Language
Country/Area
No result found
Secrets of Ancient Farmers: Who Are the Ancestors of the Funnel Beaker Culture?
Among the remains of North Central Europe, the Funnelbeaker culture (TRB) holds the secrets of ancient farmers. This cultural history dates from 4300 to 2800 BC and covers the area from the Lower Elbe River to the Middle Vistula River. The soil in this area nurtured the beginnings of early agriculture and developed a unique Social structure and lifestyle. With further excavation by archaeologists, the origin and development of the Funnel Cup Culture has gradually become clear, making us realize who the ancestors behind this history are?
The emergence of the Funnel Cup culture was the result of the integration of technology and culture at different times. In this process, local hunter-gatherers gradually adopted agriculture and animal husbandry and became a new generation of farmers.
The Funnelbeaker culture is named for its characteristic pottery styles, which are often found in ancient tombs. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Funnel Beaker culture originated in what is now northern Germany, most likely by immigrants from the Michelsberg culture. The Michielsberg culture is genetically distinct from the preceding Linear Pottery culture, showing a high component of hunter-gatherer ancestry.
According to current research, the pioneers of these cultural groups were most likely descendants of farmers from the Iberian subcontinent and modern France, who moved westward along the Mediterranean coast. Their expansion into southern Scandinavia and Poland was rapid and organized, replacing the then-established Ebolist culture, which allowed the Funnel Beaker culture to quickly take root in the region.
Archaeological research indicates that the population structure of the Funnel Beaker culture consisted of between 30% and 50% hunter-gatherers, reflecting that the culture absorbed the local hunter-gatherer population.
The lifestyle of the Funnel Cup people is quite diverse. In addition to raising sheep, cattle, pigs and goats, they also engage in hunting and fishing. As early agricultural practitioners, they tried to grow wheat and barley on limited land, but due to the poor quality of the land, they often had to relocate frequently. In terms of technology, this culture contains the earliest evidence of horse-drawn carriages pulled by oxen and is associated with early agricultural societies in Central Europe.
In terms of social structure, the Funnel Cup culture is centered around major burial structures, which are not only a symbol of personal identity, but also a manifestation of social cohesion. There are various forms of tombs, including long tombs, passage tombs and stone mounds, and funeral customs vary from place to place.
Analysis of dozens of ancient tombs of the Leaking Cup culture that have been discovered so far shows that the social organization of this culture was mainly based on patrilineal inheritance, with male offspring coming from a very concentrated source, while females were mostly the result of marriages between different sources.
With the evolution of history, the Funnel Cup Culture was gradually replaced by the Spherical Pot Culture in the middle of the 4th millennium, and ended in the early 3rd millennium by the Linear Pottery Culture with characteristics of the Steppe culture. The process of intersection and replacement of these cultures marked the end of an era and also promoted the birth of a new culture.
The remains of the Funnel Cup culture include large tombs and sacrificial centers, which still tell stories of the past. In addition, genetic studies have shown that women of the Funnel Cup culture also played an important role in mixing with invaders, further strengthening the understanding of the diverse background of this cultural elite and the people.
Is this history just a simple population migration? Or is there a deeper cultural integration and struggle hidden in it? Are these issues worthy of further thinking and exploration?
