ESTONIAN ACADEMY
PUBLISHERS
eesti teaduste
akadeemia kirjastus
PUBLISHED
SINCE 1997
 
Archaeology cover
Estonian Journal of Archaeology
ISSN 1736-7484 (Electronic)
ISSN 1406-2933 (Print)
Impact Factor (2022): 1.0
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN ESTONIAN MESOLITHIC SLOTTED BONE ‘DAGGER’. EXTENDED OBJECT BIOGRAPHIES FOR LEGACY OBJECTS; pp. 103–125
PDF | https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2019.2.02

Authors
Mathias Bjørnevad, Tõnno Jonuks ORCID Icon, Peter Bye-Jensen, Mikael A. Manninen, Ester Oras ORCID Icon, Signe Vahur, Felix Riede
Abstract

All too often archaeological objects are found as stray finds. As such, they have little or no contextual information, which often makes them difficult to handle analytically and in terms of their exhibition appeal. As a consequence, they often languish un-researched in museum storerooms and there is the critical risk that such objects fall victim to the ongoing curation crisis and are deaccessioned due to a perceived lack of value. Therefore, in this paper we aim to illustrate the applicability of an extended biographical approach to such legacy material by studying the changing character of the Ulbi dagger, an Early Mesolithic flint-edged bone dagger, in its both archaeological and modern contexts. By using both a combination of traditional archaeological methods, coupled with a critical analysis of past illustrations, the dagger went from an isolated, undated, and unique object to a tool with a complex life history extending more than 9000 years. Our analysis reveals multiple stages of manufacturing and ornamentation including the presence of possible anthropomorphic figures. Use-wear analysis also allows us to address the object’s likely primary function. Finally, we speculate about its deposition and discuss previously overlooked post-recovery episodes of damage and repair.

 

References


Aveling, E. M. & Heron, C. 1998. Identification of birch bark tar at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr. – Ancient Biomolecules, 2, 69–80.

Bergsvik, K. A. & David, É. 2015. Crafting bone tools in Mesolithic Norway: A regional eastern-related know-how. – European Journal of Archaeology, 18: 2, 190–221.
https://doi.org/10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000073

Bronk Ramsey, C. 2009. Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. – Radiocarbon, 51: 1, 337–360.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033865

Carpelan, C. 2008. On the history and recent studies of the ‘Antrea net find’. – Karelian Isthmus – Stone Age Studies in 1998–2003. Eds M. Lavento & K. Nordqvist. (Iskos, 16.) Finnish Antiquarian Society, Helsinki, 88–127.

Damlien, H. 2016. Eastern pioneers in westernmost territories? Current perspectives on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer large-scale interaction and migration within Northern Eurasia. – Quaternary International, 419, 5–16.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.02.023

David, É. 2005. Preliminary results on a recent technological study of the Early Mesolithic bone and antler industry of Estonia, with special emphasis on the Pulli site. – From the Hooves to Horns, from Mollusc to Mammoth: Manufacture and Use of Bone Artefacts from Prehistoric Times to the Present. Eds H. Luik, A. M. Choyke, C. E. Batey & L. Lõugas. (MT, 15.) Tallinn, 67–74.

Edgren, T. 1997. Om fågelpilen. – Till Gunborg. Arkeologiska samtal. Eds A. Åkerlund, S. Bergh, J. Nordbladh & J. Taffinder. (Stockholm Archaeological Reports, 33.) Stockholm University, Stockholm, 23–38.

Fischer, A. & Kristiansen, K. 2002. The Neolithisation of Denmark: 150 Years of Debate. JR Collis, Sheffield.

Gosden, C. & Marshall, Y. 1999. The cultural biography of objects. – World Archaeology, 31: 2, 169–178.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.1999.9980439

Gurina, N. N. 1956. = Гурина Н. Н. Оленеостровский могильник. Материалы и исследо­вания по археологии СССР, 47. Наука, Москва, Ленинград.

 

Hanlon, C. & Nilsson, B. 2004. The ever-changing Barum grave. – Fornvännen, 3, 225–230.
Hartz, S., Terberger, T. & Zhilin, M. G. 2010. New AMS-dates for the Upper Volga Mesolithic and the origin of microblade technology in Europe. – Quartär, 57, 155–169.

Indreko, R. 1931. Skulptuur ja ornament Eesti kiviaja luuriistades. – Eesti Rahva Muuseumi Aasta­raamat, VI, 1930, 47–70.

Indreko, R. 1934. Looduse ja maastiku osa Eesti muinasaegsel asustamisel. – Eesti Rahva Muuseumi Aastaraamat, IX–X, 113–124.

Indreko, R. 1939. Muinasaeg. – Viljandimaa. Maateaduslik, majanduslik ja ajalooline kirjeldus.
I. Üldosa. Eds A. Luha, H. Kruus, E. Kant & A. Tammekan.
Eesti Kirjanduse Selts, Tartu, 227–250.

Indreko, R. 1948. Die mittlere Steinzeit in Estland. Mit einer Übersicht über die Geologie des Kunda-Sees von K. Orviku. (Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademiens Handlingar, 66.) Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm.

Jaanits, L., Laul, S., Lõugas, V. & Tõnisson, E. 1982. Eesti esiajalugu. Eesti Raamat, Tallinn.

Johannsen, N. N. 2010. Technological conceptualization: Cognition on the shoulders of history. – The Cognitive Life of Things. Eds L. Malafouris & C. Renfrew. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge, 59–69.

Joy, J. 2009. Reinvigorating object biography: reproducing the drama of object lives. – World Archaeology, 41: 4, 540556.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438240903345530

Joyce, R. & Gillespie, S. D. (eds). 2015. Things in Motion: Object Itineraries in Anthropological Practice. SAR Press, Santa Fe.

Kjällquist, M., Boëthius, A. & Emilsson, A. 2014. Norje Sunnansund. Boplatslämningar från tidigmesolitikum och järnålder. Särskild arkeologisk undersökning 2011 och arkeologisk förundersökning 2011 och 2012. Ysane socken, Sölvesborgs kommun, Karlskrona. Blekinge museum rapport 2014/10. Blekinge Museum, Karlskrona.

Knutsson, H., Knutsson, K., Molin, F. & Zetterlund, P. 2016. From flint to quartz: Organization of lithic technology in relation to raw material availability during the pioneer process of Scandinavia. – Quaternary International, 424: 7, 32–57.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.10.062

Kriiska, A. & Lõhmus, M. 2004. Archaeological fieldwork on Kivisaare Stone Age burial ground and settlement site. – AVE, 2003, 31–43.

Larsson, L. 2005. Regional or interregional representation? A slotted bone dagger from Offerdal, Jämtland. – En lång historia... Festskrift till Evert Baudou på 80-årsdagen. Eds R. Engelmark,
T. B. Larsson
& L. Rathje. (Archaeology and Environment, 19, Kungliga Skytteanska Samfundets Handlingar, 57.) Umeå University, Umeå, 261–273.

Lopes, D. M. 2009. Drawing in a social science: Lithic illustration. – Perspectives on Science, 17: 1, 5–25.
https://doi.org/10.1162/posc.2009.17.1.5

Lucquin, A., March, R. J. & Cassen, S. 2007. Analysis of adhering organic residues of two ‘coupes-à-socles’ from the Neolithic funerary site ‘La Hougue Bie’ in Jersey: evidences of birch bark tar utilisation. – Journal of Archaeological Science, 34, 704–710.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.07.006

MacFarland, K. & Vokes, A. W. 2016. Dusting off the data: curating and rehabilitating archaeo­logical legacy and orphaned collections. – Advances in Archaeological Practice, 4, 161–175.
https://doi.org/10.7183/2326-3768.4.2.161

Manninen, M. A., Hertell, E., Pesonen, P. & Tallavaara, M. 2018. Postglacial pioneer colonisation of eastern Fennoscandia: modeling technological change. – The Early Settlement of Northern Europe. Volume 2: Transmission of Knowledge and Culture. Eds H. Glørstad, J. Apel, H. Knutsson & K. Knutsson. Equinox Publishing, London, 3–46.

Moser, S. 2012. Early artifact illustration and the birth of the archaeological image. – Archaeo­logical Theory Today, 2nd Edition. Ed. I. Hodder. Polity, Cambridge, 292–322.

Oras, E., Cramp, L. J., Bull, I. D. & Higham, T. F. 2017. Archaeological science and object biography: A Roman bronze lamp from Kavastu bog (Estonia). – Antiquity, 91 (355), 124–138.
https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2016.247

Oshibkina, S. V. 2006. = Oшибкина С. В. Мезолит Вoстoчнoгo Приoнежья. Культура Веретьие. Российская академия наук, Москва.

Peers, L. 1999. ‘Many tender ties’: The shifting contexts and meanings of the S BLACK bag. – World Archaeology, 31: 2, 288–302.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.1999.9980447

Persson, P. 2014. Prestemoen 1. En plats med ben från mellanmesolitikum. – Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn, Volume 1: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Eds S. A. Melvold & P. Person. Portal forlag, Kristiansand, 202–207.

Persson, P., Manninen, M. A. & Daskalaki, E. 2019. The hidden sources: combining aDNA, stone tools, and computer modeling in the study of human colonisation of Norway. Helsinki Harvest. Proceedings of the 11th Nordic Conference on the Application of Scientific Methods in Archaeology. Eds K. A. Mannermaa, M. A. Manninen, P. Pesonen & L. Seppänen. – Monographs of the Archaeological Society of Finland, 7, 11–31.

Płonka, T. 2003. The Portable Art of Mesolithic Europe. Wydawnictwo Universytetu Wrocławskiego, Wrocław.

Reimer, P. J., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J. W., Blackwell, P. G., Ramsey, C. B., Buck, C. E., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Friedrich, M. & Grootes, P. M. 2013. IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0-50,000 years cal BP. – Radiocarbon, 55: 4, 1869–1887.
https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_js_rc.55.16947

Saville, A. 2009. The illustration of Mesolithic artefacts and its contribution to the understanding of Mesolithic technology. – Mesolithic Horizons. Papers Presented at the Seventh International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, Belfast 2005. Volume 2. Eds S. McCartan, P. Woodmand, R. J. Schulting & G. Warren. Oxbow, Oxford, 745–753.

Schiffer, M. B. 2005. The devil is in the details: The cascade model of invention processes. –American Antiquity, 70: 3, 485–502.
https://doi.org/10.2307/40035310

Shott, M. J. & Trail, B. W. 2010. Exploring new approaches to lithic analysis: laser scanning and geometric morphometrics. – Lithic Technology, 35, 195–220.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2010.11721090

Skakun, N. N., Zhilin, M. G. & Terekhina, V. V. 2011. Technology of the processing of bone and antler at Ivanovskoje 7 Mesolithic site, central Russia. – Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche, 61, 39–58.

Sørensen, M. 2012. The arrival and development of pressure blade technology in southern Scandinavia. – The Emergence of Pressure Blade Making. From Origin to Modern Experimentation. Ed. P. M. Desrosiers. Springer, New York, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, 237–260.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2003-3_9

Sørensen, M., Eriksen, B. V., Glørstad, H., Kankaanpää, J., Knutsson, H., Knutsson, K., Melvold, S. & Rankama, T. 2013. The first eastern migrations of people and knowledge into Scandinavia: Evidence from studies of Mesolithic technology, 9th–8th Millennium BC. Norwegian Archaeological Review, 46: 1, 1956.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00293652.2013.770416

Sorokin, A. 2013. = Сорокин А. Стоянка и могильник Минино 2 в Подмосковье: костяной и роговой инвентарь. Российская академия наук, Москва.

Šturms, E. 1970. Die steinzeitlichen Kulturen des Baltikums. (Antiquitas, Reihe 3. Abhandlungen zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte, zur klassischen und provinzialrömischen Archäologie und zur Geschichte des Altertums, 9.) Habelt, Bonn.

Vahur, S., Kriiska, A. & Leito, I. 2011. Investigation of the adhesive residue on the flint insert and the adhesive lump found from the Pulli Early Mesolithic settlement site (Estonia) by micro-ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy. – EJA, 15: 1, 3–17.
https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2011.1.01

Voss, B. L. 2012. Curation as research. A case study in orphaned and underreported archaeological collections. – Archaeological Dialogues, 19: 2, 145–169.

Woodward, A. 2002. Beads and beakers: heirlooms and relics in the British Early Bronze Age. – Antiquity, 76 (294), 1040–1047.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00091845

Zaretskaya, N. E., Karmanov, V. N., Uspenskaya, O. N. & Zhilin, M. G. 2005. Radiocarbon dating of wetland Meso-Neolithic archaeological sites within the Upper Volga and Middle Vychegda. – Geochronometria, 24, 117–131.

Zhilin, M. G. 2017. Mesolithic bone arrowheads from Ivanovskoye 7, central Russia: Technology of the manufacture and use-wear traces. – Quaternary International, 427, 230–244.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.095

 

Back to Issue