A new research paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science introduces a highly refined isotopic calibration method using Strontium-88 and Strontium-86 ratios. When applied to the remains of the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) culture in the Paris Basin, the technique has allowed scientists to map migration pulses with unprecedented sub-decadal precision, essentially dating the arrival of specific groups to within a five-year window.
The data indicates that the Neolithic expansion into Northern France was characterized by rapid, hyper-localized settlement events rather than a slow, continuous wave of migration. This methodological breakthrough offers a new standard for dating mobile populations across Europe, allowing archaeologists to correlate human movements with short-term climatic fluctuations for the first time.