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Rows with the neighbours: the short lives of longhouses at the Neolithic site of Versend-Gilencsa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2018

János Jakucs ,
Krisztián Oross ,
Eszter Bánffy ,
Vanda Voicsek ,
Elaine Dunbar ,
Paula Reimer ,
Alex Bayliss ,
Peter Marshall  and
Alasdair Whittle
János Jakucs
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tóth Kálmán utca 4, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
Krisztián Oross
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tóth Kálmán utca 4, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
Eszter Bánffy
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tóth Kálmán utca 4, 1097 Budapest, Hungary Römisch-Germanische Kommission, DAI, Palmengartenstraße 10–12, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
Vanda Voicsek
Affiliation:
Barátúr utca 9, 7625 Pécs, Hungary
Elaine Dunbar
Affiliation:
SUERC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride G75 0QF, UK
Paula Reimer
Affiliation:
14CHRONO Centre, Queen's University Belfast, 42 Fitzwilliam Street, Belfast BT9 6AX, UK
Alex Bayliss
Affiliation:
Historic England, Fourth Floor, Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA, UK Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
Peter Marshall
Affiliation:
Historic England, Fourth Floor, Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA, UK
Alasdair Whittle*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Conservation, Cardiff University, John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK
*
*Author for correspondence (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Longhouses are a key feature of Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) settlements in Central Europe, but debate persists concerning their usage, longevity and social significance. Excavations at Versend-Gilencsa in south-west Hungary (c. 5200 cal BC) revealed clear rows of longhouses. New radiocarbon dates suggest that these houses experienced short lifespans. This paper produces a model for the chronology of Versend, and it considers the implications of the new date estimates for a fuller understanding of the layout and duration of LBK longhouse settlements.

Keywords

HungaryVersend-GilencsaNeolithicLBKlonghousesBayesian chronological modelling
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 92 , Issue 361 , February 2018 , pp. 91 - 117
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2018 

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