Ritual encounters at the northern periphery of the early Neolithic world. A roe deer antler headdress from Eilsleben, Börde county, Saxony-Anhalt

Abstract

Following the results of aDNA studies, the Neolithic expansion into central Europe has been identified with a massive movement of people. Archaeological data however speak against a complete population turnover. Differing between regions, displacement in peripheral zones occurs as well as parallel use of geographical spaces. In any case, initial colonization is rapidly followed by exchange between the farmers and foragers. Drawing on a find from Eilsleben-Vosswelle, a site at the northern periphery of the Linear Pottery Culture distribution, the present paper highlights the role individual agency may have played within this exchange. A modified roe deer antler from an Early Neolithic settlement pit can be interpreted as part of a headdress in Mesolithic tradition and finds its best analogy in the burial of the “shaman” of Bad Dürrenberg. The Linear Pottery Culture also knows depictions of horned human-animal combined beings, possibly hinting at elements of shamanic beliefs. Based on this evidence we argue in favor of interactions between early farmers and foragers that may even have had an impact on belief systems.