Fishing and hunting gear from osseous raw materials in the Early Neolithic from Serbia

Abstract

The methods of fishing and hunting in prehistory are a complex subject that needs to be analysed from different perspectives. Comprehensive analysis may enable reconstruction not only of subsistence and economy, but also of technology, social organization and cultural attitude towards the environment. Such studies must include various perspectives and also combine diverse data available from the archaeological record. The identification of fishing and hunting gear is not always easy or straightforward; some artefacts may have had another function, some parts may have been made from perishable materials. Among the Neolithic communities in South-East Europe, hunting and fishing preserved a certain role in the economy after the introduction of domesticated plants and animals. However, findings of hunting and fishing gear are not particularly rich, thus raising questions on the raw materials used and adequate identification of these items. In this paper, an overview will be offered of osseous artefacts identified as hunting and fishing gear recovered from Starčevo culture sites in Serbia; their techno-typological traits will be discussed, as well as their general place within the osseous industry and in the wider context of these communities.