Papers by Barbara Cvitkušić
Archaeological finds of personal ornaments reveal not only behavioural patterns of the society th... more Archaeological finds of personal ornaments reveal not only behavioural patterns of the society they belong to, but also their forms of manifestations indicate connections, contacts and communication paths, exchange networks and movements of prehistoric populations. This paper advances the current knowledge regarding ornamental traditions in Eastern Adriatic area during Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. Thirteen prehistoric sites from this area have yielded more than thousand finds of ornamental assemblage, making Eastern Adriatic coast and hinterland fruitful area for the research of this type of archaeological assemblage. Results of the analysis have shown existence of diachronic changes in the selection of raw materials from Upper Palaeolithic to Mesolithic period. Personal ornaments are less abundant during Upper Palaeolithic, but are typologically diverse compared to Mesolithic period when the selectivity of the raw material with the large increase of the number of finds is present.
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The recently discovered Vlakno Cave, situated in the central part of the island of Dugi Otok (Cro... more The recently discovered Vlakno Cave, situated in the central part of the island of Dugi Otok (Croatia), is one of the most prominent Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites along the eastern part of the Adriatic coast. Its uninterupted stratigraphy offers a rare opportunity to study the response of Pleistocene populations to a post-glacial environment. The artifact assemblage shows a gradual transition toward a typical Mesolithic assemblage, but with strongly pronounced Epigravettian traditions. Subtle changes within mostly uniform material culture are best seen in the ornamental assemblage, but similar patterns can be observed in subsistence strategies and lithic production. The Epigravettian deposits are dominated with the remains of red deer. Changes can be observed with the beginning of the Holocene, when marked diversification of mammalian taxa is accompanied with an increasing number of fish and molluscs remains.
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In the attempt to understand culture and social behavior of prehistoric populations, findings of p... more In the attempt to understand culture and social behavior of prehistoric populations, findings of personal ornaments are of particular interest. Personal ornaments in their formal expressions (marine shells and snails, river snails, animal teeth, modifi ed animal bones etc.) not only point to an universal idea of decoration and aesthetic sensibility, but may also reveal contact zones and communication paths. Perforated animal teeth, mostly deer canines, reveal us not only symbolic, but also some important sociocultural aspects of behavior of prehistoric populations. In order to test whether there are universals in display modes and materials used in this region, we will use the fi nds of personal ornaments from the Upper Paleolithic strata from five Istrian sites: Ljubićeva cave, Pupićina cave, Romualdova cave, Šandalja II, and Vešanska cave.
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Papers by Barbara Cvitkušić