Cascioarele

A small settlement on an island in the Danube River, southern Rumania. Excavations have revealed occupation layers of the Middle, c 3900-3700 BC, and Late Neolithic, c 3700-3500 BC. A complete village plan has been found from the later occupation with one large central structure surrounded by six smaller structures. The finds have ritual implications and technological importance. There is evidence of heavy reliance on wild animal meat.

Small long-lived settlement on an island in a former loop of the lower Danube, in southern Rumania. Excavations by V. Dumitrescu have revealed multiple occupation layers of the Middle Neolithic Boian and later Neolithic Gumelnita cultures. The former is dated c3900-3700 be, the latter c3700-3500 be, making Cascioarele the only site with a clearly dated middle-late Neolithic transition. A complete village plan is available from the Gumelnija occupation, consisting of one large central structure surrounded by six smaller structures. The Gumelnita finds are as remarkable for their ritual implications — a large and elaborate fired clay model dubbed a ‘shrine’ — as for their technological importance: a rare surviving fragment of an antler plough. Another surprise is the heavy reliance on wild animal meat, including 40 per cent red deer.