Setting the Boundaries of Early Neolithic Settlement Sites

The Ditch-Digging Practices in the Eastern Balkans

Bibliographic Data

ID13077286
AuthorsNikolina Nikolova (0000-0003-4530-8685, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume7
Issue1
Pages1345-1370
Publication date2021-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOpen Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2300-6560 • E-ISSN: 2300-6560
PublisherDe Gruyter Open (PUBLISHER • PL)
DOI10.1515/opar-2020-0187
OpenAlexW3211057467
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

This article presents the current state of research on the Early Neolithic settlement enclosures in the Eastern Balkans (ca. 6200/6000–5500 cal. BC), with a focus set on the ditch-digging practices. A large database was accumulated in the last decade during surface surveys, large-scale excavations, and geomagnetic prospection, demonstrating conclusively that ditch enclosures were indeed a tradition rather than an exception. In the Eastern Balkans, enclosures consist mostly of single or multiple ditches and rarely a combination of ditch and wooden, emplectum, or a stone wall. Moreover, some sites existed long enough that the development of the settlement pattern demanded also changes in the enclosures’ layout and/or design. Most of the settlements were enclosed as early as their initial stages. However, no enclosure features have been identified at the earliest Neolithic sites in the area even though this might reflect biased research strategies

Archaeology · Digging · Ditch · Enclosure · Excavation · Geography · Human settlement · Settlement (finance · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Engineering · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Ecology · Geology

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Open DOIOpen Access