Abstract

The project aims, starting from the technological and functional concepts set out empirically in previous archaeological studies, to hopefully validate the technological transformation schemes of the raw materials and the functions attributed to the different prehistoric artefacts made from osseous materials, through analytical and experimental studies. Osseous materials were used by the prehistoric communities to manufacture weapons, tools and artistic objects. In this category are included bone, antler, ivory, teeth and shells, each with its own special processing techniques that have to do with their mechanical properties and also with the specific cultural traditions of each community. The project will develop over five stages. During the first stage replicas of various osseous artefacts will be manufactured, following the technological transformation schemes identified by the direct study of key prehistoric archaeological assemblages on the northern bank of the Lower Danube. A second stage will be implemented by the use of these artefacts in various actions as indicated by publications or as suggested by the morphology/typology of the pieces. The third stage will take place in the laboratory where the replicas will be analysed with two microscopes (digital and metallographic) at different time intervals, in order to be able to record the evolution of use-wear on the active front of these tools. During the fourth stage, all the observations made, accompanied by supporting images, will be uploaded on a database. The fifth and final stage will allow for the observations made on experimental replicas to be compared with the archaeological specimens in order to validate the existing hypotheses on the way they were manufactured and used by the prehistoric communities.