Jewellery from osseous and lithic raw materials in the Vinča culture

Abstract

The Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic Vinča culture is known for its rich and elaborate material culture, including numerous objects that had decorations and/or had decorative purposes. Personal ornaments were made from diverse materials, and in this paper we shall focus on ornaments from osseous and lithic raw materials. Raw materials were both locally obtained (bone, antler, teeth and some types of lithic materials) and those obtained through exchange (such as marine shells). Some of the morphological types were made from both material types, and in fact imitate one another, for example the beads and pendants made from whitish mollusc shells and whitish stones. Both lithic and osseous ornaments often indicate important labour and skill investment, and were used for a long time. Unfortunately, the majority of finds come from settlements and therefore include mainly discarded or lost items. However, the necropolises from the sites of Botoš–Živanića Dolja and Gomolava provided some information about the mode of use and especially about the importance of personal ornaments for the members of the Vinča culture communities.