Flint processing industry of farmers and cattle-breeders of the North-Western Black Sea region during the Eneolithic

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the complex study of the flint inventory of the Eneolithic farmers and cattle-breeders of the North-Western Black Sea region. Particular attention is given to the specifics of flint working, the characteristic of a universal blank in the form of a standardized macroblade, and the functional interpretation of its implements. The techno-morphological and use-wear analyses have revealed regional specifics of the tool usage and flint working characteristic of the Kodjadermen–Gumelniţa–Karanovo VI (Bulgaria), Cucuteni (A-B)–Tripolye culture of the BII period (Ukraine, Moldova) and Sredny Stog/Novodanilovka (Ukraine) cultures.Flint macroblades, representing one of the highest achievements of the flint working industry of the Eneolithic period, were widely spread over vast territories of the North-Western Black Sea region. Their fragments, from a technical point of view, were the optimal form of blanks for various tools. The high quality of these artifacts and the fact that their production took place in specialized workshops mean they were manufactured by highly qualified masters. These facts allow us to talk about the emergence of early forms of craft in the economy. The further comprehensive study of their manufacturing technology and functions may shed light on many interesting problems, including the time of origins and the ways of spreading of this unique achievement in flint working industry and the characterization of the structure of the Eneolithic economy.