AUTHOR: Corneliu BELDIMAN, Costel ILIE, Diana-Maria SZTANCS
OSSEOUS MATERIALS ARTEFACTS DISCOVERED IN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE NEGRILEŞTI-“CURTEA ŞCOLII”,
GALAŢI COUNTY
Danubius, XXXI- Supliment, Galati, 2013, pp. 79-106.
Abstract
The article presents the data issued from the analysis regarding a collection comprising 13 artefacts made of osseous materials (bone, red deer antler). These belong to the Starčevo-Criş (9) and Noua (7) cultures. The artefacts were recovered during the 2012 excavation campaign in Negrileşti comm., Galaţi County – Curtea Şcolii (Schoolyard) site (NGS).
The typological distribution of the assemblage was presented according to Beldiman 2007 Typology: I. Tools and V. Varia – Wastes raw materials. To these categories, the one of bone skates should be added. This type of pieces has not been included in the above mentioned typology.
The quantitative distribution of the typological groups and types across cultures is the following: pieces dated from Starčevo-Criş culture are exclusively tools (I A – Awls, N = 6; I F – Bone spoons, N = 3); pieces dated from Noua culture: two tools (I A – Awl; I B – Polishing Tools), three bone skates and two technical pieces (V A2 – Raw materials; V A3 – Waste).
With respect to raw materials used, the Starčevo-Criş assemblage comprises pieces made from sheep and cattle long bones (N = 9). The Noua assemblage comprises 7 pieces made from cattle and horse long bones, red deer antler and a flat bone of cattle.
The analysis of the artefacts discovered during 2012 archaeological campaign used a series of optical means of study (optic microscope, zoom x10 – x40; digital microscope, zoom x25 – x400); complete sets of photos (microscopic, inclusive) at various scales were taken.
All the pieces parameters were taken and allowed the initiation of a database containing osseous materials industry from NGS. Our approach facilitated the highlight of some characteristic elements of the technological environment in which the artefacts were used (and probably, done too). In this respect, the pieces NGS/I 1-9 from hut no. 2 (L2) inventory are very important (Starčevo-Criş culture). As technical procedures identified while analyzing the Early Neolithic artefacts, we may mention: débitage using direct percussion/splitting probably with the help of a lithic axe or a lithic blade; the axial grooving and the abrasion were probably also applied.
The shaping techniques were: multidirectional abrasion (axial, oblique, transversal), perforation, grooving and rotation. Due to the local procurement of the raw materials, all the pieces were produced in site, probably during some household activities. The observations mentioned above prove the practice of some household activities like: osseous materials and hides manufacture; clothes manufacture; use of the vegetal and animal fibers for knitting; preparing flour and eating food with bone spoons etc. The sites of NGS and the one of Trestiana – “Stroe Beloescu” (Vaslui County) are very important for Moldova in terms of osseous materials artefacts discovered there. Other similar pieces were discovered at Munteni, Galati County.
Pieces dated from Noua Culture are done by applying routine procedures as: fracturing, splitting, notching, transversal cutting, perforation by rotation. Bone skates, pieces very frequently found in sites dated from Noua culture, allowed us to make some detailed microscopic observations regarding the manufacture and the use-wear traces of the osseous materials artefacts. The hypothesis regarding the practice of routine household activities like osseous materials manufacture (bone and red deer antler), hides manufacture in site as well as the use of bone skates for ice-skating can be formulated.
The typological analysis of osseous materials artefacts discovered at Negrileşti – „Curtea Şcolii” allowed us to: mention some benchmarks regarding the typology of osseous materials artefacts dated from Starčevo-Criş and Noua cultures from Southern Moldova; identify for the first time some household activities practiced in the site illustrated through specific artefacts related to osseous materials industry (case of red deer antler pieces), hides/vegetal and animal fibers manufacture etc.; use of bone spoons, specific for Starčevo-Criş culture. This is the first analysis of all the artefacts recovered from the inventory of a Starčevo-Criş hut that was entirely excavated.
The studied assemblage offers new typological, palaeo-technological and chrono-cultural markers important for a complex and extensive approach of Neolithic and Bronze Age manifestations from Southern part of Moldova.
ARTEFACTE DIN MATERII DURE ANIMALE DESCOPERITE ÎN SITUL DE LA NEGRILEŞTI, “CURTEA ŞCOLII”, JUD. GALAŢI
Rezumat
Cercetările arheologice desfăşurate în campania 2012 în situl multistratificat de la Negrileşti, punctul „Curtea Şcolii”, jud. Galaţi de către un colectiv condus de prof. Costel Ilie (Muzeul de Istorie „Paul Păltănea” Galaţi) şi dr. Mircea Nicu (Muzeul Mixt Tecuci) au prilejuit şi recuperarea unui lot de artefacte aparţinând industriei materiilor dure animale (IMDA), atribuit culturilor Starčevo-Criş şi Noua.
Lotul studiat cuprinde 16 piese (N total = 16), dintre care 9 aparţin culturii Starčevo-Criş, faza IIIB şi 7 culturii Noua. Piesele se păstrează în colecţiile Muzeului Mixt Tecuci şi ale Muzeului de Istorie Galaţi
Categoriile tipologice reprezentate sunt, în conformitate cu lista tipologică Beldiman 2007: I Unelte; V Diverse – Deşeuri; Materii prime. Se adaugă patinele de os, neincluse încă în lista tipologică menţionată.
Repartiţia cantitativă a grupelor tipologice şi a tipurilor pe culturi se prezintă astfel: în cazul culturii Starčevo-Criş constatăm prezenţa exclusivă a uneltelor (I A = Vârfuri, N = 6; IF = Linguri-spatule, N = 3); pentru cultura Noua avem 2 unelte (I A = Vârf; I B = Netezitor), 3 patine şi 2 piese tehnice (V A2 = Materie primă; V A3 = Deşeu).
Ca materii prime, efectivul aparţinând culturii Starčevo-Criş este compus din piesele realizate din oase lungi de ovicaprine şi bovine (N = 9), iar cel aparţinând culturii Noua din piese confecţionate din oase lungi de bovine şi cal, os plat de bovine şi corn de cerb.
Foarte importante sunt piesele NGS/I 1-9 din inventarul L2 (cultura Starčevo-Criş), cercetată integral.
Ca procedee tehnice atestate prin analiza artefactelor neolitice timpurii se pot menţiona: debitajul prin aplicarea percuţiei directe/despicării probabil cu ajutorul toporului litic sau al unei lame litice, probabil şănţuire axială sau abraziune în suprafaţă; fasonarea prin recurgerea la abraziunea multidirecţională (axială, oblică, transversală); aplicarea procedeului perforării prin şănţuire şi rotaţie.
Toate piesele se obţineau intra-sit, probabil în mediul domestic, prin procesarea materiilor prime procurate local. Situaţiile şi observaţiile menţionate mai sus dovedesc, o dată în plus, derularea în sit, în etapa de locuire Starčevo-Criş, a activităţilor domestice rutiniere de prelucrare a materiilor dure animale, a pieilor, confecţionarea veşmintelor, utilizarea fibrelor vegetale şi animale (împletit), prepararea făinii sau consumul alimentelor cu ajutorul lingurii-spatule de os etc.
Piesele aparţinând culturii Noua sunt realizate prin procedee rutiniere, precum fracturarea, despicarea, crestarea, tăierea transversală, perforarea prin rotaţie. Patinele de os, piese foarte frecvente în cadrul culturii Noua, au prilejuit observaţii microscopice detaliate asupra modului de fabricare şi a urmelor de utilizare.
Lotul studiat furnizează noi repere tipologice, paleotehnologice şi cultural-cronologice importante pentru abordarea complexă şi extensivă a manifestărilor civilizaţiei şi culturii comunităţilor neolitice şi ale epocii bronzului din spaţiul Moldovei meridionale, ale căror artefacte au putut fi, cu acest prilej, analizate în mod sistematic.