Abstract
The present archaeometric study focuses on a set of archaeological siliceous lithic tools that are assigned to the early Vinča culture period (Vinča A and Vinča B1). They were found in several pit-houses at Limba-Oarda de Jos (SW Transylvania, Romania), an open settlement that has been dated to 5,405-5,310 cal. BCE, a period in the Middle Neolithic. A total of 322 retouched tools and débitage pieces were typologically and macroscopically investigated. From these, 20 pieces were analyzed by polarized light optical microscopy (OM) and 10 pieces were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in order to identify compositional characteristics, define the petrographic type, and establish the spectral fingerprint of each material.
 Four petrographic types were discriminated: radiolarite, chert, fossiliferous chert, and siliceous limestone. Mineralogically, the tools primarily consist of a mass of microquartz and fibrous microquartz (called also ‘chalcedony’) associated with radiolarians remnants (in radiolarites); fossil shell fragments (in the fossiliferous chert); and limestone components, such as ooliths and pellets (in the siliceous limestone). All samples show distinct FTIR bands, most of which are assigned to microquartz, quartz, and fibrous microquartz. The deconvolution of the FTIR spectra in the 950-1300 cm-1 domain reveals the contribution of several other phases, such as calcite and clay minerals.
 The results support the assumption that the tools made of chert, fossiliferous chert, and siliceous limestone were produced at the site from nodules that probably originated from the Upper Jurassic chert-bearing limestone that crops out nearby in the Trascău Mts. The tools made of radiolarite were most likely brought to the site as finished products from the Trascău Mts.
Highlights
In the southwestern part of the Transylvanian Basin, Romania, remnants of a Neolithic complex settlement were unearthed at Limba-Oarda de Jos
The Vinča culture was widespread in the southeastern part of Europe and occupied a territory that predominantly corresponds to modern-day Serbia, Kosovo, as well as parts of Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Northern Macedonia (FTYR), and Greece (Bogosavljević 2017; Suciu 2009)
The Upper Jurassic chertbearing limestones and the Upper Jurassic radiolarites can be envisaged as possible sources of the cherts, siliceous limestones, and radiolarites used to produce the Middle Neolithic lithic tools found at Limba-Oarda de Jos
Summary
In the southwestern part of the Transylvanian Basin, Romania (see Figure 1), remnants of a Neolithic complex settlement were unearthed at Limba-Oarda de Jos (see Figure 2). The Vinča culture was widespread in the southeastern part of Europe and occupied a territory that predominantly corresponds to modern-day Serbia, Kosovo, as well as parts of Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Northern Macedonia (FTYR), and Greece (Bogosavljević 2017; Suciu 2009). The onset of this culture can be linked with the control of both the salt sources (Nandris 1990) and obsidian trade routes (Suciu 2010). The Vinča culture is characterized by large tell settlements and specific ritual behaviour (Suciu 2009)
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