Przegląd Archeologiczny Vol. 35, 1988, pp.49-100 PL ISSN 0079-7138 BOGDAN BALCER THE NEOLITHIC FLINT INDUSTRIES IN THE VISTULA AND ODRA BASINS In this publication we present 13 flint industries connected with the Neolithic cultures which developed in the Vistula and Odra basins in the Polish lands and the neighbouring west Ukraine. By investigating these industries, including their comparative analysis, we can reconstruct the development of flint processing in the Neolithic in these lands, determine the relations between the archeological culture and the flint industry and present a number of conclusions about the prehistory of the Vistula and Odra basis in the Neolithic. The purpose of the publication is to present a Thus, the industry is one of the elements of the brief, synthetic outline of the flint industries distin- culture, no matter what rank it had in the past or guished by the author as a result of research on the what significance we assume that it has now. materials of the Neolithic "ceramic" cultures in the In the course of the research it appeared that the Vistula and Odra basins. Even quite recently, in "ceramic" cultures did not coincide with the flint investigations on the Neolithic, ceramics played the industries (Balcer 1983). Therefore, the basic, general major role, while the flint materials were treated only cultural systematization of the Neolithic in the Vistu- in passing. In Poland this was subject to change, la and Odra basins is different from that of the particularly beginning with the 1970s, as a result of industries as determined only on the basis of the flint the development of specialist research on the flint materials. Accordingly, it is useful to present separa- industry in particular Neolithic cultures. Its results tely the industrial systematization irrespective of the were summed up in a paper which attempted to systematization of the "ceramic" cultures, but, because present the flint processing throughout the Neolithic of the superiority of the archaeological culture over in the Polish lands (Balcer 1983). In it, the author the flint industry, it is moreover necessary to connect distinguished the flint industries connected with the the names of the industries with those of the "cera- ceramic cultures. On the other hand, he considered mic" cultures connected with them. the Neolithic flint processing there in chronological The industrial systematization given in this paper order, with the framework of the now accepted units is slightly different from that presented a few years of the cultural classification of the Neolithic in the ago (Balcer 1983). As a result of comparative re- Polish lands (Prahistoria 1979), where the criteria and search, we have introduced some partial modifica- names are mainly based on ceramics. In addition, the tion, linking some industries which previously were main assumption was the conviction of the superiori- considered separate (Balcer 1986b). ty of the notion and range of the archaeological Because of the nonuniform degree of knowledge culture over the flint industry. The archaeological and research on the flint materials from particular culture is, at least theoretically, distinguished on the Neolithic cultures, the results of their classification basis of the whole of the relics of many fields of man's given here should be treated as a preliminary working activity, whereas we make the flint industry distinct proposal in this field. on the basis of one of them only — flint processing. I. FLINT INDUSTRY AS A TAXONOMIC UNIT IN THE NEOLITHIC RESEARCH 1. GENERAL IDEA OF THE INDUSTRY In the Neolithic research, the industry means two taxonomic unit in the systematization of archaeologi- things: 1) the field of hand-made work - one of the cal materials. In the archaeological literature on the manufacturing industries — flint processing; 2) a Polish Neolithic, most researchers discuss the former 7 - Przegląd Archeologiczny t. 35 50 BOGDAN BALCER meaning of it. The present author understands the however, of most significance in the industrial classifi- industry to be a taxonomic unit which is distinguish- cation. What is significant in this range are the ed on the basis of a group of flint finds subject to morphological features of cores and blanks, blade multi-aspect classification (Balcer 1975, 25 ff.). They cores and blades in particular, semi-finished core are first subject to raw material and typological tools and all varieties of tools. Among the artifacts classifications. As a result of these, we can determine which are the typological elements of the industries, the raw material structures, typology, the stylistics of among tools in particular, we can distinguish the the artifacts and the numerical structures of whole leading forms, the most characteristic ones, and sets and groups of tools. The data in this range are reshaped ones which occur in a large number of the features and elements of the higher-order taxono- industries or are infrequent in assemblages. mic units, namely the flint industries. From the particular stylistic features, we can From studies on the Neolithic materials, we distinguish the same kinds of artifacts of the different recognize as the main features distinguishing the flint industries. They include: 1 — general dimensions, industries in the Neolithic: 1 — morphological, proportions , linear and angular values of the artifacts metric and stylistic features of artifacts (typology); 2 (measurable features); 2 — the characteristic general — the raw material structure of the assemblages; 3 — forms of pre-cores and cores; 3 — the various the numerical structure of tool groups — in terms of morphological details and kinds of retouch of so- percentage and also a numerical hierarchy of particu- called "small" tools from flakes and blades; 4 — the lar kinds of tools in their groups. general shape and particular morphological features An important feature is the determination of raw of some elements (working edges, backs) and the materials used to a varying degree is some industries technique of polishing the core tools. in contrast to others. They typology of artifacts is, 2. STYLISTIC-METRIC STAGES OF THE NEOLITHIC FLINT INDUSTRIES The fundamental stylistic feature, noticeable in most frequently, however, about 4-8 cm long. observing large groups of artifacts of particular in- Macrolithic — large and very large dimensions of dustries, are their general dimensions. There are artifacts, more than 10 cm long, in practice, in the distinct differences between e.g. the artifacts of the Neolithic in the Vistula and Odra basins, up to 30 cm Mesolithic Chojnice-Pieńki culture, Cracow Industry long. We define as the moderate macrolithic the stage and the Lesser Poland Industry. We can speak of the where the artifacts are as much as about 12-15 cm general stylistic-metrical stages of the flint industries. long, while the maximum macrolithic involves objects They are determined by the size of precores, cores, more than 15 cm long. blanks, semi-finished pieces and tools in the original Most frequently, the Neolithic industries were not forms, since the reshaped froms are most frequently stylistically uniform. This was caused by the need for much smaller. the diverse function of the variable sized tools. Two undefined notions: microlithic and macroli- Therefore, apart from mediolithic ones, microlithic thic, have universally been used. In the Neolithic and macrolithic elements may have occurred. The research, they are not sufficient, therefore we introdu- macrolithic represented the technical possibilities and ce here the notion of the intermediate stage of the achievements, but apart from large ones, small and mediolithic. Below we define these three terms. tiny tools would be used. Most generally, we can, Microlithic — very small dimensions of artifacts, however, quite readily define the dominating style up to 3 cm long. from most core forms, blanks and semi-finished core Mediolithic — small dimensions, 3 to 10 cm long, tools. 3. COGNITIVE POSSIBILITIES OF THE NEOLITHIC INDUSTRIES The raw material, stylistic and typological tenden- industry reflected the means, course and purposes of cies, observable even in small assemblages of artifacts, the flint production at the specific stages of the determine the industries to a larger extent than the development of this field in connection with the so-called "statistical features" meaning the data from stages of the economic development. the range of the numerical structure, groups of tools The all-sided characterization of the industries is in particular. These structures are frequently unsta- made possible by sites where flint was processed and ble, because of the small size of the sets or the at the same time tools were used. They mainly include functional diversification of the Neolithic sites. The settlements situated close to the flint deposits where NEOLITHIC FLINT INDUSTRIES IN THE VISTULA AND ODRA BASINS 51 nothing hindered the flint processing. They can func- however, represent the same means and purposes of tion as the leading sites. the flint production — the very same industry. At other sites, the industry can only be represen- At times, it is necessary to reconstruct the indus- ted by some elements. They are fragments of artifact try on the basis of a small set of flint artifacts. This is groups specific of them. At the mines, they are relics particularly the case of the „grave" cultures — mainly of the earliest production stages, most often in represented by finds at graves (e.g. CWC in contrast