Household integration in Neolithic villages: A new model for the Linear Pottery Culture in west-central Europe

This paper proposes a novel interpretation of Neolithic Linear Pottery (LBK) settlement organisation, based on comparative analysis of data on subsistence (faunal remains, macrolithic tools) and on pottery manufacturing techniques and apprenticeship networks in the settlement of Cuiry-lès-Chaudardes (Aisne, France). This new model explains differences in house size in terms of both varying degrees of economic maturity and particular functional status. We argue that each house is self-sufficient in terms of subsistence, but at the same time maintained reciprocal relations with a number of other houses. Our model also describes how the stages of establishment, assimilation and integration of family units evolved within the village community. We ultimately offer insights into the social rules, stable over time, underlying matrimonial networks and mobility patterns in the LBK.