Social context of the unchambered megalithic long barrows in Middle Pomerania,Poland

This paper is an attempt at defining the social functions of the unchambered megalithic long barrows found in the ?upowa group of the Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB). The authors assume that their aim can be achieved by employing a cultural ecological approach, which leads to a determination of the following variables: exploitation efficiency of the local population, local territory, and size of that population. The values determined for these variables imply that only a small, limited number of the deceased members of the group were buried in the long barrows discussed. Thus, it is possible that burial functions were not the only and most important ones. The authors try to define the remaining functions of the long barrows.