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The Lives of Houses: Duration, Context, and History at Neolithic Uivar, Romania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2017

Florin Draşovean
Affiliation:
National Museum of Banat, Timișoara, and Institute for Doctoral Studies, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Wolfram Schier
Affiliation:
Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, Free University of Berlin, Germany
Alex Bayliss
Affiliation:
Historic England, London, and Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, UK
Bisserka Gaydarska
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Conservation, Cardiff University, UK
Alasdair Whittle
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Conservation, Cardiff University, UK

Abstract

There is a considerable mix of models for house durations in the literature on Neolithic Europe. This article presents a summary of a formal chronological model for the Neolithic tell of Uivar in western Romania. We provide estimates of house duration and relate houses to other features of the development of this tell, from the later sixth to the mid-fifth millennium cal bc. Three wider implications are discussed: that the house must be contextualized case by case; that house duration gives powerful insights into the sociality of community; and that houses, surprisingly often taken rather for granted in Neolithic archaeology, should be fully integrated into the interpretation of Neolithic histories. From what perspective, anthropocentric or relational, that may best be done, is open to question; while it may be helpful to think in this case in terms of the lives and vitality of houses, the ability of people to create and vary history should not be set aside lightly.

La littérature archéologique contient un mélange de différents modèles relatifs à la durée d'occupation des maisons pendant le Néolithique en Europe. Dans cet article nous présentons un sommaire d'un schéma chronologique formel pour le tell néolithique d'Uivar en Roumanie occidentale et établissons un lien entre les estimations de la durée d'occupation des maisons et les autres éléments de l’évolution du tell entre la fin du sixième millénaire et le milieu du cinquième millénaire cal bc. Nous notons trois répercussions de plus grande envergure : qu'il faut étudier les demeures cas par cas, que la durée d'occupation des maisons nous fournit des indications importantes sur les aspects sociaux d'une communauté et que les maisons doivent être intégrées à part entière dans les interprétations et récits concernant le Néolithique, alors que curieusement on les considérait souvent pour acquises en archéologie néolithique. Il reste à savoir dans quelle perspective, qu'elle soit anthropocentrique ou relationnelle, nous pouvons le mieux atteindre ce but ; quoique dans notre cas il nous parait utile d'aborder la question du point de vue de la vie et de la vitalité des demeures, il ne faudra pas pour autant négliger la créativité des personnes et leur capacité de modifier l'histoire. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

In der archäologischen Literatur gibt es eine erhebliche Vielfalt von verschiedenen Modellen, welche die Lebensdauer der Häuser im europäischen Neolithikum betreffen. In diesem Artikel wird die formelle, chronologische Modellierung des neolithischen Tells von Uivar in Westrumänien zusammengefasst, und unsere Schätzung der Dauer der Hausstrukturen wird mit anderen Elementen der Entwicklung des Tells zwischen dem späten sechsten Jahrtausend bis in die Mitte des fünften Jahrtausends cal bc verbunden. Drei weitere Auswirkungen werden hier besprochen: erstens muss jedes Haus von Fall zu Fall und kontextspezifisch bewertet werden; zweitens liefert die Lebensdauer der Hausstrukturen maßgebliche Einblicke in die Sozialität einer Gemeinschaft; und drittens sollten Häuser, welche die neolithische Archäologie erstaunlich oft eher als selbstverständlich gehalten hat, vollständig in die Interpretation von neolithischen Geschichten eingegliedert werden. Ob eine anthropozentrische oder relationale Perspektive die geeignetste Vorgangsweise ist, bleibt eine offene Frage; obschon es in unserem Fall nützlich ist, das Thema vom Blickpunkt des Lebens und Dynamik eines Hauses zu behandeln, dürfen wir den Erfindergeist und die Fähigkeit der Menschen, ihre Geschichte zu verändern, nicht leichthin außer Acht lassen. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Literatura arheologică conține o serie de modele legate de durata de folosință a caselor din perioada neoliticului din Europa. În acest articol vom prezenta un rezumat al unei scheme cronologice pentru tellul neolitic de la Uivar din vestul României și am încercat să stabilim o legătură între estimările duratei de folosire ale caselor și alte elemente ale evoluției tellului, între sfârșitul celui de al șaselea mileniu și până la mijlocul celui de al cincilea mileniu cal. BC. Remarcăm trei idei de mare anvergură: în primul rând, necesitatea de a lua în considerare fiecare caz în parte, în al doilea rând, că durata de folosire a caselor ne oferă informații importante cu privire la aspectele sociale ale unei comunități și, în al treilea rând, că locuințele trebuie să fie integrate pe deplin în tratarea și interpretările neoliticului, cu toate că, adesea, acestea sunt considerate de la sine ca parte a abordărilor în arheologia neoliticului. Rămâne însă de văzut din ce perspectivă, relațională sau antropocentrică, vom putea să atingem acest obiectiv; deși în cazul nostru considerăm că este util de a aborda problema și din punctul de vedere al vieții și vitalității caselor și că nu trebuie să fie neglijată nici creativitatea oamenilor și capacitatea lor de a schimba istoria. Translation by the authors

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 2017 

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