Reassessing the LBK/post-LBK transition at the northwestern edge of Central Europe

In this paper, we reevaluate the transition from the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) to the various post-LBK groups along the north-western edge of Central Europe, focusing on settlement clusters in the Rhineland (Germany), Dutch Limburg (Netherlands), and Hesbaye (Belgium). Previous research was fragmented by modern political borders, obscuring the cultural and environmental continuity of the region during the Neolithic period. Adopting a supra-regional perspective, this study puts forward a new synthesis by combining harmonised material-culture analyses and network modelling of siliceous raw-material distribution. Our results indicate a period of possible instability marked by a notable decline in archaeologically recorded activity, yet continuities in technical knowledge suggest underlying structural stability. The modelled raw material networks reveal a structural shift within the circulation of siliceous raw materials between the LBK and the post-LBK. We believe that this collaborative effort will become the groundwork for a coherent, region-wide narrative of this pivotal transition in the European Neolithic.