European settlement demography

Abstract

In this paper we compare multiple types of domestic settlements from different chronological periods in prehistoric continental Europe to inform occupancy patterns and demographic trends. We focus in particular on the evidence of a boom and bust pattern that appears to be constant across all the sites studied. We find evidence of a growth plateau after 200 to 300 years of existence. But because the number of sites used is small, due to the quality restrictions of the data, the results still need to be confirmed by further investigations.

Keywords

• demography
• prehistory
• booms and busts
• patterns