Noelithic Economy and Macro-Lithic Tools of the Central Balkans Vesna Vuckovic
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The access to the contents of this doctoral thesis it is limited to the acceptance of the use conditions set by the following Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en Tesis doctoral Departament d’Antropologia Social i de Prehistòria Noelithic economy and macro-lithic tools of the Central Balkans Vesna Vuckovic Roberto Risch Director Manuel Luis Puig Domingo Tutor Abstract Having worked on my master thesis on the macro-lithic tools from the Neolithic sites of the central part of Serbia or so-called Middle Morava valley, we noticed that there is not enough interest in this archaeological category in the central Balkans. The short research tradition and the small number of researchers have resulted in an insufficient number of published research results. This situation limits the implementation of new methodological approaches, such as those developed in the other parts of southern and central Europe, and weakens the advance in the archaeological knowledge on prehistoric economies. In order to overcome these problems, we have examined 2174 macro-lithic tools from the 12 Neolithic settlements (~ 5900 - 4650/4600 BC cal) from the Central Balkans. Thus, we have applied economic theory as the theoretical background of the geological, morpho- technical and functional analysis of macro-lithic artefacts (chapter 2). The study presents settlements, the archaeological context in which the analysed artefacts were found, paleo-environmental and geomorphological settings of the Central Balkans. One part of the thesis displays the results of the petrographic analysis of raw material from other Neolithic archaeological sites from previous studies, and samples from geology outcrops from the Central Balkans. The same part presents the results of our geoarchaeological survey related to macro-lithic artefacts from Motel Slatina and Turska česma, Slatina. The petrographic analysis of the studied artefacts also allows us to identify the location and the distance from which raw materials derived, the exploitation method and the existence of territorial borders between supply areas. Functional analysis has revealed for the first time, an appearance of standardized macro-lithic tools. This result has defined high volume production and characterized economy of the Late Neolithic. These results allow us to observe technological changes among the Early and Late Neolithic macro-lithic societies and economic differences between settlements and regions during the Late Neolithic. i Content Abstract………………………………………………………...i Content………………………………………………………...ii Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. The Neolithic of the Central Balkans………………………………...1 1.2. Objective of PhD…………………………………………………….11 1.3. Structure of PhD...…………………………………………………..12 1.4. Acknowledgment…………………………………………………...12 Chapter 2: Economic theory and methodology...........................................16 2.1. Economic theory…………………………………………………....16 2.2. Methods............................................................................................18 2.2.1. Orientation of the macro-lithic artefact..........................................19 2.2.2. Preservation of the artefact.……………………………………....21 2.2.3. Petrology........................................................................................22 2.2.4. Classification..................................................................................23 2.2.5. Morpholog......................................................................................27 2.2.6. Metrics............................................................................................28 2.2.7. Functional analysis.........................................................................28 2.3. Experimental examination...............................................................32 2.3.1.The use of macro-lithic tools in pottery production.........................33 2.3.2 Macro-lithic artefacts: examination of mechanical properties of rocks.........................................................36 2.3.3. Percussion tools: development of percussion use traces..........................................................................................43 Chapter 3: Archaeological context and macro-lithic material........................45 3. The archaeological context...............................................................46 3.1.Northern region………………………………………………….....47 ii 3.2.Central region……………………………………………………....59 3.3.Western region.……………………………………………………..78 3.4.Southern region……………………………………………………. 93 3.5.Recover strategy………………………………………………… 105 Chapter 4: Paleoecology, Geology and Geomorphology of the Central Balkans ……………………………………………108 4.1. Paleoecology of the Central Balkans.............................................108 4.2. Geology and geomorphology of the Central Balkans..................114 4.2.1.Northern region………………………………………………….. 114 4.2.2.Central region…………………………………………………......117 4.2.3.Western region……………………………………………………118 4.2.4.Southern region………………………………………………….,.121 Chapter 5: Raw material sources in the Central Balkans and their exploitation ……………………………………………………,.124 5.1. Neolithic raw materials.…………………………………………….125 5.2. Geo-archaeological survey of the Central region.………………..150 5.3. Procurement and distribution of raw materials……………………..164 5.3.1.Northern region…………………………………………………… 165 5.3.2.Central region..……………………………………………………..173 5.3.3.Western region..……………………………………………………184 5.3.4.Southern region..…………………………………………………...194 Chapter 6: Empirical basis: Analytical methods of production traces observed on the Neolithic macro -lithic objects in the Central Balkans …………………………………………..205 6.1. Grinding equipment…………………………………………………206 6.1.1.Grinding slabs..……………………………………………………. 206 6.1.2. Handstones…..…………………………………………………….217 6.1.3. Mortars..…………………………………………………………...227 6.1.4. Grinding Technology…..………………………………………… 232 6.2.Abrasive tools………………………………………………………..234 iii 6.2.1. Abraders……………………………………………………………234 6.2.2. Abrasive slabs….…………………………………………………..245 6.3.Polished edge tools…………………………………………………...253 6.3.1.Axes……..………………………………………………………….253 6.32.Celts…………………………………………………………………....266 6.3.3.Adzes………………………………………………………………....276 6.3.4.Chisels………………………………………………………………...285 6.3.Percussion tools………………………………………………………...289 6.4.1. Percussive tools……………………………………………………....289 6.4.2. Re-used polished edge tools (RPE)…………………………………..304 6.4.3. Hammers……………………………………………………………..319 6.4.4. Pestles………………………………………………………………...325 6.4.5.Perforated tool………………………………………………………..335 6.5.1 Tools with specific purpose…………………………………………339 6.5.2 Cult objects and ornaments ..............................................................352 Chapter 7: Regional economic differences in the Central Balkans during the Neolithic….………………………………………...350 7.1. The development of macro-lithic technologies during the Early and Late Neolithic......................................................................356 7.2. The economic differences between settlements and regions during the LateNeolithic.................................................359 7.2.1.Northern region……………………………………………………......359 7.2.2.Central region………………………………………………………….363 7.2.3.Western region………………………………………………………...367 7.2.4.Regionale conomic differences………………………………………..370 Chapter 8: Conclusion…………………………………………………………….378 Bibiography………………………………………………………………..384 iv CD : Annexes 1 - 10 and data bases v 1. Introduction 1.1. The Neolithic of the Central Balkans First I would like to present a summary of the Balkan Neolithic. This period is dated from before 5900 to 4600 BC and it is divided into Early, Middle and Late Neolithic phases. An emergency of the Early Neolithic inhabitants is defined on pottery and its typological and stylistic characteristics are used for establishing periodization, relative and absolute chronology of the Neolithic in the Balkans. The relative chronology and absolute dates of the Early/Middle Neolithic (ENCB – Early Neolithic of the Central Balkans, Middle Neolithic of the Central Balkans, in table 1), presented here were established on the basis of the of the pottery material of the southeast Europe from Cluj to Thessalonica and from Tuzla to Bucharest, as proposed by Tasić, N. N. (Tasić 2009). Phase Range (cal.BC) ENCB before 5900. MNCB I until 5800. MNCB II until 5700. MNCB IlIa until 5400. MCNB IIIb after 5400. Table 1.1. Absolute and relative chronology of the Early/Middle Neolithic; after Tasić (Tasić N.N., 2009). The Early and Middle Neolithic in the studied area is presented by the Starčevo culture, which belongs to the Starčevo-Körös-Criş complex and by the Anzabegovo-Vršnik culture towards to south (fig.1.1). The rapid Neolithization is detected first in the south of the Central Balkans around 6300 BC, reaching its central part by about 6200 cal. BC, the north 6000 cal BC (Whittle et al. 2002: 93; Zdravkovski, Каnzurova 2008). 1 The Early and Middle Neolithic – Starčevo culture A significant population increase of the Starčevo culture at around 6000 cal BC has been detected immediately after introducing of the Neolithic. It was followed