Interaction and Networks in the Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture

The study presented here deals with the ceramic grave goods recovered from a selection of megalithic tombs associated with the Funnel Beaker culture (more precisely with the TRB West Group) in Northwestern Germany. The main focus of this particular study
was on the sociocultural and economic links between the individual funerary communities as represented by stylistic changes in terms of the diversity of the deposited vessels.
Based on its high density of megalithic tombs, the Emsland District, which is one of the regional groups within the TRB West Group, was chosen as the study area. The small groups throughout the region were examined for potential connections between the individual burial sites. As part of this study, it has been possible for the first time to obtain proof of the existence of a dense system of communication networks within the TRB West Group in this region.