A variation on a basic theme: The transition to farming in Southern Central Europe

This paper attempts to summarize the past years of research on the Mesolith ic-Neolithic transition in Central Europe and to review recent discussions about the origin and spread of the Early Neolithic. Particular emphasis is given to the debate about migration or diffusion. A combined migrationist/d iffusionist model is presented, arguing for an emergence of a farming econo my among hunter-gatherer populations in Transdanubia and the subsequent spr ead of this economy through migration. The new settlers interacted with loc al Mesolithic groups and adopted and incorporated local material culture an d sometimes even aspects of local Mesolithic economy, a process which conti nued throughout the Early Neolithic. With time, population increase, subseq uent competition for resources, and climatic instability led to a destabili zation of traditional Early Neolithic society and finally to the outbreak o f severe intercommunity violence. The only escape from mutual extinction wa s a rearrangement of subsistence and social and political structures, possi bly with contributions from surviving Terminal Mesolithic groups.