Connecting Communities: Limburg Ceramics as Boundary Objects in the Social Networks of Early European Farmers

Overview & Synopsis

There are long-standing debates on the social organisation and interactions of the first farmers of west-central Europe (the Linear Pottery culture/LBK, c. 5500–5000 BCE). Here we focus on a specific type of ceramic ware, Limburg pottery, whose morpho-stylistic features and bone temper stand in stark contrast to typical LBK pottery. Despite this, most Limburg vessels are found in LBK settlements. Researchers have proposed a variety of interpretations, ranging from pottery made by hunter-gatherers, to special-purpose vessels made by early farmers. This article provides a high-resolution reconstruction of the production sequences, using Limburg pottery from the Aisne Valley (Picardy, France), to address the identity of its producers, their learning networks and distribution channels, and the social practices associated with these artefacts. While Limburg pottery from the Aisne Valley forms a coherent stylistic group, it comprises two technical traditions, with one group of producers only making Limburg vessels, and the other usually making LBK vessels but occasionally producing Limburg vessels. Both groups display similar patterns of use, including dairy processing. Limburg vessels were therefore not marginal in LBK contexts, but functionally embedded in food practices rooted in farming lifeways. We hence propose a new model for interpreting the emergence and development of Limburg pottery, emphasising its role as ‘boundary objects’ within LBK communities and with communities outside of the LBK area. Ultimately, this socio-cognitive approach to pottery offers a deeper understanding of the social processes that shaped the cultural landscape of western Europe in the second half of the 6th millennium.