Towards understanding the influence of Neolithisation for communities using the Zvejnieki cemetery, Latvia: A technological and functional analysis of the osseous artefacts discovered in the Late Mesolithic burial no 57 and Neolithic burial no 164

Osipowicz, Grzegorz; Orłowska, Justyna; Zagorska, Ilga

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2022.11.007

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In addition to the teeth and axe, other offerings were also found, including a zoomorphic staff of bone and two blades, a backed blade, and a scraper of flint 10 , 24 . Combined, the diversity, quantity and uniqueness of this grave assemblage has led to this burial being interpreted as one of the “richest” at Zvejnieki.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stone axes throw new light on Baltic stone age mortuary rites

Petrović,

Macāne,

Strautnieks

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Despite their ubiquity, Mesolithic lithic tools given as funerary offerings have rarely been studied in detail. Whereas personal ornaments (e.g. beads, pendants) are commonly interpreted as markers of social identity and status, archaeologists have struggled to understand the stone tools, commonly regarded as “utilitarian” items. As a result, this class of grave goods has not received the same level of attention, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of Mesolithic mortuary behaviours. Our research challenges long-lasting perceptions of lithic tools as strictly utilitarian objects and draws on studies of one of the most substantial stone axe funerary collections from one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe–Zvejnieki, Latvia. Evidence suggests the selection of unused axes as grave offerings, while unusual wear traces on an axe found in a female grave (no 57) raises questions about its use in the burial rites. Using a multi-proxy approach, we compare life histories of axes placed in burials to those recovered from contemporary, nearby settlement contexts. Finally, a strong correlation between axes and women and children at Zvejnieki challenges gendered stereotypes of stone tools, historically regarded as possessions of the adult male members of Stone Age societies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stone axes throw new light on Baltic stone age mortuary rites

Petrović,

Macāne,

Strautnieks

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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“…The use of deer teeth to adorn the body and decorate clothing or in connection with other artifacts is widespread (e.g., [103][104][105][106]. They have been considered to have a multifaceted meaning [103], with their reshaping being a transformation that integrates these remains (and their corresponding animals) into an artificial world of humans.…”

Section: On the Many Uses Of Deer Body Partsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human–Deer Relations during Late Prehistory: The Zooarchaeological Data from Central and Southern Portugal in Perspective

Almeida,

Guinot,

Ribeiro

et al. 2024

Animals

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Human–animal relations have been a fruitful research topic worldwide. The importance of deer in hunter–gatherer societies is undeniable, with cervids being commonly found in archaeological and past artistic records, with a notable amount of information recovered in the Iberian Peninsula. This relevance continues during Late Prehistory, but the attempt to discuss cervids under broader perspectives and based on different types of data is not as common. We intend to approach human–deer relations in Central and Southern Portuguese Late Prehistory by considering the zooarchaeological records, both deer abundance in faunal spectra and their presence in “meaningful” assemblages and structured depositions, as well as the use of deer and deer body parts in other socio–cultural and ideological practices. The synthesis of available data shows that human–deer relations changed through time and space, with different abundances related to hunting depending on chronology and geography. The use of deer or their body parts as a resource of symbolic nature also varied, being included in food-sharing events, offerings, structured depositions, and graphic representations. Changeability is part of the different relationships, ontologies, and cosmogonies that humans and deer developed in the Late Prehistoric relational world.

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