Out of the Balkans the spread of agriculture and farming. Into the rest of Europe, had two distinct routes: An initial expansion represented by the impressed and cardium ware tradition. Following the northern mediterranean coastline. And, another expansion. Represented by the LBK (Linearbandkeramik) tradition. Which followed the Danube river into central Europe (link).

Originating in the Mediterranean during the neolithic era. Westernly the Adriatic sea. Its pottery confluenced the Adriatic, to the Atlantic ocean. Some of the first identified pieces of pottery. Were found in Epirus, Corfu, and the modern day western portions of Greece. Around 6300 BC (or 8300 years ago). It was beautiful.

Did you know? Cardium is a members of the cockle family cardiidae.

Another name was impressed ware. Before putting in the kiln. If the potter didn’t have shells. They used nails and combs to indent and make the potterys unique pattern and design.

Cardium, or impressed ware pottery was followed by. Danilo culture, Kakanj culture, Stentinello culture, Neolithic Italy, Neolithic Malta, Neolithic Sardinia, Neolithic France, Neolithic Iberia, La Hoguette culture and more. Check out some more pottery, and neolithic architecture today!

Bibliography: A Common Genetic Origin for Early Farmers from Mediterranean Cardial and Central European LBK Cultures
Iñigo Olalde, Hannes Schroeder, Marcela Sandoval-Velasco, Lasse Vinner, Irene Lobón, Oscar Ramirez, Sergi Civit, Pablo García Borja, Domingo C. Salazar-García, Sahra Talamo, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msv181 ;
Impressed ware Oxford reference https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095959309 ;
Impressed ware springer link https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4615-1187-8_13 ;

Mathieson, I., Alpaslan-Roodenberg, S., Posth, C., Szécsényi-Nagy, A., Rohland, N., Mallick, S., Olalde, I., Broomandkhoshbacht, N., Candilio, F., Cheronet, O., Fernandes, D. J., Ferry, M., Gamarra, B., Fortes, G. G., Haak, W., Harney, E., Jones, E. R., Keating, D., Krause-Kyora, B., . . . Reich, D. (2018b). The genomic history of southeastern Europe. Nature, 555(7695), 197–203. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25778

Shennan, Stephen (2018). The First Farmers of Europe: An Evolutionary Perspective. Cambridge World Archaeology. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108386029. ISBN9781108422925.

William K. Barnett, Cardial pottery and the agricultural transition, in Douglas T Price (ed.), Europe’s First Farmers (2000),

Antonio Gilman, Neolithic of Northwest Africa, Antiquity, vol 48, no. 192 (1974), pp 273–282.

Fernández, Eva; et al. (5 June 2014). “Ancient DNA Analysis of 8000 B.C. Near Eastern Farmers Supports an Early Neolithic Pioneer Maritime Colonization of Mainland Europe through Cyprus and the Aegean Islands”. PLOS Genetics. PLOS. 10 (6): e1004401. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004401. PMC4046922. PMID24901650.