The eastern Adriatic is a key area for understanding the mechanisms and effects of the spread of agriculture. This article presents an accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon chronology for the introduction and subsequent development of farming villages on the eastern shore of the Adriatic (~6000-4700 cal BC) and evaluates this in comparison with the established pottery chronology based on stylistic data from Pokrovnik (Drniš) on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. Models for the spread of agriculture rely heavily on changing pottery styles to define cultural groups and trace geographic relationships. Based on AMS 14 C dates presented here, Impressed Wares first appear in central Dalmatia by 6000 cal BC and persist until 5300 cal BC, well into what is generally termed the Middle Neolithic. Similarly, a typical Middle Neolithic ware, figulina, appeared earlier than anticipated. These findings stand in contrast to cave and rockshelter assemblages in the eastern Adriatic, but mirror assemblages from farming villages on the Italian Adriatic coast. This study argues that the similarities in ceramic assemblage composition and change through time may have less to do with direct contacts between areas, but more with the nature of ceramic production and consumption at village sites in general. These data shed light on the limitations of regional ceramic chronologies in the eastern Adriatic and highlight the necessity for systematic expansion of 14 C chronologies to address the social, economic, and ecological relevance of early farming in the Adriatic for the spread of agriculture in Europe and the Mediterranean.

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The earliest evidence for cheese production in the Mediterranean is revealed by stable carbon isotope analyses of individual fatty acids in pottery residues from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. Lipid residue data indicate the presence of milk in the earliest pottery, Impressed Ware, by 5700 cal. BCE (7700 BP). In contrast, by 5200 cal BCE (7200 BP), milk was common in refined Figulina pottery, meat was mostly associated with Danilo ware, cheese occurred in Rhyta, and sieves contained fermented dairy, representing strong links between specific function and stylistically distinctive pottery vessels. Genetic data indicate the prevalence of lactose intolerance among early farming populations. However, young children are lactase persistent until after weaning and could consume milk as a relatively pathogen-free and nutrient rich food source, enhancing their chances of survival into adulthood. Fermentation of milk into yogurt and cheese decreases lactose content. The evidence for fermented dairy products by 5200 cal BCE indicates a larger proportion of the population was able to consume dairy products and benefit from their significant nutritional advantages. We suggest that milk and cheese production among Europe’s early farmers reduced infant mortality and helped stimulate demographic shifts that propelled farming communities to expand to northern latitudes.

We examine bone samples of known domesticates (sheep, goat, cattle and pig) from five open-air village sites spanning most of the Neolithic period in Dalmatia, Croatia (cal 6000-4700 BC) to characterise diets of domestic animals and address questions of the origin and development of animal husbandry strategies in early farming communities. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values are analysed as proxies of diet and local environment that may indicate differences in herding and management practices between domesticated species. Results are compared to those reported for faunal remains found at other Neolithic sites from coastal Croatia and the wider Adriatic region. We find that isotopic values remain stable for cattle and ovicaprids during most of the Neolithic, suggesting that husbandry of these species remained fundamentally the same throughout the period in much of the Adriatic. However, temporal differences identified among pigs indicate changes in associated management practices through time, and may be a result of different foddering practices.

This paper presents the results from an archaeological excavation at the Neolithic site of Rašinovac, near Ždrapanj in the Piramatovci Valley (in the hinterland of the town of Skradin in Northern Dalmatia). This previously unknown site was test excavated in 2013 when a 2x2-metre trench was opened to determine the site’s stratigraphy and chronology. Excavations suggested that Rašinovac was a single-layer open-air settlement and subsequent analyses of the material culture (mostly pottery and chert) confirmed that it was an Impressed Ware site. Two radiocarbon dates also reveal that Rašinovac is among the earliest known Early Neolithic sites in the region (first century of the 6th millennium BC).