few vessels are definitely decorated with purely vertical bands (fig. 9b). Only two variants of lower band termination are found (fig. 3 b,c). Many belly sherds are so fragmentary that it is not possible to see which variant a band should be assigned to (fig. 3 a). Among the lower band terminations there are also a number of vertical bands (fig. 3 d). A clear difference in the choice of termination above and below is apparent (fig. 2 and 3).

Filling and technique of the bands

The bands are mainly filled with horizontal impressions of whipped cord, cardium, twisted cord or chisel stamp. Horizontal scoring can also occur and in some cases vertical or oblique filling. The band edges are made with a graver, whipped cord, twisted cord or a cardium shell (fig. 4, 6).

Rim and edge ornament

58% of the Fuchsberg pottery is furnished with rim and/or edge ornament. Among the rim ornaments the most frequently seen is a horizontal row of vertical impressions of whipped cord, chisel stab or twisted cord (fig. 5 b-d). Other ornaments are one or two horizontal rows of oblique stabbing (fig. 5 a), two or three rows of horizontal impressions in whipped cord or cardium (fig. 5 e), checkerboard patterns composed of vertical chisel marks or cockle cardium impressions (fig. 5 f) and horizontal chevrons or cross-hatching perhaps in combination with other elements (fig. 5 g).

Find context of the Fuchsberg pottery

In Toftum, Sarup, Sønder Nærå and Røjlemose, Fuchsberg pottery occurs in stratigraphically secure finds with a rich culture material, which varies only slightly from site to site. The Fuchsberg pottery comprises only 10% of the whole, 80-90% comprising funnel or lugged beakers. Among the forms are both C I and D I according to Becker's definition (14), but it is not possible to separate the two groups from each other and only in extreme cases can we demonstrate truly characteristic C and D forms, the majority of vessels being transitional forms. All the funnel beakers may be assigned to Becker's Megalithic group. On the belly they are decorated with vertical stripes -continuous or in groups- executed by scoring or to a lesser extent with whipped and twisted cord. Channelling and vertical stab ornament also occur (15).

With respect to rim ornament one or two rows of various kinds of stab marks are mainly seen. More characteristic ornaments are horizontal rows of deep, round pits, short vertical engraved strokes, vertical chisel stabbing or short cord impressions. In addition there are chevron lines -mainly engraved, but also executed in applied moulding -cord impressions and chisel stamps. Finally, especially at Toftum, horizontal rows of chevrons ("herringbone pattern") and rows of cross­hatching are seen.

Other vessel forms include several undecorated lugged jars and a few collared flasks (16). Finally, many clay discs occur, some of which are ornamented.

The flint inventory is characterized by scrapers and knives. A characteristic form is a sickle blade with fine serration. Borers are found in several forms and transverse arrow-heads are common. Thin-butted axes are the only type of axe found, and dagger staves occur (17).

In stone other than flint, the butt end of a Fredgårde axe is seen at Toftum and an oval macehead (18). At the sites on Funen thin-butted axes of greenstone occur.

The Fuchsberg phase -a new phase at the transition between Early and Middle Neolithic

The inventories of Toftum, Sarup, Røjlemose and Sønder Nærå show that the Fuchsberg pottery seems to be part of a context which differs from MN Ia on the not, as suggested by Hoika, represent a non-Megalithic C group (19, 20). Further, Fuchsberg pottery seems to be part of a context which differs from MN Ia on the one hand and EN Megalithic C on the other. If a comparison is made with Stengade I and Troldebjerg (22), which are the hitherto most extensive sites from EN Megalithic C and MN Ia respectively, the differences are readily apparent.

At Troldebjerg all the funnel beakers are of D I or D II type, whilst those at Stengade I are all of C type. In the Fuchsberg phase both C and D types are present. Bowls are lacking at Stengade I, whereas they are frequent at Troldebjerg, and several bowls of the Fuchsberg phase tend with respect to form, resolution of the chevron bands, filling of the bands and rim decoration towards Troldebjerg. A few Fuchsberg bowls are still included in the Troldebjerg inventory, although they are stylistically somewhat remote from those occurring at the four phase-defining sites. The collared flasks are frequent in Stengade I but have disappeared completely at Troldebjerg, whereas they still -if rarely- occur in the Fuchsberg phase. Lugged jars are common both in Stengade I and in the Fuchsberg phase, but do not occur at Troldebjerg. On the other hand we find pedestalled bowls, clay ladles and carinated bowls at Troldebjerg, forms which have not been found at all either in Fuchsberg or Stengade I. That the Fuchsberg pottery should represent a local style contemporaneous with Troldebjerg, as suggested by Karsten Davidsen (23), must on this evidence be ruled out, the more so as clear MN la sites are found in the heart of the Fuchsberg pottery distribution area (24). The Fuchsberg phase is there transitional between Early and Middle Neolithic. Formally, however, one must prefer to label it as the earliest Middle Neolithic phase, because several of its elements have hitherto been employed as diagnostics for the Middle Neolithic.

Distribution of Fuchsberg Pottery

The distribution map of Fuchsberg pottery in Denmark (fig. 1) shows a pronounced concentration along the east coast of Jutland from Djursland to the Danish­German border, in Funen and in the islands to the south of it. There are also a couple of spots in western Jutland. To the south we find Fuchsberg pottery dispersed throughout both Schleswig and Holstein (25). The pottery is found both at settlements (no. 1, 3, 4, 5,6,8,9(12), 14, 15, 17, 18, 19,20,21,22 and 23) and in connection with graves (no. 7, 10, 11, 16, 24 and 25). The graves are with one possible exception all chambered tombs. At the Marstal tomb (no. 25) the pottery was found in a votive sherd layer, which is the earliest example of this custom.

Other local groups contemporaneous with Fuchsberg

The limited distribution of the Fuchsberg pottery shows that we cannot speak in general of a phase at the transition between Early and Middle Neolithic, but must regard it as a phase of a south-west Danish local group of the Funnel Beaker culture's northern group. If we examine other local groups contemporaneous with the Fuchsberg pottery we must in the north Jutland group expect to find an inventory strongly marked by the non-Megalithic tradition. Presumably the pottery inventory in this is as we know it from Talstrup III (31). There are strong indications that this site should be assigned to the transition between Early and Middle Neolithic (32). In Zealand, Lolland-Falster and presumably also in Djursland we must expect to find a complex closely related to the south-west Danish group, in which the Fuchsberg pottery is not normally included. One must here first and foremost note the lugged jars, lugged beakers and bowls, richly decorated with whipped cord, which mainly occur in Zealand (35). In connection with these vessels, the pottery of the Virum and Knardrup Galgebakke settlements, which to a marked degree is decorated with cord ornament, should be remarked.

It is not certain where the origin of the Fuchsberg pottery should be sought. Schwabedissen's earlier suggestion of an origin in Rössen in central Germany (42) is considered unacceptable for chronological reasons. It is rather a question of a locally developed style.

Apart from the fact that the Fuchsberg pottery must be conceded a certain importance for the development of the vertical band ornaments in Alttiefstich (41) and Troldebjerg, the large chevron band lives on the necks of funnel beakers of Denghoog type in MN I-II ( 43 ). These have the same distribution as the Fuchsberg pottery and represent, with inter alia carinated vessels with close vertical shoulder banding in whipped cord, the continued local group tradition in the area (44).

Torsten Madsen