Stone and Osseous Adornments in the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic of the Iron Gates

Monica Mărgărit,Adina Boroneanț,Clive Bonsall

doi:10.1515/opar-2020-0168

Monica Mărgărit, Adina Boroneanț + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0168

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Abstract

Abstract This paper is focused on the various kinds of personal adornments that were used during the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in the Iron Gates region (southwest Romania). We review how the adornments were used, based on an analysis of their morphology and use-wear, and attempt to identify the sequence of actions involved in their manufacture. We document the changes in ornament type and technique that occurred between 12700–5600 cal BC, highlighting the fact that some “Mesolithic” types continued to be used in the Early Neolithic alongside the introduction of new types reflecting the arrival and integration into the region of a new population with different cultural traditions.

Highlights

Salvage archaeology during the construction periods (1964–1972, 1977–1984) of two hydro dams in the Iron Gates section of the Lower Danube resulted in the identification of over a hundred prehistoric sites
Since there appears to have been no fundamental change in material culture or subsistence behaviour between the Lateglacial and Early Holocene, we prefer to treat the whole of the period from ca. 12700 to 6000 cal BC as “Mesolithic” and Special Issue: THE EARLY NEOLITHIC OF EUROPE, edited by F
We review the evidence relating to the production and use of personal adornments based mainly on finds from sites on the Romanian bank of the Danube, the changes that occurred over time, and the significance of those changes in relation to the character and timing of the Neolithic transition in the Iron Gates region

Summary

Introduction

Salvage archaeology during the construction periods (1964–1972, 1977–1984) of two hydro dams in the Iron Gates section of the Lower Danube resulted in the identification of over a hundred prehistoric sites. Archaeologists working in the Iron Gates have differed in their use of the term “Mesolithic”. Those active in the 1960s to 1980s often used the term “Epipaleolithic” to describe the pre-farming populations of the Lateglacial and Early Holocene (Boroneanț, 2000) or the Early Holocene only (Srejović, 1969). Since the 1990s, the term “Mesolithic” has gained attention, though some authors still refer to the Lateglacial as “Epipalaeolithic” and the Early Holocene as “Mesolithic” Since there appears to have been no fundamental change in material culture or subsistence behaviour between the Lateglacial and Early Holocene, we prefer to treat the whole of the period from ca. 12700 to 6000 cal BC as “Mesolithic” and Special Issue: THE EARLY NEOLITHIC OF EUROPE, edited by F.

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