Environmental Change’s Impact on Settlement Development during the Late Neolithic at the Site of Csökmő-Káposztás-domb

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In the Körös region of the Great Hungarian Plain, the Late Neolithic (ca. 5000–4500 BC) tell site of Csökmő-Káposztás-domb features an ancient paleomeander that weaves through the site. Magnetometry and systematic surface collection have identified a contemporaneous Late Neolithic settlement surrounding the tell, spanning almost 130 ha. Many Late Neolithic structures are purposefully located close to the tell and paleomeander, at high relative elevations. However, south of the tell, multiple structures are located close to the river at significantly lower elevations. Prior to water regulations in the nineteenth century, the Körös region had a marshy environment characterized by frequent periods of flooding. Periods of short-term environmental change, like flooding, affected where populations settled and expanded during the Late Neolithic. In this study, we identified two structures situated close to the paleomeander at lower elevations than other structures. Targeted excavations were conducted in the summer of 2022 to collect 14C samples to date these structures. The results of these excavations, along with survey, material analysis, and remote sensing results, provide a comprehensive understanding regarding the relationship between human-environmental interaction and site development at a tell-centered settlement complex during the Late Neolithic on the Great Hungarian Plain.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36547.0