ARCHAELOGICAL
ASPECTS OF THE INDO-EUROPEAN PROBLEM IN SCANDINAVIAN RESEARCH
аOF THE 20th CENTURY
Sergey Sannikov
The recent years have been marked by the growing interest towards the
Indo-European аproblem
(Prescott & Wahlderhaug 1995; Bågenholm 1999; Welinder 2003) and the
issues of аprehistoric migrations (Damm
1991; Larsson 1998; Persson 1999), both being the crucial аquestions of identity in Scandinavian
archaeological research. The authors presented different аapproaches to the problem, what may be
regarded as a revival after the methodological аuniformity of the 1970-80-s, when лduring a
period of approximately 20 years the migration аtheory has been nearly completely expelled out
from the Scandinavian archaeological theory╗ а(Bågenholm 1999, S.155).
Present discussions focus the following aspects of the Indo-European
problem:
1) The ways of the introduction of Neolithic economy in
2) The emergence of STR, which has been the crucial point of the IE discussion
since аlate 19 th century, when Sophus
Müller supposed the intrusive character of Scandinavian аCorded Ware (Muller 1897). Latest
contributions: (Kristiansen 1989; Becker 1990; Damm а1991; Prescott & Wahlderhaug 1995;
Ebbesen 1997; Sörensen 1997; Bågenholm 1995, а1999). а
3) Relation of STR to GRK and TRB. The problem is a point of discussion
since 1974, аwhen
Stig Welinder formulated the idea of ethnical dualism under the MN (Welinder
1974). аLatest contributions: (Browall
1991; Olsson 1996; Hallgren 1996, 1997). а
Making a general reflection of the first stage of the Indo-European
discussion in аScandinavian
research literature (1897-1927), it is possible to state that the main trend of
the аresearch has been determined by
rather nationalistic approaches of Danish, German and аSwedish scholars. The problem of tracing of
the prehistoric migrations, raised in works of аSophus Müller (Muller 1897, 1898),
became more and more politically implicated due to the аgrowing German nationalism before the First
World War. Though most of the Scandinavian аresearchers (such as S.Muller, K.Stjerna,
O.Montelius) initially avoided applying any ethnic designations to the cultural
groups of the Neolithic, the term УAryansФ was widely adopted by аnumerous researchers for the explanation of
the ethnical processes from the year of 1912 а(Åberg 1912, Muller 1913, Ekholm 1913).
However, while German scholars (e.g. Kossinna а1909) tended to locate the homeland in North
Continental Europe and Southern Jutland, аSwedish scholars (Åberg 1912, Ekholm
1913) supposed Northern Jutland and Danish Islands аto be the homeland of the Aryans, and Danish
scholars regarded Central Europe as the most probable territory of Aryan origin
(Muller 1913).
The most explicit political implication of the problem might be revealed
from the work of Oscar Montelius (Montelius 1919), in which he аclaims against the ideas of German
nationalists, and argues that there has always been a аcultural and, what is more important, ethnic
continuity in Scandinavia through the whole time from the Mesolithic until the
Iron Age. аThe second stage of the
Indo-European research (1927-1936) in Scandinavian аhistoriography might be generally
characterized by the growing international influence. As an аimportant factor, which influenced the
consideration of the problem to a great extent, should аbe mentioned the works of Gordon Childe
(Childe 1926), who introduced a theory of South аRussian origin of Indo-Aryans. This theory has
been completely accepted by Carl-Axel аNordman (Nordman 1927), John-Elof
Forssander (Forssander 1933), and partly by Johannes аBrøndsted (Brøndsted 1927). It
is also rather significant that a number of substantial аresearches on Scandinavian prehistory
were published in foreign (English and German) аlanguages, and thus intended for the
international reader (Forssander 1933, Nordman 1935). а
During the period of 1938-1955 the most considerable changes in archaeological аinterpretation
of prehistory were provoked by the war. It is possible to see how the idea of аAryan invasion has
been replaced in research literature by the theory of autochthonous cultural
development due to the political conjuncture. Nils Åberg, who was one of
the most respectable Swedish archaeologists of his time, and who remains one of
the main authorities аamong
contemporary apologists of the autochthonous concept of cultural development of
а
The period of the 1960-70s in Scandinavian archaeological research has
been distinctive for the epochal investigations of Mats P.Malmer, and was to a
great extent dominated by his аscientific authority. However, it is
also important to mention that most of the researchers, who advocated both the
migration and complex approach of explanation of cultural changes
а(Meinander 1964, Stenberger 1969,
Becker 1974), have found substantial arguments against аtheoretical constructions of M.P.Malmer, and
the considered period has been marked by the аdebates of a considerable theoretical
importance (Welinder 1974, Davidsen 1978, Ebbesen а1982). а
The period of 1980-1989 has been marked by a gradual decline of the
migration concept аin
Scandinavian research literature, and by a crisis of the Indo-European research
as a whole. аIn some cases the cultural
diversity of the Neolithic has been even claimed to be a УfictionФ а(Carlsson 1987).
Application of post-processual approach was not beneficial for consideration аof
prehistoric migrations, since the primary interest of post-processual school is
mostly related to the categories of mentality. Christopher Tilley explained
cultural changes as an ideological аshift (Tilley 1982, 1988), and Kristina
Jennbert Ц as a social and gender issue (Jennbert 1982, а1984). During the considered period not much
place has been given to the prehistoric migrations and ethnic processes in
research literature. а
The period of 1989-1999 might be treated as a revival of the IE
discussion in аScandinavian
research literature, connected with a remarkable work of professor Kristian аKristiansen (Kristiansen 1989), dedicated to
the problem of prehistoric migrations on the аmaterials of Danish Single Grave and European
Corded Ware cultures. The author produced аsubstantial arguments in favour of the
migration theory, stressing a remarkable dissimilarity in аthe ideological basis of the two societies,
one of them being based upon an ideology of аhierarchy, warfare and mobility, while another
one upon a moderate agrarian ideology. It аshould be noticed that this aspect of
ideological and social antagonism of SGC and TRB has often been missed by the
researchers, who claim in favour of the idea of cultural continuity in а
As a rather significant event might be regarded the conference,
dedicated to the аconsideration
of the A-Horizon problem, which took place in
A remarkable work concerning the IE problem has been published by
Gösta Bågenholm а(Bågenholm 1999), who aimed to
give a critical survey of the existent theories, which correlate the data of
archaeology with the data of historical linguistics. However, arguments аof
G.Bågenholm against the concept of УKurganizationФ might easily be
refuted. Recent аinvestigations
of the researchers from the
As further perspective approaches to the Indo-European problem it would
be reasonable аto
formulate the following ones: а
1) Calibration of C-14 datings from the Corded Ware sites of the Baltic
region,
2) Quantitative analysis of the distribution of the finds, related to
the European A- horizon of the Corded Ware, construction of regional matrixes.
Further typological аsystematization
is required, since the uniformed character of the material is debated (Behrens а1997). а
3) Interpretative analysis of the materials from the УmixedФ sites (e.g.
Fagervik, аKyrktorp),
and culturally split settlements (e.g. Fågelbacken). The interpretation of
the аmaterials
remains debatable (see: Hallgren 1996, 1997). а
4) Further craniological analysis of the materials from the early STR
and TRB cultures. аThe necessity of the
analysis of the skeletal remains from the early STR was argued (Becker 1990),
however with the notification of absence of sufficient materials. In this
regard it is necessary to mention skeletal remains from Bedinge
(Swedish-Norwegian STR, See: During а1989), which give essential data for
further investigations. а
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