The Origins of Metallurgy in the Central Balkans based on the Analysis of Cut Marks on Animal Bones

Abstract

This paper presents the results of new research that makes it possible to monitor the origins and spread of metallurgy despite the absence of metal artifacts. This was accomplished by comparison of the results of experimental cut marks with cut marks on bones from prehistoric sites spanning the introduction of metal tools in the central Balkans. Experimental replication of cut marks using chipped stone tools and steel knives yielded consistent differences in morphology. This allowed the differentiation of metal from stone knife cut marks under high magnifications. Metal knives leave a very different slicing profile than stone knives. Metal knives produce a cut mark with either a sharp V- or a broad U-shaped profile, and lack any parallel ancillary striations. In contrast, stone knives leave a more irregularly shaped cut mark profile. Separated by a deep groove at the bottom, one side of the cut mark is steeply angled, while the other side has a more gradually rising slope with one or more parallel ancillary striations. Morphological differences between cut marks on animal bones made by stone and metal knives can be used to determine the rate of adoption of metal tools. In this paper, data from the central Balkans of southeast Europe are presented to demonstrate that the adoption of metallurgy was a slow and halting process. A major determinant for access to early metallurgy is status, with elites obtaining access to effective cutting metallurgy earlier than commoners.