I hope this isn't too vague for this sub. I recently came into possession of some bog wood and I am told it came from a tree that was dated to about 4000 BC in the Upper Rhine Valley in southern Germany.
I am curious if there was anything going on specifically in this region worth note. I know there was a lot happening in the Middle East, and its suspected that horses may have first been domesticated in Europe, but was wondering if there might be anything else of note. Just curious what this tree might have "seen" in it's day, lol.
EDIT: I did look on Wikipedia but it's all pretty vague so before launching myself headlong into a lot of stuff I know nothing about, I thought to just ask the experts first.
Your time of 4,000 BCE is towards the end of the diffusion of the semi-homogeneous Neolithic culture, which probably originated in Southwest Asia and moved slowly to Europe 6500-3800 BCE. It was concentrated in alluvial areas, rarely in the mountains, and so the Rhine was a prime spot for the European brand of Neolithic settlement. In the Mediterranean regions, some settlements were already becoming fortified and large by this time, but in northern Europe and Britain it was probably a small-time affair, about 50-100 people. There was a population "crash" during this period, meaning the populations across the board were smaller than what they had been. I don't know much about the cause(s), unfortunately. Things are picking up again by 3500 BCE.
They would have used stone tools, especially axes for modest efforts at clearing away primeval European forest; they made pretty darn good ceramics, all things considered; they ate and in a limited fashion cultivated barley, other more obscure grains, lentils, pork, beef, sheep, and goat. They were semi-nomadic herders for the most part. Cheese had been around for about 1,000 years in most places, but I'm not sure about the Rhineland.
In terms of major cultural divisions, your time of 4,000 BCE is a little on the fringes. The Western Linear Pottery culture was present along the Rhine, but had already disappeared mostly by 4500 BCE, five centuries before your wood fell into the bog. To the north, in Denmark, the Ertebølle culture was winding down around 4000 as well. Down in Switzerland, the Cortaillod culture is underway and will persist until about 3500. About 500 years after your wood, the Rhine valley will be front and center for the Globular Amphora Culture, roughly bordered in space and time by the Baden/Boadun culture to the Southeast.