@ARTICLE{10.21494/ISTE.OP.2023.1035, 

TITLE={Woodworking and carpentry skills of the first agricultural societies in central Europe}, 
  
AUTHOR={Bernhard Muigg
, Rengert Elburg
, Wulf Hein
, Anja Probst-Böhm
, Sebastian Böhm
, Peter Walter
, Willy Tegel, }, 
	
JOURNAL={Archaeology, Society and Environment}, 
	
VOLUME={3}, 

NUMBER={Issue 1}, 
	
YEAR={2023}, 

URL={https://www.openscience.fr/Woodworking-and-carpentry-skills-of-the-first-agricultural-societies-in-central}, 
	
DOI={10.21494/ISTE.OP.2023.1035}, 
	
ISSN={2752-4507}, 
	
ABSTRACT={The process of Neolithization reached central Europe in the 6th millennium BCE. During this time, first considerable human impact on natural vegetation occurred and the development of sedentary lifestyles in permanent settlements, agriculture and livestock breeding imposed novel requirements on local woodlands. At the same time, the intensive use of wood led to significant innovations and advances in woodworking techniques. Here, we present an overview of the latest results of our investigation of Early Neolithic woodworking in Europe. Several water wells with preserved wooden linings from the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK; ca. 5500-4800 BCE) have been excavated within the last two decades and allow detailed insight into the advanced carpentry skills. Following a multidisciplinary approach, dendroarchaeological and experimental studies are combined to provide a comprehensive overview of woodworking methods, tools, and thoughts on resource exploitation. Additionally, a possible chaîne opératoire is discussed. The almost exclusive use of oak (Quercus sp.) for rectangular well linings points towards deliberate species selection, implying expert knowledge of mechanical properties of wood, also demonstrated by elaborate splitting techniques. The use of specialized tools for specific tasks indicates a high level of specialization in woodworking. Different joint types illustrate the technical variety and sophisticated nature of Early Neolithic carpentry.}}