Dr. Voytek, together with Canadian and Yugoslovian collaborators, will conduct exploratory excavations at four early Neolithic archaeological sites located the Dalmatia region of Yugoslovia. These sites, which were discovered in a previous survey of the region, are known by surface indications to contain cultural material from this period but more detailed information is necessary before a comprehensive research plan can be devised. For this purpose small scale excavation is necessary. The testing of the four sites will focus on basic but important questions: When were the sites occupied? Under what cultural and later geological conditions did they form? How well are materials - especially delicate floral and faunal remains - preserved? What is the range of economic data recoverable? Does further investigation seem warranted? Approximately one week will be spent conducting test excavations at each site and recovered materials materials will be analyzed. Based on the results, funding will be sought for a longer term large-scale excavation of one of the sites. The goal will be to explore in greater detail the questions surrounding the early history of agriculture in this region. While archaeologists know that plants and animals were first domesticated in the Near East about 10,000 years ago and then spread though Europe, the details of this process are still unknown. Some believe that this expansion took place through the direct movement of people who, moving from east to west, brought the domesticated sheep, goat, cow, as well as grain crops with them. According to this scenario, local hunters and gatherers were either displaced or absorbed by the newcomers. Others, however, argue that it was the traits themselves rather than peoples which moved; local hunters and gatherers thus obtained new items from others and then adapted and integrated them into their own cultures. Unfortunately, the data are not available which would allow selection between these alternatives. Because very little work has been done in the Dalmatian region and because it lies near the point of origin, the information provided by Dr. Voytek and her colleagues will help to answer this question. This project is important for several reasons. First, it will increase our understanding of how important culture traits are transmitted and how cultures change. Second, it will provide new data on a poorly known region. Finally, it will hopefully set the stage for a larger subsequent project.
