Program > By author > Margarit Monica

This presentation proposes to draw a picture of the Sus scrofa teeth technological exploitation during the Prehistory north of the Danube. Through examining four variables: raw material procurement, blank production, object manufacture and equipment maintenance and, also, comparing the discoveries from prehistoric sites in Romania, we aim to identify the impact of such tools in the economy of prehistoric communities and whether there were variations in the number/ways of use during the Prehistory. The analyzed tools illustrates different degrees of use-wear as well as systematic re-shapening of the active front. In addition, the finished tools are predominant in relation to the sub-products of the chaîne opératoire. The fact that the blanks are quasi-absents, means that there was no stock of blanks to be processed when needed. The tooth was probably completely transformed to the finished object after extraction from the mandible. Starting from the data identified at the level of the archaeological pieces, we made replicas, which to allow us a vision over all the variables involved in these techniques of processing osseous materials. In a second stage, the pieces were used in various activities. Comparing the experimental items with the archeological ones, we were able to establish the validity of the hypotheses regarding the way of technological transformation of the teeth, as well as the use of these pieces, most likely for wood processing.

Acknowledgments: The work presented here was supported by a grant from the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CNCS-UEFISCDI (project number PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-1279 within PNCDI III) and with financial support from the Recurring Donors Fund of the Romanian Academy managed by the Patrimoniu Foundation (project no. GAR-UM-2019-II-2.1-1/15.10.2019).