Proces sečenja kultivisanih žitarica u poznom neolitu Srbije - eksperimentalna istraživanja
The Process of Harvesting of Cultivated Cereals in the Late Neolithic of Serbia – Experimental Research

Summary/Abstract: The recent investigations at the late Neolithic settlement at VinčaBelo Brdo (1998–2007) in Serbia provided an opportunity for a detailed study of the special disposition of artefacts, and work operations from the latest phase of the Vinča community. We conducted series of experiments as a complementary segment to the standard package of technological-typological and petro-archaeological analyses of chipped stone artefacts recovered from the latest archaeological campaigns. We present the stages and the results of the experiments related to two aspects of our research: 1) production of two replicas of the prehistoric composite sickles and microscopic analysis of use-wear left after harvesting of cereals; 2) experimental cultivation and harvesting of ancient cereal species/varieties using replicas of prehistoric sickles. Images of blades were taken after each recorded work cycle, used to study traces and use-wear observed on archaeological specimens. The sickle replicas proved to be effective and durable tools that could be used for more than one season of harvesting. The quantifiable data of all stages of growing and harvesting of cereals with prehistoric tool replicas, provide important new information about activities involving mobilization of a larger number of people, essential for a better understanding of the activities and organization of prehistoric communities.

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