Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova). 2008. Proceedings of the International Conference, 2930 October 2008, , Publishing House “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, 288290.

REAL ARROWS OR “DARTS FROM HEAVEN”? SOME IDEAS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF BELEMNITES FROM NEOLITHIC AND CHALCOLITHIC SITES IN

Кamen Boyadziev

National Institute of Archaeology and Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences,1000 Sofia; [email protected]

ABSTRACT. The article presents belemnites found in Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in Bulgaria (some of them reshaped) and the interpretations suggested for their use. According to R. Popov (1909, 535) the fossils from the Tell Kodzadermen have been used as arrowheads. However, several evidence question this hypothesis – the curved shape of some of the finds, the short “tangs”, the physical properties of these fossils, the presence of belemnites both in male and female burials in the necropolis at Polyanitsa. According to a number of historical and ethnographical analogies it is possible to suggest that the belemnites rather had symbolic meaning and were perceived and respected as “thunder arrows” or “darts from heaven”. Thus, they may have been used as amulets with magical or healing power.

Belemnites are an extinct group of marine cephalopods The earliest known find can be dated in the Late Neolithic which were largely spread during the Jurassic and the (Tell ProvadiyaSolnitsata). All of the others belong to the Cretaceous periods. Normally the back part of their shell (the Middle and Late Chalcolithic (Polyanitsa IV and KGK VI so called rostrum) is found as fossil. The shape of the rostrum cultures). All of the finds come from CentralNorth and is usually cylindrical, “spindlelike” or slightly conical Northeastern Bulgaria. As it seems this is due to the close (StoyanovaVergilova,1970, 79). proximity of the prehistoric settlements to deposits rich in fossils. Such deposits have been recorded in the area of all My interest in these fossils and in the role they played in the sites in question (see StoyanovaVergilova, 1970, 6). life of the Chalcolithic people was provoked by a short note for Obviously belemnites had attracted the attention of prehistoric a collective find of 14 belemnites from the Tell of people. But did they collect them just as strange “souvenirs” or Kodzadermen 1. According to R. Popov they were artificially the fossils had some particular use? And what was it? This is sharpened and used as arrow points together with the similarly the question that I would like to discuss. shaped bone arrowheads (Popov, 1909, 535). Almost no other information about belemnites found in prehistoric sites exists in As it was already mentioned, R. Popov suggests that the the Bulgarian archaeological literature. The presence of such belemnites found at the Tell Kodzadermen were used as arrow fossils in most of the graves of the partially excavated points (Popov 1909, 535). This idea is based on the similarity necropolis at Polyanitsa (Middle Chalcolithic, Polyanitsa IV to the Chalcolithic bone arrowheads. According to the culture) has been recorded but with no particular information excavator the 14 fossils were found together with 23 bone about them (Todorova, 1982, 165). Recently a belemnite from points (Popov, 1909, 534535). Indeed, the belemnites and the Tell ProvadiyaSolnitsata was published. It is artificially bone artifacts in question have similar shape and dimensions – shaped as a small rectangular plate. The fossil was found in the first being 5065 mm long and up to 8 mm thick, the latter – the lower part of pit 4 – Late Neolithic (Аnastasova, 2008, 77). 5785 mm long and up to 6 mm thick. The lower part of the Another belemnite with similar shape was found in the belemnites had been shaped as a small plane part which to Chalcolithic layer of the tell (E. Anastasova – personal some extent resembles the tangs of the bone arrowheads (Fig. communication). It is suggested that these fossils were 1). probably used as adornments (Аnastasova, 2008, 77). Unpublished finds of belemnites come also from other However, several evidence question the idea that these Chalcolithic sites in Bulgaria: Tell Nevski (Popovo, fossils were used as real weapons. First, it is the natural Region), Tell Smyadovo ( Region), Tell Hotnitsa curved shape of some of them which is not suitable for an ( Region), the settlement OrlovecErendzhika arrow point. Second, the plane parts in their lower ends are too (Veliko Tarnovo Region), the necropolis at Sushina (Shumen short to provide firm fixing to the arrow shaft. In all bone Region). artifacts it is longer (Fig. 2).

1 Eponymous site of the Late Chalcolithic cultural complex Kodzadermen GumelnitsaKaranovo VI (KGK VI) – second half of the V mill. BC. 288 Solnitsata. Еleven (оf 16 in total) of the belemnites from Tell Nevski have been reshaped as small “semicylinders” by splitting at the middle. Their surface has been polished. They have similar dimensions – between 15 and 30 mm long (Fig. 4; Fig. 5).

Fig. 1. Belemnites from Tell Kodzadermen

Fig. 4. Belemnites from Tell Nevski

Similar to them but reshaped from both sides is the belemnite from the Tell ProvadiyaSolnitsata (Fig. 5). The idea that it was probably used as adornment (Аnastasova, 2008, 77) is questioned by the lack of holes or other ways of hanging it or stitching it to dress (perforated belemnite beads are known from the Late Paleolithic site Kostenki 17 in Russia; White, 1992, 553). Fig. 2. Bone arrowheads typical of the Chalcolithic

The only find I know which really corresponds to the bone arrowheads is a belemnite from Smyadovo (Fig. 3). However, even in this case its real use as a weapon seems problematic because of the weak physical properties of the belemnites. Such function is not completely impossible but another explanation of their shaping seems more probable (see below).

Fig. 5. Belemnites from Tell Provadiya-Solnitsata (left – after Anastasova 2008, 78 – table 1: 9) and Tell Nevski

The other 5 belemnites from Nevski are notsplitted fragments. On some of them abrading is visible. It is possible that they represent earlier phase of the manufacturing of “semi cylinders” (Fig. 6).

Fig. 3. Belemnite from Tell Smyadovo

Among the other finds known from Bulgaria there are no belemnites reshaped as arrow points. According to the researchers some of them lack visible traces of human treatment – those from Hotnitsa, OrlovetsErendzhika and Sushina. There is no information for such treatment on the fossils from the necropolis at Polyanitsa. Human intervention is attested on the finds from the Tells Nevski and Provadiya Fig. 6. Belemnites from Tell Nevski

289 Unfortunately in most of the cases there is no data about the success in hunting or battle, thus the plain parts may have context of finding of the fossils in question. However, it is worth served for fastening. On the other hand the differences in noting their presence not only in settlements but in cemeteries, modelling of other belemnites (like “semicylinders” or plates) too. Belemnites have been found in most of the graves (of 23 as well as finding such in cemeteries (both in male and female excavated altogether) from the necropolis at Polyanitsa burials) suggest that other “supernatural” properties were (Todorova, 1982, 165) and in one grave (of 11 excavated in ascribed to them, too. Hypothetically it is possible that they 2007) from the necropolis at Sushina. They were placed near were also used as drugs. the head of the deceased; one per burial (only in one grave from Polyanitsa there were two). Belemnites are present in In fact, both these differences in shaping in different both male and female burials (Boyadziev, 2006, 33, 36; Y. settlements and the different distribution in cemeteries (large Boyadziev – personal communication). This fact is a proof that scale presence in Polyanitsa and complete absence in most of the fossils were not used as arrowheads because the latter are the other cemeteries, although partially excavated) show that normally part of the male inventory. However, belemnites were belemnites maybe had different use or importance in the important part of the burial rite in Polyanitsa. There is no settlements of one culture and in one region. However, it evidence that this was due to some practical use. It seems seems that this “use” was not connected to the real properties more probable that their presence in the burials was connected of these fossils but to the “supernatural” features ascribed to to the beliefs of the Chalcolithic people and may be to their them. vision of the afterlife, in particular, since no such fossils have been found in the entirely excavated Tell Polyanitsa (Todorova, Acknowledgements . The author wish to thank S. Chohadziev, S. 1982, 165). Thus, I would like to present some beliefs Venelinova, P. Leshtakov, E. Anastasova and Y. Boyadziev for the regarding belemnites in later (historic) societies which, in my information of unpublished finds. opinion, may provide the key for interpretation of the discussed prehistoric finds. References The term belemnite derives from the Greek word βελενον – Anastasova, Е. 2008. Pit 4: artifacts of stone, bone, antler and arrow. In lots of cultures these fossils are known as “thunder flint. – In: Prehistoric Saltextracting Center Provadiya arrows” and are believed to fall from the sky during thunder Solnitsata (Excavations 20052007) (Ed. V. Nikolov). storms. Such a name is attested in Bulgaria (“gramotevichni Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia , 7679 (in streli”, also “bozhi streli” – “God’s arrows”), Russia (“gromovie Bulgarian). streli”), Britain (“thunderbolts”; “thunder arrows”), etc. In the Bassett, M. G. 1982. ‘Formed Stones’, Folklore and Fossils. tradition of the Slavic peoples they are respectively connected National Museum of Wales. Geological Series N1, Cardiff, to the cult of God Perun (Golubeva, 1997, 153). Belemnites 32 p. are considered to bring good luck and are often believed to Boyadziev, Y. 2006. Mobility of individuals and contacts have magical powers – like preventing thunder storms, healing, between communities in the 5 th millennium BC (according etc. (Bassett, 1982, 32; Slavyanskie Drevnosti, 1995, 561 to cemeteries information). – Bulletin of the Institute of 562). Their use as remedies for different diseases (of humans Archaeology, 39 , 1355 (in Bulgarian). or animals) has been attested historically and ethnographically Davletshin, G. М. 1990. Volga Bulgaria: Spiritual Culture. Pre in different regions and cultures up to the end of XIX – Mongolian Period X – Beginning of XIII Century. Kazan (in beginning of XX century (c. Oakley, 1965, 14; Slavyanskie Russian). Drevnosti, 1995, 561562; Duffin, 2008, 2328). The healing Duffin, C. J. 2008. Fossils as drugs: pharmaceutical procedure usually was powdering the fossil in water or other palaeontology. – Ferrantia , 54 , 85 p. liquid and drinking it but sometimes wearing them as amulets Golubeva, L. А. 1997. Amulets. – In: Archaeology of the was considered enough (Duffin, 2008, 28). Similar use was USSR. Ancient Rus. Мoscow, 153165 (in Russian). probably known in Volga Bulgaria where belemnites have been Oakley, K. 1965. Folklore of fossils. Part I. – Antiquity , 39 , 9 found both in settlements and cemeteries (Davletshin, 1990). 16. Popov, R. 1909. The Kodzadermen Tell. – Period. J. Bulgarian Although direct “transferring” of such analogies to so distant Liter. Soc ., 70 , 503562 (in Bulgarian). times is risky, I think it is quite possible that these beliefs have Slavyanskie Drevnosti. Ethnolinguisticheskii Slovar. Vol. 1 (Ed. their origin in prehistory. Probably then the specific shape of N. I. Tolstoi). 1995. Nauka, Moscow, 584 p. (in Russian). the belemnites had also impressed the humans and provoked StoyanovaVergilova, М. 1970. Fossils in Bulgaria. ІVа. Lower their imagination to find an explanation of their origin. And the Cretaceous. Belemnitida. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, analogy with arrowheads (“thunder”, “heaven” or “God’s”) Sofia (in Bulgarian). seems even more natural for people who really used similar Todorova, H. 1982. Kupferzeitliche Siedlungen in Nordost points for their arrows. From this point of view the finding of the Bulgarien. – Materialen zur Allgemeinen und belemnites together with bone arrowheads at the Tell Vergleichenden Archäologie , 13 , München. Kodzadermen may be explained not only by their possible (but White, R. 1992. Beyond art: toward an understanding of the not very convincing) function as weapons but more probably by origins of material representation in Europe. – Annual the symbolic meaning they had as “darts from heaven”. They Review of Anthropology , 21 , 537564. may have been used in some rituals or worn as amulets for

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