In a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, archaeologists examined the exceptional human remains from the Middle Trypillia site of Kosenivka (ca. 3700-3600 BCE) in Ukraine.
Archaeological context of Kosenivka, Ukraine. Image credit: Fuchs et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289769.
The Trypillia culture is a Neolithic European culture that arose in Ukraine between the Seret and Bug rivers, with extensions south into modern-day Romania and Moldova and east to the Dnieper River, in the 5th millennium BCE.
Also known as the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, it is characterized by advanced agriculture, developed metallurgy, pottery-making, sophisticated architecture and social organization.
Trypillian society was matriarchal, with women heading the household, doing agricultural work, and manufacturing pottery, textiles and clothing.
Hunting, keeping domestic animals and making tools were the responsibilities of the men.
“Despite the vast number of artifacts the Trypillia left behind, archeologists have found very few human remains,” said Dr. Katharina Fuchs from Kiel University and her colleagues.
“Due to this absence, many facets of the lives of this ancient people are still undiscovered.”
The researchers studied a settlement of the Trypillia culture near Kosenivka, Ukraine.
Comprised of several houses, this site is unique for the presence of human remains.
The 50 human bone fragments recovered among the remains of a house stem from at least seven individuals — children, adults, males and a female, perhaps once inhabitants of the house. The remains of four of the individuals were also heavily burnt.
By analyzing the carbon and nitrogen present in the bones, as well as in grains and the remains of animals found at the site, the researchers determined meat made up less than 10% of the inhabitants’ diets.
This is in line with teeth found at the site, which have wear marks that indicate chewing on grains and other plant fibers.
That Trypillia diets consisted mostly of plants supports theories that cattle in these cultures were primarily used for manuring the fields and milk rather than meat production.
“Skeletal remains are real biological archives,” Dr. Fuchs said.
“Although researching the Trypillia societies and their living conditions in the oldest city-like communities in Eastern Europe will remain challenging, our ‘Kosenvika case’ clearly shows that even small fragments of bone are of great help.”
“By combining new osteological, isotopic, archaeobotanical and archaeological information, we provide an exceptional insight into the lives — and perhaps also the deaths — of these people.”
The scientists also explored potential causes for the burns, such as an accidental fire, or a rare form of burial rite.
The burnt bone fragments were largely found in the center of the house, and previous studies surmised the inhabitants of this site died in a house fire.
Scrutinizing the pieces of bone under a microscope, the authors concluded that the burning probably occurred quickly after death.
In the case of an accidental fire, the researchers propose that some individuals could have died of carbon monoxide poisoning, even if they fled the house.
According to radiocarbon dating, one of the individuals died ca. 100 years later. The death of this person cannot be connected to the fire, but is otherwise unknown.
Two other individuals with unhealed cranial injuries raise the question of whether violence could have played a role as well.
A review of Trypillian human bone finds showed the researchers that less than 1% of the dead were cremated, and even more rarely buried within a house.
“Altogether, our results indicate the huge explanatory potential that has yet to be unlocked in the rare and often poorly preserved bioarchaeological archives of the Cucuteni-Trypillia phenomenon,” the scientists concluded.
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K. Fuchs et al. 2024. Life and death in Trypillia times: Interdisciplinary analyses of the unique human remains from the settlement of Kosenivka, Ukraine (3700-3600 BCE). PLoS ONE 19 (12): e0289769; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289769
Source : Breaking Science News