Processing Unio Sp. Valve for Adornments at the Gumelnița Communities (Mill. V BC): Archaeological and Experimental Data
Processing Unio Sp. Valve for Adornments at the Gumelnița Communities (Mill. V BC): Archaeological and Experimental Data

Summary/Abstract: Valves of the Unio sp. processed to be made into personal adornments are discovered from several settlements of the Gumelnița culture (the second half of the fifth millennium B.C.). These assemblages include pieces in different phases of transformation, from irregular splinters to finished pieces in the shape of circular beads used as personal adornments. In this study, the raw material was interpreted as local, obtained as a by-product of the gathering process. Among the food waste products from the few settlements, the Unio sp. valves are well-represented quantitatively, their nutritional contribution being quite substantial. In order to identify the costs invested in the manufacturing of items of this type, both in terms of time and effort, we have developed an experimental program allowing us to record all the variables (raw material acquisition, technological stages, time recorded for each operation, tools used, evolution of the wear following the usage, etc.). Finally, the items were put together in a bracelet, tracking the evolution of the surface wear and of the perforation, which would allow us an evaluation of the use of archaeological pieces.

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