SBK

Southern Bavaria in post LBK times is a small area between three big cultural regions: in the west Hinkelstein-Großgartach-Rössen, in the east the Stroked Pottery region and in the southeast the early Lengyel region. It took a lot of impact from these regions, finding its own way, what we call today 'Südostbayerisches Mittelneolithikum' (SOB) while preparing the following Copper Age. In SOB I it belongs to the European Stroked Pottery style, close to Bohemian Phase II and III, with a few 'special Bavarian' aspects. In SOB II the first 'Bavarian' pottery style emerges. The settlement area spreads out into other regions: Pilsen Basin, the Basin of Linz and towards southwest Germany. A lot of cultural contact sure is focused on the bavarian chert and the SOB region transfers influence from the Lengyel region to southwest Germany. In SOB III things are going to get mixed up. A continuous change towards Münchshöfen begins. A lot of contact finds as well as a great number of radiocarbon dates today make possible to tell about time and direction of cultural impact into and from Bavaria.

In the dissertation I study the settlement and distribution structures during the existence of the LBK, the SBK and the Lengyel pottery styles. From theoretical standpoint I came out from the polythetic theory and the theory of archaeological subcultures by D.L. Clarke. The concept of archaeological culture follows critiques by M. Furholt a P. Květina and is not used here. Distribution structures are studied based on C. Renfrew's theory (e.g. 1969). Each settlement site is described by pottery types whose division is understood in terms of relative chronologies, but without the prior of time relation. The time range of particular pottery groups is defined according to the analysis of calibrated C14 dates related to this pottery groups. The study of settlement structures is divides into two parts: relation of the sites with chosen aspects of the environment (elevation, slope exposure and slope scale) and social relations (kernel density, linear organisation of the sites, hierarchical relationship among sites, number of sites and settlement continuity and social boundaries). Distribution structures of the chipped and polished stone industries are analysed based on proportional and positive occurrence of particular raw materials at sites defined by pottery groups and based on spatial distribution. In the interpretation I define LBK pottery style as isochrestic because most of the analysed aspects is not differing for particular LBK pottery groups. By contrast, the pottery in the post-LBK period is characterised as emblematic style which actively follows social structure.