Anđa Petrović | University of Belgrade (original) (raw)
Papers by Anđa Petrović
Scientific Reports, 2024
Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been stud... more Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been studied in detail. Whereas personal ornaments (e.g. beads, pendants) are commonly interpreted as markers of social identity and status, archaeologists have struggled to understand the stone tools, commonly regarded as "utilitarian" items. As a result, this class of grave goods has not received the same level of attention, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of Mesolithic mortuary behaviours. Our research challenges long-lasting perceptions of lithic tools as strictly utilitarian objects and draws on studies of one of the most substantial stone axe funerary collections from one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe-Zvejnieki, Latvia. Evidence suggests the selection of unused axes as grave offerings, while unusual wear traces on an axe found in a female grave (no 57) raises questions about its use in the burial rites. Using a multi-proxy approach, we compare life histories of axes placed in burials to those recovered from contemporary, nearby settlement contexts. Finally, a strong correlation between axes and women and children at Zvejnieki challenges gendered stereotypes of stone tools, historically regarded as possessions of the adult male members of Stone Age societies.
Documenta Praehistorica, 2024
Despite extensive research and excavations across the central Balkans, Early Holocene sites have ... more Despite extensive research and excavations across the central Balkans, Early Holocene sites have so far been documented only in the Iron Gates region – for which there are several possible explanations. Some scholars argue that the apparent lack of Mesolithic sites is due to inadequate research efforts in the region, while others suggest that the ecological conditions in the central Balkans during the Early Holocene may not have been favourable to the subsistence of hunter-gatherer communities. Contrary to previous beliefs, recent investigations of caves in eastern Serbia have revealed that humans inhabited the region during the Mesolithic. Traces of settlement of Mesolithic groups, dating back to the 7th millennium cal BC and employing comparable technology and economic practices to Mesolithic communities in other parts of the Balkan Peninsula, have been documented at the Pešterija Cave, situated south of Pirot in southeastern Serbia. The fact that the site is located relatively close to the oldest Neolithic sites in the Iron Gates and northwest Bulgaria, and is potentially contemporaneous with them, offers a completely new perspective on the transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic in this part of the Balkans.
Open Archaeology, 2022
It is well known that many Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sites were uncovered during the past ce... more It is well known that many Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sites were uncovered during the past century in the Iron Gates region of the North-Central Balkans. The application of diverse analyses on the bioarchaeological remains and artefacts raised many questions, but also offered new ideas about the Mesolithic-Neolithic transitional period in the Middle and Lower course of the Danube. Communities in the Iron Gates consumed fish and exploited the riverbank in prehistory. The stable isotope analyses are implying that these human groups fed on aquatic resources in some periods more than others. Fish remains were also found in settlements, and based on fish-related imagery on sculpted boulders and other artefacts, the bond between the people, river, and the ecosystem was compelling. The idea of this article is to present the possible ways of fish processing at Lepenski Vir using chipped stone tools. Three integrated methodologies, with high levels of interpretation, were applied: use-wear, residue, and archaeozoological analyses. Use-wear and residue analyses were performed on both archaeological and experimental chipped stone tools. The results are considered together with the traces of butchery observed on archaeological samples of fish bones, creating a more coherent picture of the everyday habits of the Iron Gates populations.
Archaeology of Crisis (ed. S. Babić). Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 2021
The main objective of this study is to provide a micro-level observation of everyday activities i... more The main objective of this study is to provide a micro-level observation
of everyday activities in the Iron Gates region, in the period between the end of
the 7th and mid-6th millennium BC. The principal methodological tool is the application of use-wear analysis on chipped stone assemblages from the Lepenski
Vir, Padina and Vlasac sites, where the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sequence is noted. Besides the general results of the utilization of lithic artefacts,
like their employment in various undertakings such as scraping wood and hides,
or engraving stone or bones, use-wear analysis can reveal the exact processes behind the activities. The obtained data can indicate the struggles of shaping the
available raw materials and the way prehistoric people confronted these quotidian
difficulties. The discovered results are crucial for understanding human cognition, but are also proof of the ability of ancient individuals to approach and overcome small-scale crises in everyday life.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2021
Following a series of published analyses ranging from architecture to prehistoric diet of the Iro... more Following a series of published analyses ranging from architecture to prehistoric diet of the Iron Gates' inhabitants, our research aims to present new results regarding use-wear analysis of knapped stone artefacts from Lepenski Vir and Padina with a particular focus on the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic in this region. Use-wear and residue analysis are applied using the low and high-power approach by Optical Light Microscope (OLM) observations combined with FTIR analysis. Based on the results, some of the main activities that took place in Iron Gates are processing of hide, bone, antler, plants, and soft stone. It is very important to highlight the complexity of various processes, which make this already specific area more peculiar. A variety of both simple, but overall, more complex and composite activities are recorded with the elaborate preparation of the used materials, for example, hide. Particular processes, such as butchering, were noted both inside the houses, and also concentrated in precise, specific areas of the settlements, where only tools involved in the processing of hide and meat were found. The data obtained highlight the activities of these advanced hunter-gatherer-fishermen and first farmers communities. Together with spatial analysis, the dynamics and processes in the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic are revealed, but also many questions regarding the specialization of the prehistoric settlements on the Danube are posed.
Beyond Use-Wear Traces: Going from tools to people by means of archaeological wear and residue analyses, 2021
The subject of this study is revealing the activities carried out in one of the trapezoidal house... more The subject of this study is revealing the activities carried out in one of the trapezoidal
houses of the Lepenski Vir site from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, situated
in the Iron Gates region in eastern Serbia. Dominating with their specific form, these
buildings are shifting the focus from a utilitarian perspective to the use of space. One of
the buildings that will serve as an example for testing and complementing the former
interpretations is house 54, previously argued to be the largest and most important object
of the Lepenski Vir I phase. Today, we are able to contribute fresh data on processes that
took place inside this particular building by analysing different archaeological artefacts
found on the house floor.
New understanding of the use of space in this specific micro-study is gained on the
basis of functional analysis of chipped stone artefacts found in house 54, together with
ground stone artefacts, bones, and ceramics. Both ritual and utilitarian context indications
were present during the occupation of Lepenski Vir houses. This study will try to show
the character of the above-mentioned objects through the results of use-wear and Fourier
Transform InfraRed (FTIR) analyses, combining them with dates and the house interior.
Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of ho... more Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of how the function of non-diagnostic pieces could be determined through technological and use-wear analysis. In this study, we present the examples of surface clusters and artefacts from stratigraphic layers. Our attention is focused on the prevailing category of fragmented raw materials in the initial phase of knapping, preforms, debris, shattered pieces of anthropogenic origin and an immense number of artefacts and geofacts. The study of mines and quarries, as well as distribution of the raw materials that come from the central Balkans is an understudied phenomenon. Flaked stone artefacts found on the outcrops of the Lojanik hilltop is a good example of how we can apply technological, petrological and use-wear analysis on this type of site. Keeping in mind the loose context of the finds, as well as the lack of any datable material, this issue has to be approached with a lot of caution, since the locality itself seems to show human presence during Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The main focus of the study was put on the prevailing categories linked to the initial extraction of raw material on the site, as well as initial steps of shaping the raw material into cores. Samples were collected from several outcrops and so-called workshops from two localities of the hilltop: Lojanik 1 and Lojanik 2. The focal points of interest are categories that include waste, shatter, technical or shaping flakes. Worked pieces of raw material are now in the central position, and the study of these pieces have opened new grounds for this and similar occurrences-the study of so-called "grey zones" of production.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2018
Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of ho... more Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of how the function of non-diagnostic pieces could be determined through technological and use-wear analysis. In this study, we present the examples of surface clusters and artefacts from stratigraphic layers. Our attention is focused on the prevailing category of fragmented raw materials in the initial phase of knapping, preforms, debris, shattered pieces of anthropogenic origin and an immense number of artefacts and geofacts. The study of mines and quarries, as well as distribution of the raw materials that come from the central Balkans is an understudied phenomenon. Flaked stone artefacts found on the outcrops of the Lojanik hilltop is a good example of how we can apply technological, petrological and use-wear analysis on this type of site. Keeping in mind the loose context of the finds, as well as the lack of any datable material, this issue has to be approached with a lot of caution, since the locality itself seems to show human presence during Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The main focus of the study was put on the prevailing categories linked to the initial extraction of raw material on the site, as well as initial steps of shaping the raw material into cores. Samples were collected from several outcrops and so-called workshops from two localities of the hilltop: Lojanik 1 and Lojanik 2. The focal points of interest are categories that include waste, shatter, technical or shaping flakes. Worked pieces of raw material are now in the central position, and the study of these pieces have opened new grounds for this and similar occurrences-the study of so-called "grey zones" of production.
Примери попут речи продукција, редукција, индустрија, ретуш су добри показатељи сврховитости и зн... more Примери попут речи продукција, редукција, индустрија, ретуш су добри показатељи сврховитости и значаја прецизног појашњења у радовима везаним за окресани камен. Поред општих термина који су чешће у употреби, појмови функционалне анализе, као и анализе (не)органских материјала на окресаним артефактима не представљају уходану праксу приликом истраживања у Србији. Основни појмовник терминологије функционалних анализа у овом раду илустрован је на примеру микроскопских фотографија трагова употребе артефакта са локалитета Лепенски вир, Винча - Бело брдо и Беловоде, али и експеримената изведених на сечивима и одбитцима направљеним од кремена из италијанске регије Гаргано.
Book Reviews by Anđa Petrović
Conference Abstracts by Anđa Petrović
Rock and Roll: 13th International Symposium on Knappable Materials, Book of abstracts, 2021
EAA Annual Meeting, Book of abstracts, 2020
Meso'2020 - Tenth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, Book of abstracts, 2020
Through the Eyes of a Stranger Appropriating Foreign Material Culture and Transforming the Local Context, Book of abstracts, 2016
11th Symposium on Knappable Materials “From Toolstone to Stone Tools”, Book of abstracts, 2017
12th International Symposium on Knappable Materials, Book of abstracts, 2019
Lepenski Vir, located in the Iron Gates region (SE Serbia), is a well-known site for its monument... more Lepenski Vir, located in the Iron Gates region (SE Serbia), is a well-known site for its
monumental sculptures and numerous trapezoidal houses dated to the Mesolithic/Early
Neolithic period, c. 6200-5900 cal BC. Absolute dates indicate that prehistoric
communities have been inhabiting the site in wider chronological span, c. 9400-7600 cal
BC, but they hadn´t left extensive material remains.
Detailed raw material and techno-typological analysis of knapped stone industry were
undertaken by Kozłowski and Kozłowski (1984). However, recent revisions of Lepenski
Vir material and documentation have required a new examination of the chipped stone
artefacts and the implementation of advanced methods. New analysis included a vast study
of the techniques used for knapping, as well as crossing the raw material and technotypological
data with the contexts of the artefact origin and the use-wear analysis. The
results drew attention to houses 32, 35 and 36 regarding the quantity and technological
characteristics of grey flint artifacts. Our attention here is drawn to explore the activities
performed in the house 32, where the only one retouched artefact – a perforator was
uncovered while other stone remains indicate that grey flint was knapped while blanks of
Balkan and grey flint with white spots were stored and used.
Use-wear analysis of the proposed sample consisted both from artefacts coming from ashplace
but also from house floor was conducted and indicates variety of used materials and
activities, and also implies the presence of thermal stress on some of the artefacts.
Interesting is that some of the tools have traces of a complex nature, e.g. they were used for
divergent activities in different periods, indicating the character of the house 32 itself.
There is presence of activity on mineral material and working on large fish, which was a
very important part of human diet of prehistoric communities of Lepenski Vir.
Conference: EXARC Meeting, 2019
12th International Symposium on Knappable Materials, Book of abstracts, 2019
For decades, a closed eco-niche like Iron Gates in Eastern Serbia enabled specialists to explore ... more For decades, a closed eco-niche like Iron Gates in Eastern Serbia enabled specialists to
explore the transition to a sedentary life, with an exceptional record of human occupation
during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. Following the series of published analysis
from the architecture to the prehistoric diet of the Iron Gates inhabitants, our research aims
to present the newest results regarding the use-wear analysis of chipped stone artefacts
from Lepenski Vir and Padina site with a broader focus on the transition from Mesolithic
to Neolithic in this region. Applying the use-wear analysis is done by using both low and
high-power approach together with FTIR analysis. Gained results were interpreted in light
with the already stated hypotheses focused on daily routine, but also addressing some longterm
aspects like changes in the economy.
We observed both function and technology of chipped stone artefacts coming from houses,
middens, hearth areas, and open-air spaces. Based on the results, some of the main
activities that took part in Iron Gates are processing of hide, bone, antler, fish and
vegetable-based plants. It is very important to highlight the complexity of various
processes, which make this already specific area more peculiar. Variety of both simple, but
overall more complex and composite activities are recorded with the elaborate preparation
of the used materials, for example, hide. Particular processes, as butchering was noted both
inside the houses, and also concentrated in precise, specific areas in the settlements, where
only tools involved in the processing of hide and meat, connected strictly to butchering
were found. Obtained data highlights the activities of these advanced hunter-gatherers and
fishermen, and first farmers, together with spatial analysis revealed the dynamics and
processes in Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic, but also posed many questions regarding
the specialization of the prehistoric settlements on the Danube.
Scientific Reports, 2024
Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been stud... more Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been studied in detail. Whereas personal ornaments (e.g. beads, pendants) are commonly interpreted as markers of social identity and status, archaeologists have struggled to understand the stone tools, commonly regarded as "utilitarian" items. As a result, this class of grave goods has not received the same level of attention, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of Mesolithic mortuary behaviours. Our research challenges long-lasting perceptions of lithic tools as strictly utilitarian objects and draws on studies of one of the most substantial stone axe funerary collections from one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe-Zvejnieki, Latvia. Evidence suggests the selection of unused axes as grave offerings, while unusual wear traces on an axe found in a female grave (no 57) raises questions about its use in the burial rites. Using a multi-proxy approach, we compare life histories of axes placed in burials to those recovered from contemporary, nearby settlement contexts. Finally, a strong correlation between axes and women and children at Zvejnieki challenges gendered stereotypes of stone tools, historically regarded as possessions of the adult male members of Stone Age societies.
Documenta Praehistorica, 2024
Despite extensive research and excavations across the central Balkans, Early Holocene sites have ... more Despite extensive research and excavations across the central Balkans, Early Holocene sites have so far been documented only in the Iron Gates region – for which there are several possible explanations. Some scholars argue that the apparent lack of Mesolithic sites is due to inadequate research efforts in the region, while others suggest that the ecological conditions in the central Balkans during the Early Holocene may not have been favourable to the subsistence of hunter-gatherer communities. Contrary to previous beliefs, recent investigations of caves in eastern Serbia have revealed that humans inhabited the region during the Mesolithic. Traces of settlement of Mesolithic groups, dating back to the 7th millennium cal BC and employing comparable technology and economic practices to Mesolithic communities in other parts of the Balkan Peninsula, have been documented at the Pešterija Cave, situated south of Pirot in southeastern Serbia. The fact that the site is located relatively close to the oldest Neolithic sites in the Iron Gates and northwest Bulgaria, and is potentially contemporaneous with them, offers a completely new perspective on the transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic in this part of the Balkans.
Open Archaeology, 2022
It is well known that many Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sites were uncovered during the past ce... more It is well known that many Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sites were uncovered during the past century in the Iron Gates region of the North-Central Balkans. The application of diverse analyses on the bioarchaeological remains and artefacts raised many questions, but also offered new ideas about the Mesolithic-Neolithic transitional period in the Middle and Lower course of the Danube. Communities in the Iron Gates consumed fish and exploited the riverbank in prehistory. The stable isotope analyses are implying that these human groups fed on aquatic resources in some periods more than others. Fish remains were also found in settlements, and based on fish-related imagery on sculpted boulders and other artefacts, the bond between the people, river, and the ecosystem was compelling. The idea of this article is to present the possible ways of fish processing at Lepenski Vir using chipped stone tools. Three integrated methodologies, with high levels of interpretation, were applied: use-wear, residue, and archaeozoological analyses. Use-wear and residue analyses were performed on both archaeological and experimental chipped stone tools. The results are considered together with the traces of butchery observed on archaeological samples of fish bones, creating a more coherent picture of the everyday habits of the Iron Gates populations.
Archaeology of Crisis (ed. S. Babić). Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 2021
The main objective of this study is to provide a micro-level observation of everyday activities i... more The main objective of this study is to provide a micro-level observation
of everyday activities in the Iron Gates region, in the period between the end of
the 7th and mid-6th millennium BC. The principal methodological tool is the application of use-wear analysis on chipped stone assemblages from the Lepenski
Vir, Padina and Vlasac sites, where the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic sequence is noted. Besides the general results of the utilization of lithic artefacts,
like their employment in various undertakings such as scraping wood and hides,
or engraving stone or bones, use-wear analysis can reveal the exact processes behind the activities. The obtained data can indicate the struggles of shaping the
available raw materials and the way prehistoric people confronted these quotidian
difficulties. The discovered results are crucial for understanding human cognition, but are also proof of the ability of ancient individuals to approach and overcome small-scale crises in everyday life.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2021
Following a series of published analyses ranging from architecture to prehistoric diet of the Iro... more Following a series of published analyses ranging from architecture to prehistoric diet of the Iron Gates' inhabitants, our research aims to present new results regarding use-wear analysis of knapped stone artefacts from Lepenski Vir and Padina with a particular focus on the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic in this region. Use-wear and residue analysis are applied using the low and high-power approach by Optical Light Microscope (OLM) observations combined with FTIR analysis. Based on the results, some of the main activities that took place in Iron Gates are processing of hide, bone, antler, plants, and soft stone. It is very important to highlight the complexity of various processes, which make this already specific area more peculiar. A variety of both simple, but overall, more complex and composite activities are recorded with the elaborate preparation of the used materials, for example, hide. Particular processes, such as butchering, were noted both inside the houses, and also concentrated in precise, specific areas of the settlements, where only tools involved in the processing of hide and meat were found. The data obtained highlight the activities of these advanced hunter-gatherer-fishermen and first farmers communities. Together with spatial analysis, the dynamics and processes in the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic are revealed, but also many questions regarding the specialization of the prehistoric settlements on the Danube are posed.
Beyond Use-Wear Traces: Going from tools to people by means of archaeological wear and residue analyses, 2021
The subject of this study is revealing the activities carried out in one of the trapezoidal house... more The subject of this study is revealing the activities carried out in one of the trapezoidal
houses of the Lepenski Vir site from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, situated
in the Iron Gates region in eastern Serbia. Dominating with their specific form, these
buildings are shifting the focus from a utilitarian perspective to the use of space. One of
the buildings that will serve as an example for testing and complementing the former
interpretations is house 54, previously argued to be the largest and most important object
of the Lepenski Vir I phase. Today, we are able to contribute fresh data on processes that
took place inside this particular building by analysing different archaeological artefacts
found on the house floor.
New understanding of the use of space in this specific micro-study is gained on the
basis of functional analysis of chipped stone artefacts found in house 54, together with
ground stone artefacts, bones, and ceramics. Both ritual and utilitarian context indications
were present during the occupation of Lepenski Vir houses. This study will try to show
the character of the above-mentioned objects through the results of use-wear and Fourier
Transform InfraRed (FTIR) analyses, combining them with dates and the house interior.
Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of ho... more Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of how the function of non-diagnostic pieces could be determined through technological and use-wear analysis. In this study, we present the examples of surface clusters and artefacts from stratigraphic layers. Our attention is focused on the prevailing category of fragmented raw materials in the initial phase of knapping, preforms, debris, shattered pieces of anthropogenic origin and an immense number of artefacts and geofacts. The study of mines and quarries, as well as distribution of the raw materials that come from the central Balkans is an understudied phenomenon. Flaked stone artefacts found on the outcrops of the Lojanik hilltop is a good example of how we can apply technological, petrological and use-wear analysis on this type of site. Keeping in mind the loose context of the finds, as well as the lack of any datable material, this issue has to be approached with a lot of caution, since the locality itself seems to show human presence during Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The main focus of the study was put on the prevailing categories linked to the initial extraction of raw material on the site, as well as initial steps of shaping the raw material into cores. Samples were collected from several outcrops and so-called workshops from two localities of the hilltop: Lojanik 1 and Lojanik 2. The focal points of interest are categories that include waste, shatter, technical or shaping flakes. Worked pieces of raw material are now in the central position, and the study of these pieces have opened new grounds for this and similar occurrences-the study of so-called "grey zones" of production.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2018
Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of ho... more Flaked stone artefacts found on the quarry Lojanik in west-central Serbia are good examples of how the function of non-diagnostic pieces could be determined through technological and use-wear analysis. In this study, we present the examples of surface clusters and artefacts from stratigraphic layers. Our attention is focused on the prevailing category of fragmented raw materials in the initial phase of knapping, preforms, debris, shattered pieces of anthropogenic origin and an immense number of artefacts and geofacts. The study of mines and quarries, as well as distribution of the raw materials that come from the central Balkans is an understudied phenomenon. Flaked stone artefacts found on the outcrops of the Lojanik hilltop is a good example of how we can apply technological, petrological and use-wear analysis on this type of site. Keeping in mind the loose context of the finds, as well as the lack of any datable material, this issue has to be approached with a lot of caution, since the locality itself seems to show human presence during Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The main focus of the study was put on the prevailing categories linked to the initial extraction of raw material on the site, as well as initial steps of shaping the raw material into cores. Samples were collected from several outcrops and so-called workshops from two localities of the hilltop: Lojanik 1 and Lojanik 2. The focal points of interest are categories that include waste, shatter, technical or shaping flakes. Worked pieces of raw material are now in the central position, and the study of these pieces have opened new grounds for this and similar occurrences-the study of so-called "grey zones" of production.
Примери попут речи продукција, редукција, индустрија, ретуш су добри показатељи сврховитости и зн... more Примери попут речи продукција, редукција, индустрија, ретуш су добри показатељи сврховитости и значаја прецизног појашњења у радовима везаним за окресани камен. Поред општих термина који су чешће у употреби, појмови функционалне анализе, као и анализе (не)органских материјала на окресаним артефактима не представљају уходану праксу приликом истраживања у Србији. Основни појмовник терминологије функционалних анализа у овом раду илустрован је на примеру микроскопских фотографија трагова употребе артефакта са локалитета Лепенски вир, Винча - Бело брдо и Беловоде, али и експеримената изведених на сечивима и одбитцима направљеним од кремена из италијанске регије Гаргано.
Rock and Roll: 13th International Symposium on Knappable Materials, Book of abstracts, 2021
EAA Annual Meeting, Book of abstracts, 2020
Meso'2020 - Tenth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, Book of abstracts, 2020
Through the Eyes of a Stranger Appropriating Foreign Material Culture and Transforming the Local Context, Book of abstracts, 2016
11th Symposium on Knappable Materials “From Toolstone to Stone Tools”, Book of abstracts, 2017
12th International Symposium on Knappable Materials, Book of abstracts, 2019
Lepenski Vir, located in the Iron Gates region (SE Serbia), is a well-known site for its monument... more Lepenski Vir, located in the Iron Gates region (SE Serbia), is a well-known site for its
monumental sculptures and numerous trapezoidal houses dated to the Mesolithic/Early
Neolithic period, c. 6200-5900 cal BC. Absolute dates indicate that prehistoric
communities have been inhabiting the site in wider chronological span, c. 9400-7600 cal
BC, but they hadn´t left extensive material remains.
Detailed raw material and techno-typological analysis of knapped stone industry were
undertaken by Kozłowski and Kozłowski (1984). However, recent revisions of Lepenski
Vir material and documentation have required a new examination of the chipped stone
artefacts and the implementation of advanced methods. New analysis included a vast study
of the techniques used for knapping, as well as crossing the raw material and technotypological
data with the contexts of the artefact origin and the use-wear analysis. The
results drew attention to houses 32, 35 and 36 regarding the quantity and technological
characteristics of grey flint artifacts. Our attention here is drawn to explore the activities
performed in the house 32, where the only one retouched artefact – a perforator was
uncovered while other stone remains indicate that grey flint was knapped while blanks of
Balkan and grey flint with white spots were stored and used.
Use-wear analysis of the proposed sample consisted both from artefacts coming from ashplace
but also from house floor was conducted and indicates variety of used materials and
activities, and also implies the presence of thermal stress on some of the artefacts.
Interesting is that some of the tools have traces of a complex nature, e.g. they were used for
divergent activities in different periods, indicating the character of the house 32 itself.
There is presence of activity on mineral material and working on large fish, which was a
very important part of human diet of prehistoric communities of Lepenski Vir.
Conference: EXARC Meeting, 2019
12th International Symposium on Knappable Materials, Book of abstracts, 2019
For decades, a closed eco-niche like Iron Gates in Eastern Serbia enabled specialists to explore ... more For decades, a closed eco-niche like Iron Gates in Eastern Serbia enabled specialists to
explore the transition to a sedentary life, with an exceptional record of human occupation
during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. Following the series of published analysis
from the architecture to the prehistoric diet of the Iron Gates inhabitants, our research aims
to present the newest results regarding the use-wear analysis of chipped stone artefacts
from Lepenski Vir and Padina site with a broader focus on the transition from Mesolithic
to Neolithic in this region. Applying the use-wear analysis is done by using both low and
high-power approach together with FTIR analysis. Gained results were interpreted in light
with the already stated hypotheses focused on daily routine, but also addressing some longterm
aspects like changes in the economy.
We observed both function and technology of chipped stone artefacts coming from houses,
middens, hearth areas, and open-air spaces. Based on the results, some of the main
activities that took part in Iron Gates are processing of hide, bone, antler, fish and
vegetable-based plants. It is very important to highlight the complexity of various
processes, which make this already specific area more peculiar. Variety of both simple, but
overall more complex and composite activities are recorded with the elaborate preparation
of the used materials, for example, hide. Particular processes, as butchering was noted both
inside the houses, and also concentrated in precise, specific areas in the settlements, where
only tools involved in the processing of hide and meat, connected strictly to butchering
were found. Obtained data highlights the activities of these advanced hunter-gatherers and
fishermen, and first farmers, together with spatial analysis revealed the dynamics and
processes in Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic, but also posed many questions regarding
the specialization of the prehistoric settlements on the Danube.
Science Applications Becoming Culture, Book of abstracts, 2020
This research aims to rethink the interpretations of some previously gathered knowledge about com... more This research aims to rethink the interpretations of some previously gathered knowledge about communities and their everyday activities at the famous Mesolithic and Neolithic site Lepenski Vir.
Even though the excavations of this area are finished more than 45 years ago, this site, as well as others in Iron Gates region, yield provoking inquiries and researchers are trying to answer numerous questions and reveal new data, combing them with already published results and following stratigraphy sequence supported with new absolute dates. The specific charm and characteristic of this part of SE Europe lies in its environmental aspect. For decades, a closed eco-niche like Iron Gates enabled specialists to explore the transition to sedentary life, with an exceptional record of human occupation during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene.
The main subject of this study is testing and complementing the previous interpretation of the trapezoidal houses as one of the trademarks of Lepenski Vir. Dominating with their specific form they are shifting the focus from utilitarian perspective and space use. One of the buildings that will serve as an example is house 54, one of the largest and most important objects of the Lepenski Vir phase I. Analyzing different archaeological artefacts found on the floor of this house, we are, today, able to place fresh data on what activities were carried out inside and around these objects.
New understanding of the spatial use in this specific micro study is observed on basis of functional analysis of chipped stone artefacts found on the floor of house 54, together with ground stone artefacts, bone, and ceramics. Both ritual and utilitarian context indications are present during the occupation of Lepenski Vir houses, but were they successive? This study will try to show the character of the mentioned object applying use-wear analysis, combining them with dates, burial rituals, and house interior.
Use-wear and residue analyses have come to play a fundamental role in archaeological enquiries in... more Use-wear and residue analyses have come to play a fundamental role in archaeological enquiries into the cultural biographies of past artefacts. Deployed either separately or in conjunction with one another, they have been turned by three generations of researchers into core scientific methods for understanding the behavioural and social interactions of prehistoric communities. In the last few years, a concerted effort has been made to improve and standardise research procedures in the two disciplines through explicit replication strategies, rigorous analytical and experimental protocols, and blind testing. This has ensured a degree of disciplinary maturity that, when successfully contextualised, can be harnessed to reach some of the highest dangling fruits of the interpretative tree and develop new explanatory models for past human behaviour. The session invites specialists in world prehistory to present their inter-and cross-disciplinary research into primate and human archaeology from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Metal Ages. It aims to explore socially contextualised problems, in which use-wear and residue analysis (on any materials and artefacts) are deployed as part of a wider range of integrated research approaches. The papers will discuss broad questions concerning the human past including the making of the mind in both primate and human evolution, technological changes and technological choices, interaction between and within communities of practice, skill, and acculturation (or lack thereof) following technology transfer. A parallel poster session will host contributions with narrower and more method-oriented foci.