LATE BRONZE AGE BONE CRAFTING IN THE EASTERN BALTIC: STANDARDIZATION OF ARTEFACT TYPES AND INDIVIDUAL INGENUITY
LATE BRONZE AGE BONE CRAFTING IN THE EASTERN BALTIC: STANDARDIZATION OF ARTEFACT TYPES AND INDIVIDUAL INGENUITY

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to discuss some exceptional finds among Late Bronze Age bone and antler artefacts in the eastern Baltic. A certain standardization of selected material and shape is characteristic of many bone tool types of discussed period. Some foreign bronze artefacts have been replicated in more easily available local materials – bone and antler. But sometimes an ancient craftsman tried to make some local standardized artefact from some other available substance. Spearheads made from goat/sheep tibiae constitute a very standardized tool type in eastern Lithuania. From Narkūnai a spearhead was found copying the shape of these spearheads, but made from elk antler. Scapular tools with a notched edge are known from Estonian fortified settlements; only one notched-edged tool from Iru has been carved from a rib. The bone pins with round head are characteristic pin type in Ķivutkalns, Latvia. Almost all such pins were made from long bones diaphysis but for one pin with similar shape a rib has been chosen. Why did the maker of bone artefact not use the traditional material in some cases? Perhaps the required bone was not available, or unskilled bone-carver picked the other material which was easier to carve. Although such examples are quite few they still attest the ingenuity of individuals who made them.

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