Late Neolithic Expansion

Abstract

Although the Scandinavian Late Neolithic today is mainly defined by the introduction of bifacial flint work, particularly daggers, agricultural intensification must also be seen as a part of the Late Neolithic package, which developed under Bell Beaker-influence in Jutland around 2350 BCE. It is argued that the changes in subsistence led to a population increase, which was the background for the spread of the new Late Neolithic culture in Scandinavia. A delay in the introduction of the Late Neolithic in East Denmark is, among other things, reflected in the scarcity of Bell Beaker-related artefacts in the region. It is suggested that this must be understood on the background of old cultural differences between West and East Denmark.