Continuity or Great Transformation? Corded Ware Culture Communities in the Lower Oder Region at the Threshold of the Bronze Age (2300–2000 BCE)

Agnieszka Matuszewska

doi:10.23858/APa63.2025.4152

Published: 2025-12-29

Vol. 63 (2025)

Continuity or Great Transformation? Corded Ware Culture Communities in the Lower Oder Region at the Threshold of the Bronze Age (2300–2000 BCE)

Agnieszka Matuszewska

Archaeologia Polona

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.23858/APa63.2025.4152

Abstract

This article explores the issue of continuity versus socio-cultural transformation in the Lower Oder region during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age (2300–2000 BCE). An integrated analysis of material culture, settlement patterns, and environmental data highlights the complexity of cultural dynamics in this area. Elements of the Corded Ware Culture (CWC), the Bell Beaker phenomenon (BB), and southern influences linked to the Proto-Únětice Culture (PÚC) have been identified; however, their interrelations cannot be reduced to a simple chronological succession. Particular attention is given to ceramic forms and flint daggers, which reflect local adaptations of the cultural “packages” characteristic of the BB phenomenon, alongside the persistence of CWC traditions. Moreover, palynological evidence provides insights into landscape use and subsistence strategies during this transitional period. The study argues that, rather than undergoing an abrupt cultural rupture, the region experienced a gradual, multifaceted transformation marked by considerable microregional diversity.

Keywords:

Late Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Lower Oder region, pottery, flint daggers, radiocarbon dating, palynological data

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Matuszewska, A. (2025). Continuity or Great Transformation? Corded Ware Culture Communities in the Lower Oder Region at the Threshold of the Bronze Age (2300–2000 BCE). Archaeologia Polona, 63, 107–125. https://doi.org/10.23858/APa63.2025.4152

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