Rabbit holes of bone technology: production and the use wear of perforations on bones, shells and teeth

Abstract

Animal bones, teeth and mollusc shells were widely used for production of diverse artefacts, including ornaments. Some of the everyday tools, as well as some of the ornaments, needed to be suspended or attached to something, and usually perforations were made. Technology of making perforations through rather thick and resilient materials such as animal hard tissues without breaking them was rather demanding, and several technological procedures were used in prehistoric times. These included incising, drilling with a chipped stone artefact, drilling with bow drill, usually with sand added, while larger holes were made by larger, hollow instruments and with sand added. Sometimes, unfinished perforations served as ornament. There are also examples of naturally pierced mollusc shells that were collected and subsequently used as ornaments. Use wear on perforations may provide information on how long the item was in use, and whether it was suspended, or it was attached to something, for example, some ornaments were most likely attached to the clothes. On ornaments worn for a very long time, for example, may be noticed that after perforation was broken, another one was made. Bracelets made from mollusc shells were occasionally recycled into pendants, by adding a perforation and other modifications. In this paper will be presented major techniques for production of perforations used in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period in the Balkans, as well as some of the interesting examples of intensive use wear traces.