14C dating of early Neolithic settlement Galovo near Slavonski Brod in Northern Croatia

In Northern Croatia, more than hundred settlements are known from the period of the Starčevo culture, the first Neolithic period in south-east (SE) Europe. Here we present the 14C dating of nine charcoal samples from the Neolithic settlement Galovo in Slavonski Brod. According to archaeological findings, it belongs to the early phase (Linear A) of the Starčevo culture and has a special ritual–burial area separated by two wooden fences from its residential part. The vertical stratigraphy revealed two phases of the settlement construction in period 6070–5630 cal BC. In the younger phase (5380–4960 cal BC) the settlement expanded and the burial area became smaller. Combination of archaeological findings and 14C dates thus allowed a reconstruction of the 1000-year-long existence of this settlement that existed simultaneously with the nearby settlement Zadubravlje–Dužine, dated earlier to 6000–5000 cal BC. These are the first absolute dates of the beginning of neolithization in Northern Croatia.