Antler Industry Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

2025, Animal Biodiversity and Conservation

Deer antlers can be used as an index of individual performance both in ecological and productive contexts. Their quality is often measured only by their biometrical features, such as size, asymmetry or weight. Mechanic characteristics cannot normally be measured without destroying the antler and hence losing the commercial value of the trophies. Here, we studied ultrasonic velocities, density, and tensile strength across various sections of cast antlers of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus). We found that the speed value depended on the section of the antler and the propagation direction. For antler sections, velocities were lowest for mid–beam and highest for brow tine. Results were similar for density and indirect tensile strength, probably related to differences in functionality among antler sections. Density explained most of the variability of ultrasound–speed. The time elapsed from antler shed affected density more than ultrasound speed. The indirect tensile strength...

N. Ovcearov, V. Vornic, S. Matveev, S. Popovici, O așezare cu urme de locuire din eneolitic și perioada romană târzie descoperită la Calarașovca (r-nul Ocnița). In: Revista Arheologică, serie nouă, vol. XXI, nr. 1, Chișinău, 2025, pag. 123-137.

2025

In the summer of 2023, within the range of some localities in the Calarașovca (Ocnița district) – Arionești (Soroca district) microzone, surface archaeological research was undertaken, documenting several archaeological sites. A distinct place among them is occupied by the site designated with the name Calarașovca XIII, from the surface of which several artefacts were recovered. Several ceramic fragments document a sporadic habitation level that falls within the Sântana de Mureș-Cerneahov culture from the 4th century AD. The most numerous artefacts: flint tools, vessel fragments and a burnt clay statuette were at- tributed to the Precucuteni-Tripolie A communities. The large number of flint pieces, found at different stages of processing, allowed the establishment of the particularities of the lithic industry of the Eneolithic community from Calarașovca XIII.

2025, Beyond Stone: Contributions of Bone and Antler Technology to Stone Age Archaeology

For archaeologists working in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, it may be sometimes difficult to remember that stone artifacts cannot tell the whole story of prehistoric life. These periods may be part of the Stone Age, but stone appears to represent only a fraction of the material culture of hunter-gatherers. In a study of the traditional material culture of the lngalik in the forests of interior Alaska, for example, Osgood (1944) found that stone was used in the manufacture of only 5% of portable tools (Figure 1). Similarly, Rogers (1954) studied the traditional material culture of the Mistassini Cree of the forests of eastern Canada and recorded that only 9% of the portable tools utilized stone in their manufacture. Among both groups, the major components of their traditional technology were wood and bark. In both studies, bone and antler were more important than stone, making up from 16% to 21 % of the tool components.

2025, Current Studies of Diversity and Pattern in World Prehistory

Knapped lithics are generally assumed to reflect the territorial configurations of cultural groups, as well as their cultural interactions. Some Mesolithic and
Neolithic groups, however, show archaeologically worrying deviations from this pattern. While in some areas they are represented by reasonable numbers of worked lithics, in other parts of their cultural territories they are characterized by features such as pits and hearths, which can be of substantial size and appear in significant concentrations with little or no content of knapped lithics. This permits the consideration of whether we have a problem with the absence from the archaeological record of
extensive prehistoric “Stone Age” groups that do not employ knapped lithics at all. Furthermore, it is worth considering the extent to which our understanding of the cultural dynamics and interactions of prehistoric groups, as well as their subgroups, informed by preserved knapped lithics, can be misleading. Even though variation between the material cultures Even though variation between the material cultures of different cultures is evident, observations from modern hunter-gatherer societies indicate that the organic aspects of their material culture generally appear to serve as the dominant marker of such differences relative to their knapped lithics component. This is most likely because the organic aspects of material culture are the easiest to mark/shape with identifying and characteristic elements (ornaments, etc.). Important are skins and furs, for clothing, covers for dwellings and boats etc., while bark, plant fibers, and sinew are also important in many cultures. Bone and antler have a role in the production of
points and cutting edges, and wood can also be important for making
various artifact types, including shafts. Knapped lithics do not always
form part of the inventory, even though suitable material is locally
available. It is clear that the “currents of cultural influence” may vary for
different types of objects/materials–for example, artifact types, hafting
methods, clothing ornamentation, and burial customs. Even though
such complex, multilayered, cultural interaction patterns will, in most
cases, be impossible to reconstruct archaeologically due to the poor
preservation of organic material culture, it is nevertheless important
to keep in mind that they do not automatically follow the patterns of
interaction distinguishable in the well-preserved knapped lithics.

2025

Autori analiziraju prednosti i nedostatke tipolo{kog i tehnolo{kog metodolo{kog pristupa analizi liti~kih i kerami~kih artefakata. Tipolo{ki pristup je stati~ki pristup ~iji je osnovni cilj stavljanje nalaza u krono-kulturolo{ku sekvencu. Tehnolo{ki pristup je dinami~an, te preko rekonstrukcije procesa proizvodnje is~itava pona{anje davna{njeg ~ovjeka i socijalne odnose prapovijesnih populacija ili skupina. Unato~ vidnim razlikama tipologija i tehnologija nisu suprotstavljeni metodolo{ki pristupi. Oba pristupa valja koristiti pri analizi arheolo{kog materijala.

2025, RAASI

In this article, a sample composed of 38 lithic pieces, mostly flint, coming from the Boian culture settlement at Coroteni, Vrancea County, „Cetățuia” Point, is analysed. Most lithic artefacts that represent the object of this study were discovered in 1982 and 1983 in five closed archaeological features represented by dwellings. The analysis of these items was mainly aimed at obtaining technical-typological information on the discovered knapped lithic material. A number of variables are considered, such as the raw material, types of lihic tools, degree of fragmentation, and dimensions.
Keywords: Coroteni, Boian Culture, Neolithic, flint, lithic tools.

2025, Société préhistorique française

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

2025, Abstracts book: 29th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists. Belfast, Northern Ireland

The mainstream neolithization hypothesis, dominant in current Ukrainian scholarly, was proposed in the middle of the 20th century. It concentrates on ceramics and posits an early neolithization of the Northern Pontic Region at the end of the 7th mill. BCE, yet it distorts the logic of the historical processes and artificially separates this region from the current scheme of European Neolithization. The very early chronology also raises numerous doubts. Radiocarbon dates are represented unevenly. Some old assays were refuted by new ones obtained recently. The archaeological indicators of agrarian lifestyles remain ill-defined. A recent review of previously studied osteological faunal remains from several sites has shown the absence of domesticates. There are no reliable paleobotanical studies that could test the agrarian lifestyle. Despite the numerous known cemeteries and art objects, the symbolic aspects of the meso-neolithic transition dynamics and the innovations in material culture (ceramics) lack adequate attention. We consider the Meso-Neolithic transition period in the region lasted for about a thousand years and represented a spectrum of hunter-fishers-gatherer strategies broader. Three main sub-regions can be distinguished here: the Bug-Dniester region as the zone closest to the Neolithic cultures of SE Europe, with the highest rate of Neolithic items among local foragers; Azov Sea region occupied by foragers of the steppe plain zone with clues of animal husbandry and Western Asian influences; and Dnipro Rapids riverine region frequented by forager-fisher societies. Neolithic material innovations occurred in an uneven and punctuated fashion and did not lead to cardinal changes. Endogenous factors (e.g. favorable socio-economic conditions shaped by local foragers) played a crucial role in the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition.

2025

Throughout thousands of years Stone Age hunter-fisher-gatherers inhabited coastal areas across Europe -in a variety of coastal environments. Living by the sea offered similar frames of surroundings, possibilities, and challenges, which might have required similar types of practices of dwelling and adapting, but there were also differences due to environmental, climatic, cultural/societal and chronological differences and varieties. The archaeological remains of Stone Age hunterfisher-gatherers in coastal areas across Europe are fractured, highly vulnerable, often merely visible and undercommunicated. There are many methodologies that can be employed to study these similarities and differences by looking at different aspects of the lifestyle of these coastal communities. In this session we would like to specifically address: Session 212: Methods and theories of investigation into hunter-fisher-gatherer adaptations to and dwelling in coastal areas in the Stone Age Call for papers -abstracts must be submitted by 6 February 2025, for more details go to

2024, Sprawozdania Archeologiczne

This paper addresses shifting techniques between manufacturing two types of raw materials. On the one hand, they are copper-based alloys that were processed in the Early Bronze Age (c. 2300-1600 BCE) only by a few craftspersons, and, on the other hand, well-known and commonly processed animal hard tissues. At least one technique we observed on the metal objects originates from those of working with animal hard tissues, while the other one can be found in already published evidence. Application of techniques known from bone and antler processing in metallurgy indicates cross-craft communication and learning processes.

2024

The paper deals with the Early Christian objects in the Middle Danube Limes from
Singidunum to Aquae. According to their function, shape or decorative content, it
is possible to divide them into items that used in liturgical practice (silver chalices,
bowls, spoons used during the Eucharist, flagon, procession crosses, lamps) and various objects, which shape, inscription or ornamental elements indicate Christian
character, but which were intended for secular purposes (jewelry, steelyard, crest application with Chi–Rho monogram, fibulae etc.).
In addition to the local products, a certain number of objects consist of imported
material produced in some major production centers, most often in the East, from
where they were distributed to the other parts of the Roman Empire. A significant
number of imported items indicate Egyptian origin, with their separate production
centers, and from where they had been brought as an import to the Balkan region by
trade routes. Some of the products were manufactured in western centers of manufacture. All registered Early Christian items, in their own way shed light on a turbulent period in this region from the 4th to the beginning of the 7th century.

2024

Rezumat: În acest studiu, autorii prezintă un vas pictat cu siluete feminine antropomorfe, descoperit în situl de la Feteşti-La Schit (com. Adâncata, jud. Suceava), a cărui compoziŃie ornamentală, încadrată în subgrupa stilistică ε ε ε ε 1 (Cucuteni B 1), vorbeşte, probabil, despre concepŃiile mitologice şi cosmogonice ale acestor comunităŃi agricole, eneolitice. Il est déjà reconnu que la station archéologique de Feteşti-La Schit a fournis beaucoup de vestiges pendant les sept campagnes des fouilles systématiques déroulées (2000-2006) 1 , jusqu'au présent étant investigués plusieurs niveaux d'habitation: Cucuteni A 3 (la variante régionale Hăbăşeşti); Cucuteni B 1b et début de B 2 (B 2a); Horodiştea-Erbiceni II, Latène précoce (V-III ème siècles avant Chr.); Moyen Âge tardif, modernes et contemporaines. Ce site se trouve dans la partie orientale du département de Suceava, sur un plateau structural (du Plateau Dragomirna, sous unité du Plateau de Suceava) situé au nord-est d...

2024

Dokumentiranje i istraživanje svakidašnjeg života i današnje kulture, kao iznimno važan faktor u današnjem radu etnografskih muzeja, česta su tema na međunarodnim konferencijama etnografskih muzeja. Budući da etnografski muzeji imaju različite pristupe sakupljanju, suvremena muzeološka i etnološka praksa nastoji stvoriti nove kriterije i pristupe sakupljanju predmeta za muzejske zbirke. Radi se i djeluje, dakle, u atmosferi konstantnih polemika i preispitivanja koje predmete naše svakodnevnice trebamo sakupljati i prema kojim kriterijima. Cij je ovog rada dati kritički osvrt na dosadašnju sakupljačku politiku Etnografskog muzeja Zagrebu i pokušati razmotriti koje bi predmete današnje globalne masovne proizvodnje bilo potrebno sakupljati za muzejske zbirke.Documenting and researching of everyday life and contemporary culture are extraordinarily important factors in today\u27s activities of ethnographic museums and therefore a frequent subject of international conferences of ethnograp...

2024, Etnoloska Istraživanja

2 Godine 1999. godine u Namuru na NET-u (European Network of Ethnographical and Social History Museums) jedna od radionica bila je na temu dokumentiranja svakodnevnog ivota. Od 18.-21. rujna 2002. u Be~u je odr`ana konferencija etnografskih muzeja srednje i sjeveroisto~ne Europe o muzejskim zbirkama, kriterijima sakupljanja predmeta i kontekstualiziranju u proteklih deset godina. Na toj je konferenciji predstavljen ovaj rad. 3 Kriteriji [vedskog SAMDOK-a (me|unarodnog standarda za dokumentiranje sada{njosti) utvr|eni su jo{ 1977. godine. Uz odre|ene modifikacije, oni va`e za sakupljanje uop}e, jer se svako sakupljanje provodi u sada{njem vremenu.

2024, MEMORIA ANTIQUITATIS XXXIX

Le Néolithique ancien en Europe du Sud a apporté des innovations nombreuses – non seulement l’agriculture et l’élevage, de nouvelles espèces végétales et animales, mais aussi des changements dans les modes de subsistance, dans les modes de vie et dans les visions du monde. La culture matérielle a aussi apporté de nouveaux matériaux, de nouvelles technologies et de nouveaux types d’objets.
L’industrie osseuse est généralement considérée comme conservatrice, traditionnelle, ainsi que chronologiquement et culturellement non-sensible. Quand même, tout comme d’autres technologies, la technologie de l’industrie osseuse dépend des préférences culturelles ; ainsi, dans l’industrie osseuse, on peut aussi remarquer des changements : des nouveaux matériaux, de nouvelles techniques et de nouveaux types d’objets. Dans l’ article présent, on analyse l’industrie osseuse de la culture de Starčevo, qui montre des traditions mésolithiques, mais aussi des innovations qui peuvent être liées aux influences d’origine de Asie du sud-ouest. Ces influences comprennent des outils tranchants en tibia de petits ruminants, des crochets, des corps de faucille, boucles de ceinture et notamment des spatules-cuillers. Ces techno-types, pourtant, ne sont pas repris sans changements, mais modifiés et adaptés localement. Cela montre que les influences dans la technologie ne sont pas simples, mais sont sous l’impact des préférences culturelles locales et que la technologie n’est pas prédéterminée, mais qu’elle change parallèlement aux autres changements culturels et sociaux.

2024, Microscoop

Le bois de cervidé, une matière première de l'artisanat du Moyen-Âge Dès la préhistoire, le bois de cerf a été utilisé pour la réalisation de petits objets. Au X e siècle on le trouve sous forme de petits objets à forts symboles, réservés... more

2024

In the Pălatca Commune (Cluj County), a prehistoric (probably elk) antler axe was discovered accidentally. It later came into the possession of a collector. e item is extremely rare, which is why we subjected it to analysis in the present paper. e best analogies found are among the Bronze Age items from the current space of Ukraine and Russia. We believe that the closest analogy is the famous sceptre-axe discovered in Dudarkov, which is particularly remarkable due to the numerous zoomorphic, phytoform and geometric motifs incised on its surface, attributed to the Mnogovalikovaja culture. Based on these correspondences, our assessment is that the axe from Pălatca can be interpreted as a sceptre, similar to other antler items already discovered in the Mid-and Late Bronze Age in Transylvania or neighbouring regions.

2024, Solving Stone Age puzzles: From artefacts and sites towards archaeological interpretations

Gravettian female figurine -anthropogenically modified eolith from Trenčianske Bohuslavice in Slovakia 14 Zdeněk Farkaš Anthropomorphic Statuette of the Lengyel culture from Dlhá 15 Yuri E. Demidenko, Béla Rácz Lithic raw material sources and their exploitations during the Paleolithic in Transcarpathia (Ukraine): A newly proposed approach analysis 16 Katalin T. Biró The fly in the soup -problems in provenancing long distance items 17 Martin Sabol, Csaba Tóth, Martin Vlačiky Late Pleistocene mammal fauna from the travertine quarry in Santovka -Malinovec (Southern Slovakia) 18 Miriam Nývltová Fišáková Paleoecology and the migration of animals from Gravettian sites in the Middle Danube 19 Zdeňka Nerudová What do some findings of fauna indicate: Notes on the survival of mammoths and woolly rhinos at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum 20 Adrián Nemergut, Martin Novák "…instead of conclusion". Commemoration of the Ľubomíra Kaminská life anniversary Bibliography of Ľ. Kaminská

2024, ICAZ - 4th RPWG Meeting: Social archaeozoology and role of animals in Roman period societies: social differences, the impact of Rome on animal–human relationships, and changes in the human diet

The site of Diana – Karataš is a Roman period auxiliary fort that was once a part of the Roman Limes on the Danube. It is located at the very end of the Iron Gates – a 134 km long narrow Danube Gorge in today’s eastern Serbia. Here, a large fortification that could hold around 500 soldiers was erected in the I century AD and lasted until the middle of the V century. Due to its location, it was logical to assume that the diet of the soldiers stationed here was supplemented to a significant extent by hunting, and especially by fishing, bearing in mind the proximity of the Danube. An analysis of animal remains from the site has been conducted in the last couple of years, indeed yielded a large amount of fish remains, even though all of the material was hand-collected some 40 years ago. Here, we
will give a deeper insight into the significance and role of fish in the diet of the Roman soldiers at the distant frontier, by looking at the contextual data, taxonomic composition, taphonomic data, consumption patterns and biometry of fish remains. Special attention will be given to the beluga sturgeon – the largest and the most valued species.

2024, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

To answer the question if metal knives found in late Bronze Age deposits in Karmin in W Poland (ca. 900-800 BCE) could have been used as multi-tools in processing hard materials like red deer antler and animal bone, we applied an experimental method followed by the use-wear analysis of a replica of late Bronze Age bronze knife. This is the first experiment that focuses on the tool instead of the processed material. It included five movements engaging various sections of a knife blade and tip and producing diversified traces depending on the type of technique and raw material worked. We showed that an adequately cast knife, hardened then by cold working, could have been applied in all stages of manufacturing antler and bone objects, from initial material division (cross-cutting) over shaping (surface cutting, whittling) to finishing (scraping, drilling). Although the tool required frequent resharpening, it efficiently performed various movements. The traces on the replica, such as Ushaped notches, chips, blunting, bows, scratches, and serrated and wavy edges, correspond well with those observed on the knives from Karmin.

2024, Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada

Entre la rica colección de artefactos encontrados en los niveles Subneolíticos y neolíticos de varios yacimientos arqueológicos de Šventoji (Lituania), resalta un pequeño fragmento de la cabeza de un arpón, constituyendo un elemento realmente interesante. Las características de de las trazas de uso que fueron identificadas en la pieza sugieren que ésta fue reutilizada como una herramienta empleada en actividades de abrasión. Esta observación supuso un punto de partida para una discusión relativa a la presencia de tales prácticas en las sociedades prehistóricas de cazadores-recolectores de Europa y el significado de este tipo de objetos.

2024, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

A recently found cattle-based mandibular thong-smoother, which was the only bone tool in the Baden culture burial of a 6-10-year-old child at the site of Balatonlelle-Rádpuszta-Romtemplom mellett (western Hungary), represents the... more

2024, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

2024

Carved bone knife handles can be found throughout the Roman world but appear with higher frequency in the western provinces. Made from the oft-overlooked material of worked bone, these knife handles represent an understudied subcategory within the larger corpus of bone handles carved for a wide variety of implements. This paper examines third-century CE bone knife handles uncovered during twentieth-century excavations at sites in Pannonia and Dacia, as well as examples in the collection of the Rheinischen Landesmuseum Trier to explore how people living on the "peripheries" constituted their material worlds. It approaches these objects through several lenses. An ecological perspective centers the interactions between human, non-human, and natural worlds evoked by working bone. The retrieval, processing, and crafting of this material provide insight into the actions and decisions of ancient makers, including women bone workers. The portability and innumerable functions of pocket knives combined with the diversity and innovation apparent in the motifs chosen to decorate their handles suggest that bone carving on the "peripheries" of the Roman world was a highly adaptable process. Several of the handles feature imagery found in other media throughout antiquity, raising questions of replication and adaptation, particularly across space, scale, and material. By centering an object type, material class, and maker community often marginalized in the study of Roman archaeology, this paper offers a new way of understanding life on the "periphery."

2024, Sprawozdania Archeologiczne

In 2017, a man fishing in the Oder River accidentally discovered an antler-base axe in the village of Domaszków, Lower Silesian Voievodship. In-depth study of the axe included analysis of the traces on its surface, radiocarbon dating and paleogenetic analysis, and concluded with the tool's conservation. Most of the traces casting light on the techniques used in its crafting had been eroded by intensive water action. The axe was made from the unshed red deer antler. Among the preserved marks we note pointed depressions made during the separation of the antler beam, traces where the brow and bay tines were cut off, and concentric rings from the drilling of the perforation. A small scar on the axe's blade was identified as resulting from the tool's use. Radiocarbon dating placed the origins of the axe in Boreal period. Such tools are known from western Poland and the northwestern European Mesolithic as well as from the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.

2024, Veterinarski glasnik

Animal abuse is important social issue, which includes a wide range of behaviors of humans that are harmful to animals, starting from unintentional neglect to intentional cruelty. Types of animal abuse are different and they can include physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect. Training dogs for fights and dog fighting are considered to be neglection of animals. Forensic veterinarians are called for testifining more often now for presenting the evidence that can lead to making a case regarding animal abuse. This study will include an explanation of forensic vet's role and different types of animal abuse.

2024, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

The starting point for the studies described in the article were the results of traceological studies of a collection of seal craniums discovered during archaeological excavations at a Subneolithic site complex in Š ventoji, Lithuania. Microscopic analysis revealed repetitive technological traces and well-developed use damages on the surfaces, the characteristics of which most likely indicate their use during ritual practices, possibly in a similar way to that suggested for antler frontlets known from several Mesolithic sites. This is the first such discovery in this part of Europe, shedding new light on the symbolic culture of the hunter-gatherer communities inhabiting the southeastern Baltic Sea coast between 3200 and 2700 cal BC, and especially the role of seals and their skulls, what is discussed in the article in a wider perspective. The use-wear traces described in the article are also a unique example of damage created on the surface of artefacts that are associated with ritual practices, and can, therefore, provide important information in identifying and correctly interpreting similar objects of this type elsewhere.

2024, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

This article presents the results of a zooarchaeological, technological and functional analysis of a collection of animal tooth pendants from the Subneolithic sites in Šventoji, Lithuania. The technological research carried out on the artefacts showed minimal interference in the material and the use of three basic techniques for drilling the holes. Traseological research of the use-wear traces legible on the pendants established a long period of use and was a premise for making inferences on the likely differences in their way of use. These inferences were tested with an experimental programme testing different ways of wearing pendants and with different types of strings. The article also presents the results of the analysis of the spatial distribution of pendants of different types at the site Šventoji 23. The discussion compares the results of the analyses carried out with the results of studies of other European collections of animal tooth pendants of similar chronology. 2. Context, material and methods The complex of sites in Šventoji (Fig. 1) was discovered in 1966 by Mikelis Balčius and Rimutė Rimantienė during irrigation works carried out in the region. At the time, several tens of archaeological sites and loose finds were identified, dated now (including the sites discovered later) to the period between 6000 and 500 cal BC. They are located on a

2023, Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica

The article brings to the attention of both specialists and the general public two clay artifacts, quasi-conical, provided with holes and perforations, discovered in the Precucuteni II-III settlement at Isaiia-Balta Popii, Iasi County. Although objects with similar characteristics are rather rare, the authors have managed to find a few nearly exact analogies. This is all the more surprising as the analogies come from various Neolithic and Eneolithic cultural contexts in Central and Southeastern Europe, giving this object an archetypal character. Establishing its functionality, however, proved to be much more challenging, leading many archaeologists who discovered or approached similar artifacts to easily place them in the somewhat ambiguous sphere of symbolism and cult. Although this interpretation cannot be categorically ruled out, there are arguments supporting a surprising utilitarian functionality, albeit situated, in a sense, within the realm of prehistoric spirituality. Rezumat. Articolul aduce în atenția atât a specialiștilor, cât și a publicului larg, două artefacte de lut, cvasi-conice, prevăzute cu orificii și perforații, descoperite în așezarea Precucuteni II-III de la Isaiia-Balta Popii, jud. Iași. Deși obiectele cu caracteristici asemănătoare sunt mai degrabă rare, autorii au reușit să găsească câteva analogii aproape exacte. Acest fapt este cu atât mai surprinzător cu cât analogiile provin din diverse medii culturale neolitice și eneolitice din centrul și sud-estul Europei, ceea ce conferă acestui obiect un caracter arhetipal. Mult mai dificilă a fost, însă, stabilirea funcționalității sale, ceea ce a determinat, din partea majorității arheologilor care le-au descoperit sau abordat, o facilă amplasare în sfera destul de echivocă a simbolului și a cultului. Deși această interpretare nu poate fi înlăturată categoric, există argumente care pledează pentru o surprinzătoare funcționalitate utilitară, dar situată, într-un sens, tot în zona spiritualității preistorice.

2023, University of Wuppertal

2023, Praehistorische Zeitschrift

Der Beitrag stellt drei mesolithische Geweihlochstäbe der Fundstellen Twedt-Buschau, Verchen (beide Norddeutschland) und Krzyż (Polen) vor, die nach Meinung der Autoren als zoomorphe Darstellungen interpretiert werden können. Die Basis der Abwurfstangen wurde jeweils teilweise abgearbeitet und die Sprosse als spitzer Stumpf zugerichtet. Die so entstandene Form kann als stilisierter Kopf eines Elches angesprochen werden. Die ähnliche Zurichtung der Objekte und die nahezu übereinstimmende absolute Datierung der Geweihstäbe von Twedt-Buschau und Krzyż in das frühe Boreal unterstützen diese Hypothese. Die skulptierten Geweihstäbe, die ein neues Element mesolithischer Kunst der nordeuropäischen Tiefebene repräsentieren, werden abschließend in die Entwicklung der spätpaläolithischen/mesolithischen Kunst eingeordnet. Cet article présente trois bâtons percés mésolithiques trouvés sur les sites de Twedt-Buschau, Verchen (tous deux en Allemagne du Nord) et Krzyż (Pologne), dans lesquels les auteurs voient des représentations zoomorphes. Ces bois tombés ont été partiellement travaillés à leur base et les andouillers taillés en pointe arrondie. La forme qui en résulte peut alors être perçue comme la tête stylisée d'un élan. La taille similaire de ces trois objets et la datation absolue, presque identique, des bâtons percés de Twedt-Buschau et Krzyż au début du Boréal renforcent cette hypothèse. Ces bâtons percés et sculptés, qui représentent un nouvel élément de l'art mésolithique des plaines de l'Europe septentrionale, sont ensuite intégrés dans l'évolution artistique du Paléolithique final au Mésolithique. The article discusses three perforated antler objects from Twedt-Buschau, Verchen (northern Germany) and Krzyż (Poland) which can be interpreted as zoomorphic representations. The roses of the antlers show cutmarks and the lower tines were modified into pin like stumps. The antlers are identified as abstract elk heads. This is supported by the very similar shape of the objects and the fact that the pieces from Twedt-Buschau and Krzyż date to the same early Boreal period. In the final chapter the meaning of the new evidence is discussed in the frame work of the development of Late Palaeolithic to Mesolithic art.

2023, Archeologisch en historisch leer. Bundel van het tweede Leercongres van de Lage Landen - 25 oktober 2019, Delft

In early 2017, an astonishing number of archaeological finds were unearthed during the excavation of two sites in Molnár Street (Budapest, Hungary), led by the archaeologists of Budapest History Museum. Excavation became necessary due to the construction works of a new hotel. As the construction took place on a registered archaeological site, and historical monuments of the city were expected to be found, the presence of archaeological professionals became essential. Even though the location was inhabited for centuries, the medieval layers were found unaffected. Fortunately, the wet and muddy soil by the river preserved, in excellent condition, a number of metal and leather objects.

2023

Tra le diverse tipologie di materiali rinvenuti nel corso degli scavi di Piazza Marconi a Cremona un particolare interesse è ricoperto dall'elevato numero di ossa animali lavorate e semilavorate recuperate. L'analisi archeozoologica di questi resti ha permesso di individuare la presenza di una bottega specializzata nella realizzazione di manufatti in osso e palco in attività tra la seconda metà del II secolo a.C. e la prima metà del I secolo a.C. L'approvvigionamento della materia prima avveniva con ogni probabilità negli scarichi di macellazione e lavorazione dei tagli di carne. La cernita degli elementi scheletrici veniva effettuata in funzione degli oggetti che dovevano essere prodotti e ricadeva quasi esclusivamente su elementi scheletrici di bovino. Gli elementi anatomici prevalentemente utilizzati erano i metapodi; seguivano omeri, radi, femori, tibie e ulne. La produzione di cerniere in osso rivestiva nella bottega un ruolo di importanza primaria, ma numerosi rest...

2023, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society

SummaryIn July 1970, the complete skeleton of a male elk (Alces alcesL.) was discovered at Poulton-le-Fylde in a series of aquatic deposits. Uncontrolled excavation recovered most of the skeleton and part of a barbed bone or antler point of ‘Star Carr’ Proto-Maglemosian appearance. Subsequent investigation recovered the remainder of the skeleton and part of a second barbed point, allin situ. These lay in an organic detritus mud which pollen analysis has shown to belong to Zone II of the conventional NW European sequence, assigned to the Allerød Interstadial. The date is therefore likely to lie between 1000 and 2500 years earlier than that of Star Carr.Study of the bones showed at least 17 lesions, of which 3 were probably made some weeks before the animal died. The remainder were probably approximately coincident with death. These lesions were of types which implied the existence of sharp, hard-pointed projectiles (? flint-tipped arrows) and chopping blades (? axes). They were almos...

2023, Estonian Journal of Archaeology

A recent technological study of the bone and antler industry of the Zvejnieki site provides new insight into our understanding of the Mesolithic of northern Europe. As far as bone and antler industry is concerned, the Preboreal and Boreal horizons of Zvejnieki burials and settlement sites can be seen as belonging to the northeastern technocomplex that may extend, for these chronozones, from Poland to western Russia including southern Sweden and the Baltic states. In fact, in this geographical area the archaeological assemblages such as Ageröd I: A-H-C, which was usually considered as Maglemosian, have delivered an industry mostly represented by points and edged tools made by the 'Z' Method (a method discovered first by the author at Zamostje, Russia) on metapodials of large ungulates. Pendants made of mammal teeth have been manufactured by either sawing or by grindingdrilling according to their designation for the living people or the dead, respectively. This method as well as the last two techniques can now be ascribed to the northeastern technocomplex, while the Maglemose and the northern technocomplex used a different technology in order to produce, on similar blanks, weapons, tools and ornaments of the same kind. Zvejnieki asulakoha luuja sarvesemete niitidisaegne tehnoloogiline uurimine lisab uusi teadmisi Pohja-Euroopa kiviaja kohta. Nagu luuja sarvesemed osutavad, kuulub Zvejnieki asulakoha ja kalme preboreaalse ja boreaalse horisondi esemete tootmisviis kirde tehnokompleksi, mis eksisteeris neis kronotsoonides Poolast kuni Ld4dne-Venemaani, kaasa arvatud Louna-Rootsi ja Balti riigid. Sellel geograafilisel alal (arheoloogilistes kogumites nagu Agerdd I: A-H-C, mida tavaliselt on vaadeldud Maglemose kultuuri osana) on esindatud peamiselt otsikud ja lGiketeraga tooriistad, mis on suurimetajate poialuudest valmistatud Z-meetodil (seda meetodit tiheldas autor esmakordselt Venemaa Zamostje materjali puhul). Imetajahammastest ripatsid on tehtud saagimise v4i lihvimise-puurimise abil olenevalt sellest, kas need olid mdeldud elavate v6i surnute tarbeks. Z-meetodit, nagu ka eeltoodud tehnikaid v6ib kirjeldada kui kirde tehnokompleksi. Maglemose ja pdhja tehnokompleksis kasutati samade pooltoodete puhul teistsugust tehnoloogiat, kuigi tulemuseks olid iisna samasugused relvad, tooriistad ja ehted.

2023, Antiquites Nationales

a livré près de 224 artefacts en matières osseuses : 122 objets finis et 100 déchets de production. Ils proviennent majoritairement des fouilles menées par le Dr Henri-Martin (HENRI-MARTIN 1928) dans différents loci du gisement. Á partir du matériel lithique et sur la base d'une datation 14 C à 19 230 +/-300 BP (Gif-3609), les couches archéologiques ont été attribuées à un Solutréen (TYMULA 2002). Toutefois, le contexte stratigraphique ne garantit en rien l'homogénéité des collections osseuses ni leur attribution à ce technocomplexe. Nous avons donc mené une étude technologique de ce matériel dans le but de tenter d'évaluer son homogénéité et de préciser son attribution chronoculturelle. Cette étude nous a aussi et surtout permis d'aborder la question de la gestion des matières osseuses par les groupes humains ayant occupé le site. Ces derniers semblent avoir opéré une sélection poussée des matrices qu'ils ont exploitées selon des modalités de débitage intégrant le double rainurage longitudinal et la percussion tranchante. Les objets finis, qui pourraient en partie être issus de ces schémas, forment un corpus typé, tourné vers les activités domestiques, notamment de débitage des matières lithiques et osseuses.

2023, Journal of Archaeological Science

In the course of the Upper Paleolithic, antler debitage techniques seem to have followed a linear evolution. The earliest one, fracturing by cleaving, appeared during the Aurignacian and is considered by some specialists to be ineffective. According to them, it was not until the invention of the groove and splinter technique during the Gravettian that antler debitage became efficient. Nonetheless, during the Solutrean, fracturing once again became the most common technique, but by splitting. Based on a study of 102 Solutrean pressure tools and experimentations, we reach the conclusion that splitting is a very effective technique that can produce blanks with the same qualities as those made by the groove and splinter technique. The splitting technique was nonetheless excluded in previous studies. We explore the reasons for this and the particularities of the different antler debitage techniques evidenced in the Western Upper Paleolithic.

2023, Archeologie západních Čech

2023, Sprawozdania Archeologiczne

In 2017, a man fishing in the Oder River accidentally discovered an antler-base axe in the village of Domaszków, Lower Silesian Voivodeship. In-depth study of the axe included analysis of the traces on its surface, radiocarbon dating and paleogenetic analysis, and concluded with the tool’s conservation. Most of the traces casting light on the techniques used in its crafting had been eroded by intensive water action. The axe was made from the unshed red deer antler. Among the preserved marks we note pointed depressions made during the separation of the antler beam, traces where the brow and bay tines were cut off, and concentric rings from the drilling of the perforation. A small scar on the axe’s blade was identified as resulting from the tool’s use. Radiocarbon dating placed the origins of the axe in Boreal period. Such tools are known from western Poland and the north-western European Mesolithic as well as from the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.

2023, Petničke sveske

Detekcija tragova upotrebe na neolitskim strugaèima pomoaeu optièkih instrumenata srednjeg uveaeanja U ovom radu izvršena je provera moguaenosti korišaeenja optièkih instrumenata srednjeg uveaeanja, od 20 do 32 puta, pri metodu trasologije i provere kvaliteta rezultata koji se tom prilikom dobijaju. Traseologija predstavlja vid funkcionalne analaize koja prouèava tragove upotrebe, uglavnom na kamenim alatkama, kako bi se utvrdila funkcija tih predmeta (Joviae 1997: 299). Metoda je testirana na uzorku od sedam okresanih alatki tipa strugaèa, sa neolitskog lokaliteta Petnica-Naselje ispred Male peaeine, iz faze C i D vinèanske kulture. Uzorci su odabrani po utvrðenim kategorijama da bi se ispitala povezanost izmeðu razlièitih varijanti strugaèa sa tragovima uoèenim na njima. Rezultati su pokazali da primenom ove metode mo emo uoèiti izvesne tragove upotrebe, i utvrditi koji su se delovi alatke i u kojoj meri koristili. Ipak, kvalitet rezultata ne pru a dovoljno informacija koje bi nas uputile na odreðivanje funkcije samih alatki.

2023, Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology

In this work, we present a preliminary analysis of the Solutrean antlerworking at Hort de Cortés–Volcán del Faro (Valencia, Spain) (ca. 26–21 ka cal BP). A restudy of its archaeological sequence, which came to encompass the Early Upper Palaeolithic to the Magdalenian period, has been a mandatory subject in the last years. This site became an archaeological reference since the beginning of its excavation in the 1960s but has not been systematically studied. The implementation of more specialized studies is used a) to observe the distribution of technical pieces in the stratigraphy and identify possible stratigraphic alterations and b) to restudy a huge lithic, osseous, and faunal collection which can provide new information that may clarify them. The aim is to develop a systematic study, from a technological point of view, to identify and characterize operational schemes and to define the modalities of antlerworking. The technological analysis of waste products, blanks, roughouts, an...

2023, Bear and Human: Facets of a Multi-Layered Relationship from Past to Recent Times, with Emphasis on Northern Europe

Amber bear figurines are a small group of objects found all around the Baltic Sea. They are usually naturalistically shaped and come in a variety of forms and wealth of detail. A major issue when dealing with this topic is the fact that the figurines are mostly stray finds, so they lack archaeological context. Furthermore, they are not directly datable due to their material. This makes it difficult to contrast them against their archaeo-cultural background. This paper will therefore discuss the dates that have been assigned to these figurines and the reasons why bears were depicted. As it turns out, there are less indications for a Mesolithic date than for an earlier or later phase, based on comparable art and styles. This also aligns well with other naturalistic amber finds from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic, and hence questions the traditional attribution of the amber bear figurines to the Mesolithic. The function of these artefacts, however, remains unclear due to the lack of contextual information.

2023, Quaternary International

New excavation undertaken in Obłazowa Cave, south Poland, yielded a fossil Conus shell, polished and incised artificially. The shell was found at the very bottom of the pit, beneath the point of the Aurignacian relics recovery. It has a stratigraphic and chronological meaning. The shell, as well as two others which had been found years before in layer VIII of the Obłazowa Cave, can be regarded as another trace of the Pavlovian people. It was probably the Pavolvians who destroyed the older layers of the cave. This raises a question on the relations between the Aurignacian and Pavlovian groups. Conus shells of the same kind were numerously found in the Pavlovian Moravian sites and in Lower Austria, in the vicinity of Grubgraben. Due to the fact that in the Aurignacian the Conus shells have not occurred, one can acknowledge them as a fingerprint of the Pavlovian.

2023, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society

Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeology. The original excavations at the site recorded a large assemblage of bone and antler tools from a sequence of peat deposits at the edge of the Lake Flixton. Over 60 years later this remains the largest assemblage of bone and antler artefacts of its date in Britain and has been an invaluable source of information for life in the early Mesolithic. However, the interpretation of this material has been the subject of intense debate, and the assemblage has been variously described as the remains of an in situ settlement, a refuse dump, and the result of culturally prescribed acts of deposition. Fundamentally, these very different ideas of the nature of the site depend on differing interpretations of the environmental context into which the majority of the organic artefacts were deposited. This paper presents the results of recent work at Star Carr that helps to resolve the debate surrounding both the context of the assemblage and the motivations that lay behind its deposition.

2023, Estonian Journal of Archaeology

2023, Archaeologia Pragensia 19

Okolnosti a průběh výzkumu V roce 2004 proběhl v Praze 6-Dejvicích záchranný archeologický výzkum před stavbou části rozsáhlého souboru obytných domů nazvaného Rezidenční čtvrť Sladovny-Podbaba. Tento areál se rozkládá pod východním svahem výšiny Horní Šárka, v místě tradičně nazývaném Podbaba, v úhlu svíraném dnešními ulicemi Paťanka a Pod Paťankou. Prostor výstavby II. etapy rezidenční čtvrti byl zkoumán v měsících červenci až říjnu postupně ve dvou částech, označených A a B, oddělených stavební komunikací (obr. 1). Společně tyto dvě části pokrývaly asi 2/3 rozsahu budoucí základové stavební jámy pro nové objekty. Obě plochy byly stejným způsobem rozděleny pravidelnou čtvercovou sítí na sondy o velikosti 4 x 4 m a ze vzniklé šachovnice byly poté zkoumány liché čtverce. V případě zjištění pozoruhodných archeologických situací byly sondy rozšířeny a zkoumány i přilehlé čtverce sousední. Archeologický výzkum pod vedením M. Kostky zajišťovalo Muzeum hlavního města Prahy ve spolupráci s firmou Prospecto, přírůstkové číslo výzkumu a nálezů z něj je A 10/2004. V lokalitě bylo na začátku prací nejdříve nutno odstranit různě mocné recentní a novověké navážky, které většinou překrývaly půdní horizont starší ovocné zahrady z 19. století. Tento mladší (novověký) půdní horizont pod sebou ukrýval silnou kulturní vrstvu vznikající v období mladšího pravěku, především ve starší době železné. Kulturní vrstva místy dosahovala mocnosti až 1 m a obsahovala materiál z průběhu celé doby halštatské. Zároveň do ní byla z několika výškových úrovní zahloubena i řada archeologických objektů datovaných rovněž do různých časových horizontů doby halštatské. Pod kulturní vrstvou se nacházel starší (pravěký) půdní horizont s velmi proměnlivou a lokálně podmíněnou mocností, pod kterým se vyskytovaly neolitické archeologické objekty zahloubené do podloží. Ty patřily kulturám s lineární a vypíchanou keramikou a kultuře lengyelské (Kostka 2007, 168). Jako intruze a příměsi se v kulturní vrstvě a některých objektech vyskytly i ojedinělé nálezy eneolitického stáří. Následující text se věnuje výhradně osamocenému objektu z časné doby římské z plochy A.

2023, Archeologické výzkumy v jižních Čechách 29

The contribution summarizes basic knowledge about the rescue excavation of a multi-period site on the eastern outskirts of the village of Staré Kestřany and its interpretation. Field prospecting and subsequent open-area excavation resulted in the identification of small-sized settlement areas dating from the Mesolithic, Tumulus culture of Middle Bronze Age and final Hallstatt period.

2023, Estonian Journal of Archaeology