Prehistoric drilling and bead manufacturing: Experimental approach and cognitive insight

Two categories of early Neolithic objects are recognized on the Balkans as having been involved in prehistoric drilling activities: beads and other decorative and prestigious items made of bone, shell, pottery and various minerals, and toolkits of flint micro-borers. This paper discusses experiments in drilling different materials undertaken with the aim of testing several practical issues. A series of flint micro-borers were produced and used for manual and mechanical drilling (with a pump drill) of various samples (mainly prepared thin plates) of minerals and rocks, ranging in hardness (on Mohs scale) from 3 (marble, limestone, calcite) to 6.5 (amazonite, nephrite). Biominerals were also used in the experiments: aragonite (shells) and apatite (bones). The initial attempts at bead production involved the manufacture of 16 delicate beads from 5 different materials using fine sand and water abrasion. Though not conclusive, the experimental work is instructive in many of the parameters, procedures and technical details of prehistoric drilling and bead manufacturing. The experience gained has led to a more holistic interpretation of archaeological drilling toolkits, as well as a better appreciation of the particular skills and know-how of the prehistoric jewellery makers.
Author - Dr. Gurova, Maria, National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria (Presenting author)