Enigmatic artefacts from the Chalcolithic tell Petko Karavelovo (Veliko Tarnovo district)

Abstract

The Chalcolithic Tell Petko Karavelovo reveals a cultural sequence from the Early to the Late Chalcolithic. Apart from evidence of complex building architecture, the tell has produced a rich repertoire of finds of various materials (clay, bone, antler, flint, shell, stone), as well as palaeobotanical and zooarchaeological remains and a series of new 14C dates. This report presents some of the more intriguing recently discovered finds – 3 delicately fashioned objects of bone (though antler is not excluded). These objects are exceptional, with only one known parallel at a site in northwest Bulgaria. It is hoped that publication of these enigmatic items will lead to the recognition of similar artefacts from other contexts and a better understanding of their function and significance.

Keywords

• chalcolithic
• enigmatic fashioned artefacts
• technological traces
• intense polish