Parallel societies: evidence for the co-existence of Late Funnel Beaker West and Early Corded Ware communities

Abstract

In this paper we argue for a long overlap between Funnel Beaker West and Corded Ware societies in the Netherlands and north-western Germany. Using Bayesian modelling, we re-examine the available radiocarbon dates for Funnel Beaker West and Corded Ware. The models indicate an overlap of at least 175 years between c. 2900 and 2725 calBC. This overlap is supported by archaeological cases in which Corded Ware and Funnel Beaker funerary and depositional practices are found to be contemporaneous, to occur at the same locations, or to exhibit specific, similar practices. We further examine this overlap in Corded Ware and Funnel Beaker West practices in the funerary and depositional domain. We find a recurring pattern of distinction and exemption in these highly symbolic practices, which we suggest best fits a scenario in which Corded Ware and Funnel Beaker West groups exist in parallel throughout the first half of the third millennium BC, with only occasional interaction. The precise nature of the (lack of) interaction between Corded Ware and Funnel Beaker societies remains open to interpretation. However, we show that local patterns are key to the interpretation of the transition as a whole. The overreliance on culture historical narratives in aDNA studies is prone to underestimate this variability, because samples are only taken from clear Corded Ware or Funnel Beaker West contexts, and not from exceptional ones. Therefore, we argue that systematic, detailed studies of funerary and depositional practices are crucial for understanding events in the third millennium BC and beyond.