Farmers from southwestern Carpathian Basin: Neolithic lifeways in the light of new radiocarbon and stable isotope evidence from the sites of Golokut Vizić, Donja Branjevina, and Bezdan-Bački Monoštor in northern Serbia

The South Carpathian basin, located between the Eastern Mediterranean and temperate Central Europe, was a diffusion lane and is one of the regions that provide a good baseline for examining the nature and dynamics of the agropastoral expansion, as well as the adaptations of different aspects of the ’Neolithic package’ into new natural environments. This article discusses the results of radiocarbon dates, stable isotope (C13, N15, and S34), and anthropological analyses carried out on human bones from three Early to Late Neolithic sites (from ca. 6021 to ca. 5212 cal. BC) located in the southwestern Carpathian Basin. In total, 9 radiocarbon dates were obtained, coupled with new isotopic (n = 6) and anthropological (n = 7) data. According to the stable isotope data, most of the protein in the human diet came from terrestrial animals. New radiocarbon dates indicate that humans were buried at the sites during the Early Neolithic Starčevo culture (ca. 6000–5300 cal. BC) as well as through the transition to the Late Neolithic Sopot culture (ca. 5300–5200 cal. BC). The paper shows that human dietary and health patterns at the studied sites of Golokut-Vizić, Donja Branjevina, and Bezdan-Bački Monoštor are similar to those at other Neolithic sites in the southwestern Carpathian basin and Central Balkans, indicating similar dietary adaptations and health status in this area during this period. The only exception are two individuals from Donja Branjevina who seemingly opted to keep traditional dietary strategies rather than use the ones more suitable for the new environment. Radiocarbon dates on humans from this site indicate that human burial practices occurred over a long period of time. The results filled the gaps in some of the older interpretations but also produced new insights regarding chronology, health, and diet during the Neolithic in the Carpathian basin.