Neolithic Settlements in the Central Balkans between 6200 and 5300 calBC: Issues of Duration and Continuity of Occupation.

Issues relating to the dynamics and structure of the Early Neolithic (6200–5300
calBC) Starčevo settlements in the central Balkans region are not well known. Starčevo-culture
settlements are usually single-phase sites dominated by pit features, which leads most researchers
to believe that they represented short-lived hamlets occupied for only a few years or a few decades
at most. In this paper, we explore funerary and radiocarbon evidence relevant to the issues of
occupation continuity and duration. The results show that Starčevo settlements were used/reused
for long periods of time (centuries), although it is not possible to say at present whether this
occupation was continuous.