Comb Ware cultures in the eastern Baltic

Abstract

At first glance, the Comb Ware culture – or rather, cultures – appears to be one of the best­ studied Stone Age cultures in the eastern Baltic region; however, this is far from the truth. A number of questions remain regarding its eastern and southern borders, chronology, and internal divisions. One of the main difficulties significantly complicating the understanding of this cultural phenomenon is the diversity of terminology, which has developed and trans­formed differently across the regions of its distribution over the more than a century of research. While the Typical stage is understood more or less similarly, opinions vary regarding its later phases. In this paper, we outline the distribution area of the main inventory set related to the Comb Ware cultures, analyse the most reliable dates from sites in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, describe the main hypotheses on the origins of this cultural complex, and reveal gaps in the research. Our objective is to initiate a discussion on the criteria for distinguishing Comb Ware cultures across the entire geographical and chronological range of this phenom­ enon, and to set a starting point for further broader study.

Keywords

• comb ware cultures
• stone age
• 4th and 3rd millennia bc
• eastern baltic