Baalberge group
Encyclopedia
The Baalburge group is a variant of the Funnelbeaker culture
, ca. 3800—3500 BC, of the upper and central Elbe River catchment.
It has been pointed to as an intrusive hybrid culture deriving ultimately from the steppe, and within the context of the Kurgan hypothesis
as put forth by Marija Gimbutas
and her followers, it is therefore a presumptively Indo-European
-speaking culture.
Their remains are entirely from inhumations, of which about 200 are known. These were in barrows, which could include multiple later insertions. The primary grave could be in a stone cist
, with hybrid grave offerings; typical corded ware pottery is found with examples from the more easterly and southerly Baden culture
as well as the Bodrogkersztúr culture. The body is alleged to have been in a typically "Yamna
" position, that is, flexed on their right side. These gravesites often display reuse by later cultures, including the Globular Amphora culture
and the Unetice culture
, but the placement of the hands over the mouth in an eating gesture is alien to authentic kurgan
sites.
Further against the identification with the Kurgan culture, is the fact that typical steppe kurgans are not in evidence, and that comparative anatomy suggests the deceased came from a locally derived population, and not from the east. They also do not display the extreme use of ochre found in eastern burials.
Mallory prefers to see this as locally derived.
Funnelbeaker culture
The Funnelbeaker culture, short TRB from Trichterbecherkultur is the principal north central European megalithic culture of late Neolithic Europe.- Predecessor and successor cultures :...
, ca. 3800—3500 BC, of the upper and central Elbe River catchment.
It has been pointed to as an intrusive hybrid culture deriving ultimately from the steppe, and within the context of the Kurgan hypothesis
Kurgan hypothesis
The Kurgan hypothesis is one of the proposals about early Indo-European origins, which postulates that the people of an archaeological "Kurgan culture" in the Pontic steppe were the most likely speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language...
as put forth by Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas , was a Lithuanian-American archeologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe", a term she introduced. Her works published between 1946 and 1971 introduced new views by combining traditional spadework with linguistics and mythological...
and her followers, it is therefore a presumptively Indo-European
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
-speaking culture.
Their remains are entirely from inhumations, of which about 200 are known. These were in barrows, which could include multiple later insertions. The primary grave could be in a stone cist
Cist
A cist from ) is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East....
, with hybrid grave offerings; typical corded ware pottery is found with examples from the more easterly and southerly Baden culture
Baden culture
Baden culture, ca 3600 BC-ca 2800 BC, an eneolithic culture found in central Europe. It is known from Moravia, Hungary, Slovakia and Eastern Austria...
as well as the Bodrogkersztúr culture. The body is alleged to have been in a typically "Yamna
Yamna culture
The Yamna culture is a late copper age/early Bronze Age culture of the Southern Bug/Dniester/Ural region , dating to the 36th–23rd centuries BC...
" position, that is, flexed on their right side. These gravesites often display reuse by later cultures, including the Globular Amphora culture
Globular Amphora culture
The Globular Amphora Culture , German Kugelamphoren-Kultur , ca. 3400-2800 BC, is an archaeological culture preceding the central area occupied by the Corded Ware culture. Somewhat to the south and west, it was bordered by the Baden culture. To the northeast was the Narva culture. It occupied much...
and the Unetice culture
Unetice culture
Unetice; or more properly Únětice culture ; is the name given to an early Bronze Age culture, preceded by the Beaker culture and followed by the Tumulus culture. It was named after finds at site in Únětice, northwest of Prague. It is focused around the Czech Republic, southern and central Germany,...
, but the placement of the hands over the mouth in an eating gesture is alien to authentic kurgan
Kurgan
Kurgan is the Turkic term for a tumulus; mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves, originating with its use in Soviet archaeology, now widely used for tumuli in the context of Eastern European and Central Asian archaeology....
sites.
Further against the identification with the Kurgan culture, is the fact that typical steppe kurgans are not in evidence, and that comparative anatomy suggests the deceased came from a locally derived population, and not from the east. They also do not display the extreme use of ochre found in eastern burials.
Mallory prefers to see this as locally derived.
Sources
- J. P. Mallory, "Baalberge group", Encyclopedia of Indo-European CultureEncyclopedia of Indo-European CultureThe Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture is an encyclopedia of Indo-European studies and the Proto-Indo-Europeans. The encyclopedia was edited by J. P. Mallory and Douglas Q. Adams and published in 1997 by Fitzroy Dearborn...
, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.