Session: #515

Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each

An integral part of the first farming communities was the construction of imposing public structures in the form of public places of assembly, enclosures and funerary monuments. The purpose of the session is to discuss various theories about why monumental architecture became an integral part of early Neolithic societies in Europe.

The construction of manmade demarcations in the landscape has been related to social changes produced by social, economic, technological and climate changes in relation to the introduction and development of farming and agriculture. In many areas, funerary structures are the first major monuments to be built whereas enclosure building may require a certain critical mass in terms of population and level of organization and represent a hallmark of fully established Neolithic way of life.

Alternatively, the collaboration in the making, maintenance and continual rebuilding of monuments may have played a central role in creating a shared narratives, identity and commitment in a large-scale society. The demands of cohabitation in larger groups and participation in wider networks required new cultural and cognitive capacities embodied in the symbolic representations stored in the monuments. The growth of larger and more complex social groups manifested in the development of more substantial architecture and elaborate ways of treating the dead may in fact be what is driving the economic diversification and intensification.

Thus, the focus of this session is the different theories about the relationship between monumentality and the Neolithic way of life.

Neolithic, monumentalism, organization, identity, networks

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Lasse Sorensen (Denmark) ¹

Dr. Anne Birgitte Gebauer (Denmark) ¹
Prof. Niels H. Andersen (Denmark) ²
Dr. Anne Teather (United Kingdom) ³
Dr. António Carlos de Valera (Portugal) ⁴