Ramstein, Marianne; Steuri, Noah; Brönnimann, David; Rentzel, Philippe; Cornelissen, Marcel; Schimmelpfennig, Dirk; Anselmetti, Flavio S; Häberle, Simone; Vandorpe, Patricia; Siebke, Inga; Furtwängler, Anja; Szidat, Sönke; Hafner, Albert; Krause, Johannes; Lösch, Sandra (2022). The well-preserved Late Neolithic dolmen burial of Oberbipp, Switzerland. Construction, use, and post-depositional processes. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 42, p. 103397. Elsevier 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103397
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Excavation of the Late Neolithic dolmen of Oberbipp BE, Steingasse in the Swiss Central Plateau provided a
unique opportunity for a comprehensive study of the archaeological and anthropological evidence. In multidisciplinary
studies, we investigated the processes at work during construction, use, and abandonment of the
megalithic structure, as well as the dietary habits, subsistence strategy, and possible mobility of the Neolithic
population. Archaeological methods included micromorphology, archaeobiology, typology, use-wear analysis,
and geology. The anthropological investigation was complemented by an analysis of stable isotope ratios and
palaeogenetics. Local topography and the cover of alluvial sediments ensured an extraordinary conservation of
the monument. It allowed the preservation of the human remains of at least 42 individuals of both sexes and all
ages. The observation of the sedimentary and post-depositional processes, supplemented by an extensive series of
radiocarbon dates, allowed us to reconstruct the history of the dolmen in its environment and the definition of at
least two deposition phases. We found genetic evidence of lactase intolerance, a local population with a mixed
ancestry of early Anatolian farmers and Western hunter-gatherers, and a crop-based diet. Sparse remains of a
nearby Late Neolithic settlement sustain the interpretation that this is the burial site of a local farming community.
Evidence of higher mobility of females and kinship over three generations solely in the paternal line
suggests a virilocal community. Bone-altering pathologies support the assumption of a caring society.
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