, Daniela Kern
Archaeologia Austriaca 101/2017, pp. 45-71, 2017/12/21
Zeitschrift zur Archäologie Europas
Journal on the Archaeology of Europe
In the course of the project The Final Neolithic in the Lower Traisen Valley, 13 reproductions of Final Neolithic artefacts were produced by Wolfgang Lobisser and his team, in order to gain insights into Final Neolithic manufacturing techniques and the usage of the objects. For this, both authors macroscopically examined artefacts made of bone, antler, animal teeth and shell from 37 graves of the Corded Ware Culture and three Bell Beaker graves from the Traisen Valley in regard to manufacturing specifications and traces of usage. Tools, parts of clothes as well as two objects that are interpreted as a doll and a signaling whistle were reproduced. In the Late Neolithic crushing, splitting, grating, scraping, and grinding were the basic techniques for the processing of bone, antler, teeth, and shell material. The manufacturing of the reproductions shows that compared to flint drills, copper awls provide much better results for fine drillings in hard materials such as bone or antler. Some bone artefacts are characterised by notable glossy areas, indicating an intense usage. In some graves of men, bone artifacts such as chisels and pegs are associated with stone axes, fire stone tools, or copper blades. The combination of the equipment suggests that those buried in the graves had been skilled and experienced tradesmen.
Keywords: Experimental archaeology, bone tools, animal raw materials, Final Neolithic, Corded Ware, Bell Beaker, Lower Austria, Lower Traisen Valley.
