Comparing Connectivity Patterns in Prehistoric Germany by Means of Network Analysis, Artefact and Site Distribution and a Reassessment of Human Mobility (87Sr/86Sr)
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De Gruyter
https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2025-0077
https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2025-0077
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Peer reviewed: True
Acknowledgements: We thank Robert Staniuk for refitting the point data from Pétrequin et al. (2013), so that it could be used in this study. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the entire COREX team for their outstanding expertise and invaluable contributions. Each member has played an integral role in bringing this paper to fruition, and we thank them all for their support. We thank Constanze Rassmann for letting us use unpublished coordinate data for the hilted swords, which she assembled in her PhD.
Publication status: Published
Abstract Recent advances in the natural sciences, bioarchaeology and spatial analytical techniques have significantly improved our ability to reconstruct prehistoric human connectivity. However, traditional mapping approaches can often fail to integrate isotopic evidence with landscape modeling and artifact distribution comprehensively. This study addresses this gap by combining Least-Cost Path (LCP) analysis, spatial distribution of key archaeological artifacts (jade axes and hilted swords), and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic data from previous research to investigate movement corridors in the Late Neolithic (ca. 3,800–2,800 BCE) and Bronze Age (ca. 2,300/2,200–800 BCE) landscapes of central and southern Germany. Our objective is to model how prehistoric populations navigated and exploited natural landscape features for mobility and trade, assessing how these corridors influenced the spatial distribution of important trade commodities. By integrating isotopic data with modeled movement corridors, our study confirms through independent isotopic and spatial evidence, that mobility networks intensified and stabilized during the Bronze Age. This approach highlights a methodological advance rather than reiterating a well-known trend, as the broader variability of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios directly corresponds with the establishment of sustained long-distance connections.
Acknowledgements: We thank Robert Staniuk for refitting the point data from Pétrequin et al. (2013), so that it could be used in this study. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the entire COREX team for their outstanding expertise and invaluable contributions. Each member has played an integral role in bringing this paper to fruition, and we thank them all for their support. We thank Constanze Rassmann for letting us use unpublished coordinate data for the hilted swords, which she assembled in her PhD.
Publication status: Published
Abstract Recent advances in the natural sciences, bioarchaeology and spatial analytical techniques have significantly improved our ability to reconstruct prehistoric human connectivity. However, traditional mapping approaches can often fail to integrate isotopic evidence with landscape modeling and artifact distribution comprehensively. This study addresses this gap by combining Least-Cost Path (LCP) analysis, spatial distribution of key archaeological artifacts (jade axes and hilted swords), and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic data from previous research to investigate movement corridors in the Late Neolithic (ca. 3,800–2,800 BCE) and Bronze Age (ca. 2,300/2,200–800 BCE) landscapes of central and southern Germany. Our objective is to model how prehistoric populations navigated and exploited natural landscape features for mobility and trade, assessing how these corridors influenced the spatial distribution of important trade commodities. By integrating isotopic data with modeled movement corridors, our study confirms through independent isotopic and spatial evidence, that mobility networks intensified and stabilized during the Bronze Age. This approach highlights a methodological advance rather than reiterating a well-known trend, as the broader variability of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios directly corresponds with the establishment of sustained long-distance connections.