Proto-Cities or Non-Proto-Cities? On the Nature of Cucuteni–Trypillia Mega-Sites

The Eneolithic Cucuteni–Trypillia mega-sites were undoubtedly the largest residential agglomerates in southeastern Europe from c. 4100 to 3400 cal BC. Their sheer size and estimated population have triggered animated discussion of whether or not they should be regarded as ‘proto-cities’. Considering trajectories of change in, for instance, density of dwellings and settlement size, this paper discusses a series of issues that will help the reader decide in which category these large sites should be placed, while at the same time examining the arguments for and against Trypillia low-density settlement patterns, recently problematized by Chapman and Gaydarska (2016).     

Self-Organized Cultural Cycles and the Uncertainty of Archaeological Thought

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory - Contributing to the issue of complex relationship between social and cultural evolution, this paper aims to analyze repetitive patterns, or cycles, in...     

The gravity model: monitoring the formation and development of the Tripolye culture giant-settlements in Ukraine

The formation, development and decline of the Tripolye culture giant-settlements in Chalcolitic Ukraine are strictly linked to complex processes of migration and settlement relocation. Despite being traceable through pottery typological analyses linked to contextual seriations, their identification is sometime not obvious. This paper shows how the application of the ‘gravity model’ not only facilitates their recognition, but it also helps increase the reliability of determining diachronic and/or synchronic occupations, shedding at the same time light upon the crucial ‘internal’ development of single settlements. Instead of clear-cut consecutive occupations, a more gradual settlement rotation with some synchronous phases seems to have prevailed.