The origins of villages across Europe. HELP!

[Stuart Rathbone]

Hi, just had a paper back from peer review... didn't go so well.
To fix it I need information about stuff I really have no real background in. Therefore I'm looking for some help.

What I need to find out about is the development of villages in the Neolithic and Bronze Age from Europe in its broadest sense. Really not something I know much about so any suggestions for sources would be fantastic. Sources that can be found online or emailed to me as a PDF would be even better! Thanks to anyone that can help!

[Kel]

I'm no expert so can't point to any specific papers, but the Linearbandkeramik might be a good place to start for Neolithic Europe.

Entering it as a search term in Google Books and Google Scholar will give you a good head start on where to find the info.

[troll]

Something like this will always need some fairly unambiguous frames of reference. Without them, the paper will inevitably become woolly which is exactly the result that peer review hopes to avoid. First and foremost.....define what you mean by "village". It would be worth scoping out available archaeological/anthropological/ethnographic models before deciding on firm criteria. Exactly what are you asking? Permanent or temporary settlements? What size? Clan/family/tribal or even racial groupings? Settlements based upon seasonal exploitation of resources, minerals/water sources/whole heaps of other natural resources. Are you asking why "villages" came about? Why groups or individuals settled together? Is it about behavioural dynamics or is it about spatial analysis? Could be a monstrous ride without firm frames of reference.......

Chronologies and behaviour differ often over relatively small study areas-are you quite sure that you want to go Europe-wide? That`s about as many PhDs as there are modern European nations. To gain any measure of clarity in this- I admit that you will need a fairly sizeable data set if you hope to identify significance but...Europe wide? Ouch.

Good luck to you.....

[kevin wooldridge]

....and the Funnel Beaker Culture in northern Europe.

[Unitof1]

why you writting about something that you dont know much about?

or

you have the right person in me to help you

or

dont forget about the development of cities in the mesolithic

or

(hint a meso city is like a neo hamlet

or

before villages there had to be villas).

[Bibbers]

There's a series of village-dwelling Neolithic cultures in the Balkans, not least the Butmir Culture. I think Heidelberg or Kiel is undertaking a big project at Okoliste/Donje Mostre, Bosnia.

Links: http://www.dainst.org/de/project/oko...-butmir?ft=all
and http://www.okoliste.uni-kiel.de/ (it is Kiel, then!)

[Unitof1]

The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) is a ?scientific corporation? of
the Federal Institution under the auspices of the Foreign Office. The staff of the Institute carries out
research in the area of archaeology and in related fields and maintains
relations with international scholars. Furthermore, it organizes congresses, colloquia and tours, and informs the
public through the media about its work.

when you click the Foreign Office thing you cant help but feel that they are still at it, but then there are the British "schools". Dar dar dar dar dadada

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Au...halt_node.html


so does it matter who says its a village?

[BrynaCecil]

Entering it as a search term in Google Books and Google Scholar will give you a good head start on where to find the info.

[Unitof1]

the peer review already did that

[Carrickavoy]

Stuart is this in connection to 19th century rural Irish settlement patterns? If it is then I'd go with what Troll was saying and look at definitions of village. Are you defining it by settlement density? If you are then I remember Barry O'Reilly (he gave a paper at the Achill Field School, 20122) giving a very interesting paper on some of the preliminary findings from his PhD research. If I recall rightly he said that if you go by a definitions of a village, something to do with a certain density of settlement (I don't have a clue of the stats now) then 19th century Ireland was one BIG village. Obviously because settlement density, as observed in the First Ed. OS, was so high.

I don't know if I'm making sense here. But the point I trying to get across is if your dealing with the modern period then there is not point in going back to the neolithic, unless it is a passing observation which can be supported by a generally accepted authority - which means just do what BrynaCecil said, no need for oodles of reading.