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The Living and The Dead, Memory and Transition: B ayesian Modelling of Mesolithic and Neolithic Deposits from Vlasac, the D anube G orges
Author(s) -
Borić Dušan,
Griffiths Seren
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
oxford journal of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1468-0092
pISSN - 0262-5253
DOI - 10.1111/ojoa.12063
Subject(s) - mesolithic , radiocarbon dating , prehistory , archaeology , sequence (biology) , excavation , geography , chronology , geology , biology , genetics
Summary The paper applies B ayesian statistical modelling to radiocarbon dates obtained for a stratigraphic sequence comprising occupation features and superimposed burials from the Late Mesolithic ( c .7400–6200 cal BC ) to the M esolithic– N eolithic transition ( c .6200–5900 cal BC ), from Vlasac in the D anube G orges region of the north‐central Balkans. This sequence, investigated in the course of excavations at the site in 2006–9, yielded stratigraphic evidence of the transformation of local forager populations as a result of contact with Neolithic communities. Our paper provides a reliable chronological framework for changes from Late Mesolithic burial rites to new, Neolithic types of ornamental beads at the top of the sequence. The use of the same burial location and continuities in burial rites over a considerable period of time raise significant questions about the role of tradition and the potential for enduring practices in prehistoric societies.