Did the first farming societies in Europe live as nomads or did they have a (seasonally) sedentary lifestyle? How did sedentism spread from Anatolia to Europe – and how did the first sedentary people influence agricultural techniques on our continent? An Austrian-Serbian team of archaeologists led by the Austrian Archaeological Institute at the Austrian Academy of Sciences discovered the remains of a rectangular house built around 8,000 years ago in Svinjarička Čuka.

»The new finds in Svinjarička Čuka provide substantial new insights and data that are likely to change previous models on the development of settlement in the Balkans,« says Barbara Horejs, archaeologist and Scientific Director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute. The rectangular structure, made of wattle and daub with wooden posts, was preserved because it had burned. It provides crucial information on the construction methods and way of life of the early agricultural pioneers.

Sedentism replaced nomadism in Europe

»The partially collapsed and burnt architectural elements covered the floors inside the house as well as artefacts, tools and scattered vessels in the presumed outdoor area,« says researcher Barbara Horejs, describing the archaeological discovery. The various installations for storing food, grain and seeds are also particularly significant.

The latest findings from Svinjarička Čuka challenge traditional assumptions that people in the region during the early Neolithic were nomadic or only settled in one place seasonally, which has been concluded from numerous pits that have been interpreted as the remains of light huts. »Instead of nomadic or only seasonally settled small groups, the Neolithic pioneers in the Balkans apparently built stable houses with facilities for supplies and grain storage«, Horejs explains.

Microarchaeology for analysing sediments and remains

Excavations have been taking place at Svinjarička Čuka since 2018 and in that time, archaeologists have documented several phases of settlement from the early to middle Neolithic period, which are attributed to the Starčevo culture. This culture represents the oldest Neolithic communities in the Balkans and played a central role in the spread of agriculture from Anatolia to Europe. The current excavations also raise new questions: »What are the geographical and cultural origins of these groups and did they interact with regional hunter-gatherers? These are questions we would like to clarify next,« says Horejs.

In order to analyse the finds in detail, the researchers rely on microarchaeological methods, such as the examination of sediments, botanical and zoological remains and chemical soil analyses. »The application of microarchaeological methods provides new data on the use of these early houses or on the coexistence of humans and animals, which is likely to have developed in Europe around 8,000 years ago during the Neolithic period,« says the archaeologist.

Fieldschool and art projects in Serbia

Students from the University of Vienna had the opportunity to gain practical experience as part of a field school on site. At the same time, the project brought art and science together: Artist Elham Hadian was on site as part of the new »Artist-in-Archaeology« programme. Her artistic works, inspired by the discoveries, will be exhibited at the Barvinskyi Art Gallery in Vienna in 2025.