Thirty-four papers, forming a Festschrift for Nandor Kalicz, explore the dawn of culture', look at evidence for the earliest communication between the peoples of central and south eastern Europe. With the exception of the first papers, which examine the ways in which archaeology can identify signs of prehistoric culture and evidence for the spread of Indogermanic languages, the contributions comprise case studies that cover the Neolithic to Iron Age. Subjects include: early Neolithic man in the Carpathian Basin; the Neolithisation of the Balkans; lithic material; Early Eastern Linear Culture in eastern Slovakia; Middle Neolithic clay pottery from eastern Hungary; depictions of the human figure and human sacrifice; Neolithic boats; Transdanubia in the Middle Copper Age; radiocarbon dating evidence from Austria; Iron Age animal sacrifice and ritual deposits. Thirteen papers in English, one in French, the rest in German.