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From Neolithic Boom-and-Bust to Iron Age Peak and Decline: Population and Settlement Dynamics in Southern Sweden Inferred from Summed Radiocarbon Dates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2022

Bo Friman  and
Per Lagerås Open the ORCID record for Per Lagerås [Opens in a new window]
Bo Friman
Affiliation:
The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums, Lund, Sweden
Per Lagerås
Affiliation:
The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums, Lund, Sweden
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Abstract

This article presents 6637 radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites in southernmost Sweden, from 9000 cal bc to the present. Based on summed probability distributions (SPDs) of the calibrated radiocarbon dates, the authors consider long-term trends in settlement and human population. Most dates are from the fertile and densely populated plains of south-western Scania, but coastal lowlands and forested uplands are also represented, allowing for a discussion of the relationship between central and peripheral areas. The authors distinguish between different types of archaeological contexts and features and between different types of dated material, so as to better understand the processes behind population and settlement change. They highlight three periods and phenomena revealed by the SPDs: a strong population increase at the onset of the Neolithic (4000–3700 cal bc), followed by a sharp decline; a steady and long-lasting expansion from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman Iron Age (1500 cal bc–cal ad 200); and a decrease in the Nordic Late Iron Age (seventh century ad), particularly in recently colonized upland areas. The SPDs presented provide a new framework for archaeology in southern Sweden and offer an empirical basis for discussion of long-term trends in settlement and population development.

Cet article présente 6637 datations radiocarbone provenant de sites archéologiques du sud de la Suède datant de 9000 cal bc à nos jours. Les auteurs évaluent, sur la base de la distribution des probabilités cumulées (summed probability distribution, SPD) des dates radiocarbone calibrées, les tendances à long terme concernant la population et l'occupation de la région. Les dates proviennent majoritairement des plaines fertiles et peuplées du sud-ouest de la Scanie mais les régions côtières et les hautes terres boisées sont aussi représentées, ce qui permet de comparer les zones centrales aux régions périphériques. Les auteurs distinguent entre différents types de contextes archéologiques et entre différents types de matériel afin de mieux appréhender les processus gouvernant les fluctuations de la population et de l'habitat. Ils relèvent trois périodes et phénomènes révélés par la distribution des probabilités cumulées : une forte croissance démographique au début du Néolithique (4000–3700 cal bc), suivi d'une nette régression ; une expansion régulière et durable entre l’âge du Bronze Ancien et l’âge du Fer romain (1500 cal bc–cal ad 200) et un déclin à l’âge du Fer récent (VIIe siècle de notre ère), surtout dans les hautes terres récemment colonisées. La distribution des probabilités cumulées situe l'archéologie de la Suède méridionale dans un nouveau cadre et offre une base de discussion empirique des tendances à long terme concernant la population et l'occupation de cette région. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

In diesem Artikel werden 6637 Radiokarbonbestimmungen zwischen 9000 cal bc und heute aus archäologischen Fundstätten in Südschweden zusammengefasst. Auf der Basis von summierten Wahrscheinlichkeitsverbreitungen (summed probability distribution, SPD) der kalibrierten Radiokarbondaten besprechen die Verfasser langfristige Tendenzen in der Bevölkerung und Besiedlung der Gegend. Die meisten Daten stammen aus den fruchtbaren und dicht bevölkerten Ebenen Südwestschonens, aber Küsten- und bewaldete Hügel-Landschaften sind auch vertreten, was einen Vergleich zwischen Zentralzonen und Randbereiche ermöglicht. Die Verfasser unterscheiden zwischen verschiedenen archäologischen Kontexten und verschiedenen datierten Materialien, um die Prozesse hinter den Veränderungen in der Bevölkerung und Besiedlung besser zu verstehen. Sie hervorheben drei in den summierten Wahrscheinlichkeitsverbreitungen dokumentierten Perioden und Phänomene: ein deutlicher Bevölkerungszuwachs am Anfang des Neolithikums (um 4000–3700 cal bc) und danach eine starke Abnahme; eine stetige und dauerhafte Zunahme zwischen der Frühbronzezeit und der römischen Eisenzeit (1500 cal bc–cal ad 200); und eine Abnahme in der nordischen Späteisenzeit (im 7. Jahrhundert n. Chr.), besonders in vor Kurzem kolonisierten Hochlandschaften. Die summierten Wahrscheinlichkeitsverbreitungen stellen einen neuen Rahmen für die Archäologie Südschwedens dar und bieten eine empirische Basis für die Diskussion der langfristigen Tendenzen in der Bevölkerung und Besiedlung der Gegend. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Keywords

summed probability distributionNeolithic boom-and-bustBronze Age expansionIron Age declinehuman population dynamicssouthern Swedendistribution des probabilités cumuléesvariation au Néolithiqueexpansion à l’âge du Bronzedéclin à l’âge du FerdémographieSuède méridionalesummierte WahrscheinlichkeitsverbreitungenAuf- und Abschwung im Neolithikumbronzezeitliche Zunahmeeisenzeitliche AbnahmeBevölkerungsdynamikSüdschweden
Type
Article
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , May 2023 , pp. 168 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Association of Archaeologists

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