Neolithic crisis and cultural norms breakdown in late LBK. Late LBK period around turn of 6th millennium BC shows concentrated violence described as a 'crisis' Furholt argues warfare model assumes Neolithic people were guided by worldview similar to Western rationality Variety of mortuary treatments across sites suggests people recognized they had stepped beyond normal cultural bounds
The late LBK period around 5000 BCE saw concentrated violence unlike earlier Neolithic eras. Prof. Furholt cautions against viewing this through modern Western frameworks of warfare. The diverse mortuary treatments suggest communities recognized they'd crossed cultural boundaries, inventing justifications on the spot. This was ritualized behavior, deeply embedded in society.
Key Facts
- Late LBK period around turn of 6th millennium BC shows concentrated violence described as a 'crisis'
- Furholt argues warfare model assumes Neolithic people were guided by worldview similar to Western rationality
- Variety of mortuary treatments across sites suggests people recognized they had stepped beyond normal cultural bounds
- Different groups invented justifications on the spot to normalize their behavior
- Peak concentration of violence in this era is not normal for the broader Neolithic period
- Patterns may reflect ritualized, intentional, deeply embedded social practices rather than single catastrophic events
Source: Does This Mean There Was a Massacre at Vráble-Veľké 7,000 Years Ago? by The Prehistory Guys