 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Geographical range | North-Eastern Europe |
|---|---|
| Period | Mesolithic Europe,Neolithic Europe |
| Dates | c. 4200–2000 BCE |
| Preceded by | Narva culture |
| Followed by | Volosovo culture,Corded Ware culture,Kiukainen culture |
TheComb Ceramic culture orPit-Comb Ware culture, often abbreviated asCCC orPCW, was a northeast European culture characterised by itsPit–Comb Ware. It existed from around 4200 BCE to around 2000 BCE.[1] The bearers of the Comb Ceramic culture are thought to have still mostly followed theeastern hunter-gatherer lifestyle typical of theMesolithic, with traces ofearly agriculture.
The distribution of the artifacts found includesFinnmark (Norway) in the north, theKalix River (Sweden) and theGulf of Bothnia (Finland) in the west and theVistula River (Poland) in the south. It would include theNarva culture ofEstonia and theSperrings culture inFinland, among others. They are thought to have been essentially hunter-gatherers, though e.g. the Narva culture in Estonia shows some evidence of agriculture. Some of this region was absorbed by the laterCorded Ware horizon.
The Pit–Comb Ware culture is one of the few exceptions to the rule that pottery and farming coexist in Europe. In the Near East farming appeared before pottery, then when farming spread into Europe from the Near East, pottery-making came with it. However, in Asia, where the oldest pottery has been found, pottery was made long before farming. It appears that the Comb Ceramic Culture reflects influences from Siberia and northern East Asia[2] (seeXinglongwa culture andJeulmun pottery period for comb-patterned pottery in China and Korea, respectively).
The ceramics consist of large pots that are rounded or pointed below, with a capacity from 40 to 60 litres. The forms of the vessels remained unchanged but the decoration varied.
By dating according to the elevation of land, the ceramics have traditionally (Äyräpää 1930) been divided into the following periods:early (Ka I, c. 4200 BC – 3300 BC),typical (Ka II, c. 3300 BC – 2700 BC) andlate Comb Ceramic (Ka III, c. 2800 BC – 2000 BC).
However, calibratedradiocarbon dates for the comb-ware fragments found (e.g., in the Karelian isthmus), give a total interval of 5600 BC – 2300 BC (Geochronometria Vol. 23, pp 93–99, 2004).
Among the many styles of comb ware there is one which makes use of the characteristics ofasbestos:Asbestos ware. In this tradition, which persisted through different cultures into the Iron Age, asbestos was used to temper the ceramic clay.[3] Other styles are Pyheensilta, Jäkärlä, Kierikki, Pöljä and Säräisniemi pottery with their respective subdivisions. Sperrings ceramics is the original name given for theyounger early Comb ware (Ka I:2) found in Finland.
The settlements were located at sea shores or beside lakes and the economy was based on hunting, fishing and the gathering of plants. InFinland, it was a maritime culture which became more and more specialized in hunting seals. The dominant dwelling was probably akota of about 30 square meters where some 15 people could live. Also rectangular houses made of timber become popular in Finland from 4000 BC cal. Graves were dug at the settlements and the dead were covered withred ochre. The typical Comb Ceramic age shows an extensive use of objects made offlint andamber as grave offerings.
The stone tools changed very little over time. They were made of local materials such asslate andquartz. Finds suggest a fairly extensive exchange network: red slate originating from northern Scandinavia, asbestos fromLake Saimaa, green slate fromLake Onega, amber from the southern shores of theBaltic Sea and flint from theValdai area in northwestern Russia.
The culture was characterised by small figurines of burnt clay and animal heads made of stone. The animal heads usually depict moose and bears and were derived from the art of theMesolithic. There were also manyrock paintings.
There are sources noting that the typical comb ceramic pottery had a sense of luxury and that its makers knew how to wear precious amber pendants.[5]
In earlier times, it was often suggested that the spread of the Comb Ware people was correlated with the diffusion of theUralic languages, and thus anearly Uralic language would have been spoken throughout this culture.[6] It was also suggested that bearers of this culture likely spokeFinno-Ugric languages.[7] Another view is that the Comb Ware people may have spokenPalaeo-European languages, as sometoponyms andhydronyms also indicate a non-Uralic, non-Indo-European language at work in some areas. In addition, modern scholars have located theProto-Uralic homeland east of theVolga, if not even beyond theUrals. The great westward dispersal of the Uralic languages is suggested to have happened long after the demise of the Comb Ceramic culture, perhaps in the 1st millennium BC.[6]
Saag et al. (2017) analyzed three CCC individuals buried atKudruküla as belonging to Y-hgR1a5-YP1272 (R1a1b~ after ISOGG 2020), along with threemtDNA samples of mt-hgU5b1d1,U4a andU2e1.[1]
Mittnik (2018) analyzed two CCC individuals. The male carriedR1 (2021: R1b-M343) andU4d2, while the female carriedU5a1d2b. Generally, the CCC individuals were mostly ofEastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG) descent, with even more EHG than people of theNarva culture.[8]
Lamnidis et al. (2018) found 15%Western Hunter-Gatherer (WHG) ancestry, 65%Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG) - higher than among earlier cultures of the eastern Baltic, and 20%Western Steppe Herder (WSH).[9]
