Comb Ceramic culture

For the contemporary (ca 3200 BC– ca 2300 BC) Scandinavian culture, having a similar name, see Pitted Ware culture.

The Comb Ceramic Culture or the Pit-Comb Ware culture was a North-East European stone age culture, ca 4200 BC - 2000 BC. The name is derived from the most common decoration on the ceramic finds that look like the imprints of a comb.

Distribution

The distribution of the found artifacts is approximately as follows: Finnmark (Norway) in the north, river Kalix (Sweden) and the Gulf of Bothnia (Finland) in the west and the river Wisla (Poland) in the south. In the east the Comb Ceramic pottery of North-Western Russia merges with a continuum of resembling ceramic styles ranging towards the Ural mountains. It would include the Narva culture of Lithuania and the Sperrings culture in Finland, among others. They are thought to have been essentially hunter-gatherers, though e.g. the Narva culture in Lithuania shows some evidence of agriculture. Some of this region was absorbed by the later Corded Ware horizon.

Ceramics

The ceramics consist of large pots that are rounded or pointed below, and which could contain 40-60 litres. The forms of the vessels remained unchanged but the decoration changed during the centuries. By dating according to the elevation of land, the ceramics have traditionally (Äyräpää 1930) been divided into the following periods: early (Ka I, ca 4200 BC- ca 3300 BC), typical (Ka II, ca 3300 BC- ca 2700 BC) and late Comb Ceramic (Ka III, ca 2800 BC- ca 2000 BC). However, calibrated radiocarbon dates for the comb ware fragments found e.g. in the Karelian isthmus give a total interval of 5600 BC - 2300 BC (Geochronometria Vol. 23, pp 93-99, 2004). Among the many styles of Pit-Comb ware there is one which makes use of the characteristics of asbestos: Asbestos ware. Other styles are e.g. Pyheensilta, Jäkärlä, Kierikki and Säräisniemi pottery with their respective subdivisions. Sperrings ceramics is the original name given for the younger early Comb ware (Ka I:2) found in Finland.

Habitations

The settlements were located at sea shores or banks of lakes and the economy was based on hunting, fishing and the gathering of plants. In Finland, it was a maritime culture which became more and more specialised in hunting seals. The dominant dwelling was probably a teepee of about 30 square meters where 15 people could live. Graves were dug at the settlements and the dead were covered with red ochre. The typical Comb Ceramic age shows an extensive use of objects made of flintstone and amber as grave offerings.

Tools

The stone tools changed very little. They were made of local materials, such as slate and quartz. Finds suggest a fairly extensive exchange network: red slate originating from northern Scandinavia, asbestos from lake Saimaa, green slate from lake Onega, amber from southern shores of the Baltic sea and flintstone from the Valdai area in north-western Russia.

Art

The culture was characterised by small figurines of burnt clay and of animal heads made of stone. The animal heads usually depict moose and bears and were derived from the art of the mesolithic. There were also many rock paintings.

Language

It is sometimes hypothesized that the Comb Ware people spoke a Uralic language and were possibly at least partially predecessors of Finno-Ugric speaking tribes. They are not believed to have spoken an Indo-European language. On the other hand, some toponyms and hydronyms may indicate also a non-Uralic, non-Indo-European language at work in some areas. However, no linguistic monuments are known from this era so all references to language in this context remain speculative.

Sources

• Nationalencyklopedin
• James P. Mallory, "Pit-Comb Ware Culture", Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.