Creating a Sense of Belonging: Religion and Migration in the Context of the 3^rdMillennium BC Corded Ware Complex in the Eastern and Northern Baltic Sea Region

Abstract

Although not often discussed in an archaeological context, religion plays an important role in human migrations by working as an anchor of collective identity and distinction among the migrants. By establishing permanent religious structures -such as burials -the newcomers can also use religion as a tool to indicate an enduring presence in their new homeland. Remarkably, such practices can also be seen among the groups connected with the Corded Ware complex that migrated and settled in the eastern and northern Baltic Sea region roughly 5000 years ago. According to the material remains of the mortuary practices associated with this complex, these people did not travel alone; they carried with them a novel religion. Defined in this paper as a 'steppe-originated religion', this belief system continued mortuary practices known from the Pontic Steppe, while also incorporating material and ritual elements from different regions over the course of time. Despite this syncretism, the core ideas of the religion nevertheless persisted. As these ideas seem to relate to the mixing of past and present generations, as well as the merging of homeland and new land, this religion could have provided much-needed aid and comfort for a people on the move.

Re-considering Processual and Post-Processual Archaeology: Can a Historical Approach Help Nuance the Usage of aDNA and Archaeogenetics

“…This is something what is perhaps changing the more developed the usage gets, and it is already possible to see some changes by observing more recently published papers, such as Kristiansen et al (2017), Ahola (2020), Scorrano et al (2020), andGregoricka (2021). These more recent papers all seek to consider some of the criticism which previous papers have received.…”

“…These are of course immensely difficult topics to address, and there will never be an easy solution to any of these; if the topic is race, migration and mobility, there will be forces which seek to take advantage of the conducted research. However, by continuing to nuance these topics in a manner similar to that of (Kristiansen et al 2017;Ahola 2020;Gregoricka 2021), it is possible that archaeologists can diminish and possibly hamper some of the misuses which will eventually occur.…”