Deer Teeth as a Special Type of adornments in Neolithic – Eneolithic Burial Complexes of the East European Steppe – Forest-Steppe

Abstract

The paper considers the red deer teeth and their replicas with through holes, according to the presence of which these items can be classified as adornments in burial complexes and hoards. Geographically applied sources cover the territories from the Dnieper–Dniester interfluve to the Volga region within the boundaries of the steppe and forest-steppe zones and the Caucasus. The chronological interval includes the Neolithic and the Eneolithic periods (VI–IV millennium BC). Deer teeth appeared as a "hunting" decoration detail of the burial costume in the burials of the Neolithic. During the Eneolithic these finds began to accompany buried individuals with prestigious sets of burial goods, emphasizing the special social status of their owner. The presence of deer teeth with holes and their replicas in the hoards from the agricultural area to the west of the Dnieper also indicates the special role of these findings. There is a tendency of spreading bone replicas – copies of adornments from the original deer teeth in the Eneolithic. This can be connected with the development of the producing economy, weakening of the role of hunting, shortage of raw materials, and also with the change of value orientations realized in burial practice. In the Bronze Age adornments, made of deer teeth, almost completely disappear throughout the territory under consideration.

Keywords

• archaeology
• eastern europe
• neolithic
• eneolithic
• burial ground
• burial
• hoard
• rite
• adornment
• red deer tooth
• hunting