Early Neolithic in the North-east of Catalonia (Spain). A contribution to the problematic of the evolution of the early neolithic communities in the western mediterranean

Abstract

This paper analyses the functional interaction of the 28 Early Neolithic caves, rock shelters and open-air sites discovered in the North-east of Catalonia, using an approach which transcends a strictly empirical framework to create an interpretative one. The Early Neolithic groups already exhibit what is understood as their expected food producing economy. Inter-group relations in which kinship systems were still strong, partly helped to keep the cultural units in a state of weak “regionalism” and, the traditional interaction networks, provided these groups with degree of autonomy in obtaining resources. From the 5th millennium onwards, a social evolution began towards a more marked hierarchization and trade networks, which extend-ed over greater distances.