Rebecca Bristow

Turning West: On the Disappearance of Figurative Representations in Neolithic West-Central Europe

Introduction

Turning west: on the disappearance of figurative representations in neolithic west-central europe. Uncover the disappearance of figurative art in Neolithic West-Central Europe (5000 BCE). Examines how the LBK culture shifted from detailed human/animal figurines to stylized motifs.

Abstract

At the start of the Middle Neolithic (5000 BCE), as the central-European Linear Pottery culture (LBK) dissolved into smaller cultural groups, the traditional making of figurative representations was either transformed or radically abandoned. For thousands of years, these clay figurines and vessels representing humans and animals had been a hallmark of Early Neolithic lifestyle. They were found in hundreds in Southeastern Europe during the 6th millennium BCE and continued to be produced as the Neolithic reached Central Europe, although in smaller numbers. By the start of the Middle Neolithic, however, figurative representations seem to have disappeared from the western LBK, or turned into highly stylised motifs. This dissolution of a thousand-year-old figurative tradition may have been the outcome of increasing collective activities and contacts with local hunter-gatherers since the start of the LBK.

Review

This paper tackles a fascinating and significant shift in the cultural landscape of Neolithic West-Central Europe: the apparent disappearance or radical transformation of figurative representations around 5000 BCE, coinciding with the dissolution of the Linear Pottery culture (LBK). The authors observe that after millennia of abundant human and animal figurines and vessels in Southeastern and Early Central Europe, this tradition seems to have dramatically diminished in the Middle Neolithic western LBK. They propose that increasing collective activities and sustained contact with local hunter-gatherer groups may have driven this profound change, representing a compelling hypothesis for interpreting a major artistic and symbolic transition. The research question is highly pertinent to understanding the dynamics of cultural change in prehistoric societies, moving beyond simple chronological descriptions to grapple with significant interpretive challenges. By identifying a potential shift from individual or small-group artistic expression to a more collective or abstract symbolic system, the study promises to stimulate new thinking about social organization and inter-group relations. The proposed link to hunter-gatherer interactions, if robustly substantiated, offers a particularly intriguing avenue for exploring the complex processes of cultural hybridization and acculturation during the Neolithic expansion and consolidation across the continent. This work could significantly reframe our understanding of the social implications of art in the Middle Neolithic. While the abstract presents a compelling overarching hypothesis, several areas would benefit from further detailed elaboration in the full paper. A clearer delineation between "disappearance" and "highly stylised motifs" is crucial; it would be valuable to understand the precise criteria used to differentiate between these outcomes and whether the authors posit a continuum or a distinct, sharp break. Furthermore, the proposed causal mechanisms – increasing collective activities and contacts with local hunter-gatherers – require more detailed theoretical and archaeological articulation. How, specifically, might these factors lead to the abandonment or severe stylization of figurative art? Consideration of alternative or complementary explanations, such as shifts in religious practices, subsistence strategies, internal social restructuring within the fragmented LBK successor groups, or changes in material availability, would also strengthen the argument. Finally, a more granular regional analysis within "western LBK" might illuminate variations in this phenomenon and refine the proposed explanations.

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