Aspects of technology and craft production in the Late Neolithic : the case study of the settlement at Vinča – Belo Brdo

Abstract

Technological changes that occurred during the Neolithic period had the most lasting and the most far-reaching consequences upon human societies. They brought changes in subsistence and economy, and along with them new tasks, new activities, new needs, and, eventually, they led to occupational specialisation and modern organisation of societies. The site of Vinča–Belo Brdo is one of the most extraordinary sites of the Vinča culture. It is among the largest Vinča culture settlements and the one with the longest occupation, which left an impressive 9m-thick cultural layer. Furthermore, the material culture recovered here stands out from the majority of other Vinča settlements by its quantity, quality and diversity. This suggests that the settlement at Vinča had a special place within the economic organisation of the Vinča culture and there is even some evidence that this was a centre of sorts for craft production and trade. In this paper, we will examine some of the aspects of technology and craft production at the Vinča settlement, with special focus on technologies for lithic and osseous raw materials, as well as indirect evidence on perishable technologies.