Bone Carving of the Kamianka Sich

The manufacture of different bone items as well as treatment of bone and horn used to be among the oldest types of crafts. For centuries, people have used bone because of its prevalence and easy processing. In the 16th—18th centuries, bone continued to be used as one of the materials, but it did not receive wide distribution among Cossack crafts. Though the well-known bone powder flasks decorated with complex and intricate carvings were in usage among Cossacks, the article deals with simpler and more common in everyday life things — such as knife handle bone plates, borers, a spindle whorl, and etc. Today we have the opportunity to explore this specific type of craft on the example of archaeological finds from one of the Zaporizhzhia Siches — the Kamianka Sich. Mass osteological material in many cases contains traces of deliberate processing or attempts to give the bone a certain shape, to obtain a product from bone or horn. Analyzing the finds of several archaeological seasons, one can deduce some common features of bone items, get an idea of spreading of this craft and its significance, and discover the everyday life of the Cossacks at the beginning of the 18th century. The article examines bone finds made from the beginning of the 1970-ies, and also contains their general characteristic and common features. A special attention is focused on bone products; the "portion" types of bones and the production waste left during manufacture of the bone items is briefly described. One of the main purpose of this article is to introduce into a scientific circulation a number of objects made of bone, on the same territory in a fairly short period of existence of the Kamianka Sich (1709—1711 and 1728—1734). Nowadays, unfortunately, we cannot derive a comparative analysis of the finds of bone production from other Siches or Cossack handicraft objects, but we can get an idea of the development of this type of craft using as examples the finds from the Kamianka Sich. Further archaeological research may reveal the presence of the bone carving workshop on this territory.

SEYITOMER MOUND MİDDLE BRONZE AGE LİNE DECORATİON SPİNDLE WHORLS

Since prehistoric times, human beings have decorated their daily items such as tools, utensils, pots and fugitives by applying ornaments with various techniques. These decorations are not only haphazardly but also systematically and as works of art. Seyitömer Mound is located 30 km northwest of Kütahya Province in the north of Afyon-Altıntaş-road in Seyitömer Town of Kütahya. Nine years of uninterrupted excavations were carried out by the Kütahya Dumlupınar University Archeology Department in Seyitömer Mound. During the excavations carried out in Seyitömer Mound , spindle whorls dating back to the Middle Bronze Age and used in rope spinning are quite common. Decorations in various compositions were applied on these finds using the scraping technique. These decorations are divided into groups as Mixed Composition, Bow, Line, Angle, Zigzag and Star, Point, Nail, Ring, Wave, Radial Decoration. In this study, in Seyitömer Mound spindle whorl finds BC. twenty one spindle whorls belonging to the 2nd millennium and decorated (marked) with "arc-shaped" decoration were studied. In this spindle whorls group, many compositions have been created from arc-shaped lines. These compositions were mostly made in groups of nested double-triple-quadruple arcs, four-five. In the study, drawings of Seyitömer Mound bow-shaped spindle whorls, their location, dimensions and descriptions were added as a catalog. In addition, its contemporaries and similar peripheral centers are specified with a compared bibliography. The aim of the study is to include this group of finds, which is important for archaeological research, into the literature.

The Loom Weight, the Spindle Whorl, and the Sword Beater – Evidence of Textile Activity in the Early Neolithic?

After the development of an experimental protocol concerning an enigmatic tool rarely recognized archaeologically and potentially used as a sword beater, that is, blades in bone or wood, we were able to establish certain diagnostic criteria. These tools recur in sites in the south of France and Italy, for example, dated to 3023 BC. If our experimental reference work is extended, we may be able to determine which fibers were used for textile production during the Neolithic. This could reveal a virtually unknown field in the prehistoric economy and shed light upon the procurement and the use of plant and animal resources developed by populations living in a period when domestication was just beginning.

RESEARCH OF THE CHORNOLISKA CULTURE KURGANS IN THE DNISTER REGION

Two barrows of the late stage of Chornoliska culture were explored near Bernashivka of Mohyliv-Podilskyi district of Vinnytsia region. Mound of kurgan 1 consisted of stones of the various sizes and was rifled. The largest of stones are on a peripheral position and actually restricted the mound on all sides, although the large plates were in the center where they compose something like platform. Some stones were on a periphery. Evidently the mound had a rounded shape. Under the stone mound two graves have been discovered. The primary grave was located in the southern part of the mound in a pit of 1 m deep covered with stone slabs. Dimensions of the pit are 1.9 Ч 1.5 m. According to some observations the pit was covered with tree and stones. The floor was paved with slabs which almost have not survived. The skeleton of adult man lied in a crouched position on his right side, near the body the iron knife with remains of wooden handle was found. A very interesting feature of the grave is the entrance from the north side looks like the round pit with a diameter of 1.25 m, deepened to the bottom of the grave. The second grave was inserted into the mound at the level of the ancient surface. In this grave the skeleton of an adult man with an additional skull was in this grave. The ceramic goblet, the piece of iron pin, two clay spindle whorls, a bowl and fragments of other vessels have been discovered near it. In the center of kurgan 2 the stone grave 1.95 Ч 1.2 m in size and 0.8 m deep from the level of ancient horizon was found. The skeletons of two adults man and woman lied on their right side in a crouched position. Two iron knives, iron fibula, a pin, clay spindle whorl, fragments of vessels were found. Another collective burial was discovered northwest outside the kurgan. Kurgans are dated to the late phase of Chornoliska сulture cf. 9th—8th centuries BC.

Beyond Textiles: Alternative Uses of Twisted Fibres and Evidence from Akrotiri, Thera

Fibre crafts are among the oldest technological practices of mankind. Although commonly associated with textile manufacture, twisted fibres in the form of threads have always had a wider range of use in everyday life. Strings and ropes constitute a humble but essential category of fibre products deriving from the same technology and organic matter as threads. Due to their organic nature, however, they are rarely preserved in the archaeological record, unless special environmental conditions occur. This paper explores the research potential of the imprints of threads and strings in a study focusing on the alternative uses of fibre-spun artefacts. The focus is on the Bronze Age Aegean imprints of threads and strings preserved on objects made of clay and on wall paintings recovered at Akrotiri on Thera. The technical properties of the original threads and strings are evaluated through observation of their imprints, and the fibre technology used for their production is assessed. The methodologies of spindle whorl metrology and experimental spinning are also integrated in the discussion. Ultimately, the use of threads and strings for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to textile production, is discussed.

Wool Textiles from the Roman Period at the Site of Grudna, Poland

In October 2012, the Conservation Laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology at the NCU in Toruń received soil samples excavated from a kurgan in Grudna, Złotów commune, dated to the Roman period. No human remains were reported inside the grave chamber apart from some elements of grave goods: a glass bead, a clay spindle whorl, three iron nails, fragments of a bone pin, bronze and iron chest fittings, and a bronze vessel with a stamp of Pubius Cipius Polybius, who was active around the first half of the 1st century AD. In result of a cleaning treatment removing all soil impurities, tiny textile fragments were obtained, which were, interestingly, made of woollen fibres in sprang technique, while some of them imitated gauze (known in later periods) but were manufactured in a plain 1/1 weave. Technological analysis of the fibres revealed their high quality with average fibre thickness ranging from 8 to 18 μm. Insufficient material base for these textiles in Poland does not give a convincing answer to a basic question of whether it was an import or local production. Studies on the subject performed by European researchers, most notably J. Maik, indicate local or North European production. Hopefully, more light will be shed on this problem by further comparative studies.