The Rössen culture or Roessen culture (german: Rössener Kultur) is a

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

of the

middle Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

(4,600–4,300 BC). It is named after the necropolis of Rössen (part of

Leuna Leuna is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, south of Merseburg and Halle, on the river Saale. The town is known for the ''Leunawerke'', at 13 km2 one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in Germany, where a very wide range of ...

, in the Saalekreis district,

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...

). The Rössen culture has been identified in 11 of the 16 states of Germany (it is only absent from the Northern part of the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balt ...

), but also in the southeast

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, northeast

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, northern Switzerland and a small part of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The Rössen culture is important as it marks the transition from a broad and widely distributed tradition going back to Central Europe's earliest Neolithic LBK towards the more diversified Middle and Late Neolithic situation characterised by the appearance of complexes like Michelsberg and Funnel Beaker Culture.

Pottery

Rössen vessels are characteristically decorated with double incisions ("goat's foot incision" or German '"Geißfußstich"') with incrustation of white paste. Grooved or stamped incisions are also common. Over time, the extent of the decorated areas appears to decrease so that on later vessels it is mostly restricted to the neck or entirely absent. Typical shapes include tall footed bowls, globular cups, rectangular sheet-made bowls and boat-shaped vessels. The surfaces of vessels are usually burnished; their colours range from brown via reddish brown and dark brown to grey-black.

Stone tools

The Rössen repertoire of

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

tools is broadly similar to that of the Linear Pottery (LBK) tradition (blades with pyramid-shaped cores), but there is a marked change as regards the raw materials used.

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Rijkholt flint, which dominated the LBK tradition, is being replaced with veined 'Plattenhornstein' (Abensberg-Arnhofen type) of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n origin. The most typical solid rock tool is a pierced tall cleaver, but unpierced axes and adzes are also common.

Domestic architecture and settlement patterns

Only a few Rössen settlements have been excavated. Prominent examples are the sites of Deiringsen-Ruploh und Schöningen/Esbeck. The predominant structure is a trapezoidal or boat-shaped long house, up to 65 m in length. The ground plans suggest a sloping roofline. Multiple internal partitions are a frequent feature, probably indicating that several smaller (

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

?) units inhabited a house. Lüning suggests that Rössen settlements were true

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

communities. Some settlements were surrounded by earthwork

enclosures Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

. The majority of settlements were located in areas with

Chernozem Chernozem (from rus, чернозём, p=tɕɪrnɐˈzʲɵm, r=chernozyom; "black ground"), also called black soil, is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage of humus (4% to 16%) and high percentages of phosphorus and ammonia compou ...

soils; compared to LBK the area of settlement decreased.

Burial rites

The dead were mostly buried in a crouched position, lying on their right side and facing East. Graves were dug to a depth of 40 to 160 cm, occasionally they were covered with stone slabs. The exact shapes and sizes of graves are not well understood. Even less is known about possible

cremation Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre is ...

burials whose identification as belonging to Rössen is sometimes disputed. Cremated remains and

pyre A pyre ( grc, πυρά; ''pyrá'', from , ''pyr'', "fire"), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the ...

ashes were collected together and accompanied by unburnt

grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...

. Ceramic grave offerings include pedestalled cups, globular cups, lugged cups, bowls, flasks, amphoras, jugs and basins. Limestone rings, stone axes, flint blades and animal bones also occur.

Economy

Mixed agriculture was practiced, and cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were kept.

Origin of British/Irish Neolithic?

It is suggested the late Rössen culture may be ancestral to the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

cultures of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(a group of cultures previously known as Windmill Hill culture), but there is no great similarity in the form of houses or pottery. According to alternative theories, the British Neolithic culture(s) came from Brittany.Culture de Windmill-Hill
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Kurgan hypothesis

In the context of the Kurgan hypothesis, certain intrusive elements are pointed to as some of the earliest evidence for penetration by Kurgan culture-based

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

elements, but

Mallory Mallory is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Mallairígh''. Spelling variants include Mallary, Mallery, Malorie, Mallorie, Mallerie and Mallorey. Mallory and Mallerie are also given names derived from the surname. Surname * Arenia ...

indicates this idea has failed to gain any real acceptance. Older, now largely discarded theories attempted to make this a very early Indo-European culture; the presently prevailing view assigns it to indigenous non-Indo-European-speaking people.

Chronologically and geographically adjacent cultures

Rössen followed LBK. In its western distribution, the Hinkelstein, Großgartach and Planig-Friedberg complexes intervene between LBK and Rössen. Rössen is partially contemporaneous with the Southeast Bavarian

Middle Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

('Südostbayerisches Mittelneolithikum' or SOB, formally also known as Oberlauterbach Group). In the North, Rössen precedes the early Funnel beaker culture of

Baalberge Baalberge is a village and a former municipality in the district Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkrei ...

; in the South it is followed by the so-called post-Rössen groups (

Wauwil Wauwil is a municipality in the district of Willisau in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. Geography Wauwil has an area, , of . Of this area, 72.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.9% is forested. The rest of the land, (18%) is ...

, Bischoffingen-Leiselheim/Strasbourg, Bischheim, Goldberg, Aichbühl,

Gatersleben Gatersleben () is a village and a former municipality in the district Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 September 2010, it is part of the town Seeland, Germany, Seeland. It is situated southwest of Magdeburg and northwest of Halle, ...

) and Lengyel (

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

), and the Münchshöfen Culture (

Genetics

In a 2017 genetic study published in ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

'', the remains of a female ascribed to the Rössen culture was analyzed. She was found to be carrying V1a.

Literature

General

* J. P. Mallory, "Rössen Culture", '' Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture'', Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997. *Joachim Preuß: ''Das Neolithikum in Mitteleuropa. Kulturen-Wirtschaft-Umwelt vom 6. bis 3. Jahrtausend v.u.Z., Übersichten zum Stand der Forschung.'' 3 Bde. Beier und Beran, Wilkau-Haßlau, Weißbach 1996, 1998, 1999.

Origins/Development

*W. Meier-Arendt: ''Zur Frage der Genese der Rössener Kultur.'' In: ''Germania.'' 52/1, 1974, 1-15. *H.-J. Beier (Hrsg.): ''Der Rössener Horizont in Mitteleuropa.'' Wilkau-Haßlau 1994. *J. Erhardt: ''Rössener Kultur.'' In: H.-J. Beier, R. Einicke (Hrsg.): ''Das Neolithikum im Mittelelbe-Saale-Gebiet.'' Wilkau-Haßlau 1996, 76-77.

Pottery and chronology

*H. Behrens: D''ie Rössener, Gaterslebener und Jordansmühler Gruppe im Mitteldeutschen Raum.'' Fundamenta A 3, Teil Va (Köln 1972.), 270 ff. *J. Lichardus: ''Rössen – Gatersleben – Baalberge. Ein Beitrag zur Chronologie des mitteldeutschen Neolithikums und zur Entstehung der Trichterbecherkulturen.'' Saarbrücker Beitr. Altkde. 17 (Bonn 1976). *K. Mauser-Goller: D''ie Rössener Kultur in ihrem südwestlichen Verbreitungsgebiet.'' Fundamenta A 3, Teil Va (Köln 1972), 231-268. *F. Niquet: ''Die Rössener Kultur in Mitteldeutschland.'' Jahresschr. Mitteldt. Vorgesch. 26, 1937. *H. Spatz/S. Alföldy-Thomas: D''ie „Große Grube“ der Rössener Kultur in Heidelberg-Neuenheim.'' Materialhefte Vor- und Frühgesch. Baden-Württemberg 11 (Stuttgart 1988). *Otto Thielemann: "Eine Rössener Prachtvase von Burgdorf, Kreis Goslar", Die Kunde, Jg.9,10/1941

Subsistence

*J. Lüning: ''Steinzeitliche Bauern in Deutschland - die Landwirtschaft im Neolithikum.'' Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie 58 (Bonn 2000). *U. Piening: ''Pflanzenreste Die Pflanzenreste aus Gruben der Linearbandkeramik und der Rössener Kultur von Ditzingen, Kr. Ludwigsburg.'' In: Fundber. Baden-Württemberg 22/1, 1998, 125-160.

Architecture

*M. Dohrn: ''Neolithische Siedlungen der Rössener Kultur in der Niederrheinischen Bucht.'' München 1983. *A. Jürgens: ''Die Rössener Siedlung von Aldenhoven, Kr. Düren.'' In: ''Rhein. Ausgrab.'' 19, 1979, 385-505. *R. Kuper: ''Der Rössener Siedlungsplatz Inden I.'' Dissertations-Druck, Köln 1979. *J. Lüning: ''Siedlung und Siedlungslandschaft in bandkeramischer und Rössener Zeit.'' In: ''Offa.'' 39, 1982, 9-33. *H. Luley: ''Die Rekonstruktion eines Hauses der Rössener Kultur im archäologischen Freilichtmuseum Oerlinghausen.'' In: ''Arch. Mitt. Nordwestdeutschl.'' Beiheft 4. Oldenburg 1990, 31-44. *H. Luley: ''Urgeschichtlicher Hausbau in Mitteleuropa. Grundlagenforschung, Umweltbedingungen und bautechnische Rekonstruktion.'' Universitätsforsch. prähist. Arch. 7. Bonn 1992. *K. Günther: ''Die jungsteinzeitliche Siedlung Deiringsen/Ruploh in der Soester Börde.'' Münster 1976.

Burial

*R. Dehn: ''Ein Gräberfeld der Rössener Kultur von Jechtingen, Gde. Sasbach, Kr. Emmendingen.'' in: ''Archäologische Nachr.'' Baden 34, 1985, 3-6. *J. Lichardus: ''Rössen-Gatersleben-Baalberge.'' Saarbrücker Beitr. Altkde 17. Bonn 1976. *F. Niquet: ''Das Gräberfeld von Rössen, Kreis Merseburg.'' Veröff. Landesanstalt Volkheitskde. 9. Halle/S. 1938.

Post-Rössen groups

*''Die Kugelbechergruppen in der südlichen Oberrheinebene.'' Sonderheft. Cahiers Assoc. Promotion Rech. Arch. Alsace 6, 1990. *Jens Lüning: ''Die Entwicklung der Keramik beim Übergang vom Mittel- zum Jungneolithikum im Süddeutschen Raum.'' Bericht der RGK 50.1969, 3-95. *M. Zápotocká, ''Zum Stand der Forschung über die relative Chronologie des frühen Äneolithikums in Böhmen.'' In: J. Biel/H. Schlichtherle/M. Strobel/A. Zeeb (Hrsg.), ''Die Michelsberger Kultur und ihre Randgebiete - Probleme der Entstehung, Chronologie und des Siedlungswesens.'' Kolloquium Hemmenhofen, 21–23 February 1997. Materialh. Ur- u. Frühgesch. Baden-Württemberg 43. Stuttgart 1998, 291-302. *A. Zeeb: ''Poströssen – Epirössen – Kugelbechergruppen. Zur Begriffsverwirrung im frühen Jungneolithikum (Die Schulterbandgruppen – Versuch einer Neubenennung).'' In: H.-J. Beier (Hrsg.), Der Rössener Horizont in Mitteleuropa. Wilkau-Haßlau 1994, 7-10.

Source of translation

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossen Culture Neolithic cultures of Europe Archaeological cultures of Central Europe Archaeological cultures of Western Europe Archaeological cultures in Austria Archaeological cultures in Belgium Archaeological cultures in France Archaeological cultures in Germany Archaeological cultures in the Netherlands Archaeological cultures in Switzerland