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Prehistoric Expressions of Symbolic Behaviour in Vlakno cave, Croatia

During the last three decades a number of different aspects of prehistoric symbolic behaviour have been studied intensively. Various types of finds that indicates hunter- gatherers symbolic behaviour were found at many Croatian Palaeolithic and/or Mesolithic sites. From four main types of prehistoric art that can be recognized (rock art, small carved zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figurines, decorated tools, and ornaments), three of them are invariably portable, which can be easily connected with the hunter-gatherers way of life marked by high mobility. Small size and weight is the main characteristic of these three categories of portable prehistoric art, and far most abundant are personal ornaments which are also the most widespread category. Findings of personal ornaments are of particular importance for understanding the culture and social behaviour of prehistoric populations. As non- verbal means of social communication they are used in almost every contemporary human society. Available anthropological record demonstrates that many different meanings are embedded in their visual appearance, such as marital or social status, markers of age and gender, signs of power, wealth, personal or group identity, etc. (Stiner 2014, 53). Changes in body adornment or variations in the selection of materials for the production enable us to perceive certain changes in lifestyle, or survival strategies, belief systems and cosmology, as well as the identification of ideas, styles and specific understanding of creation and expression of regional and local identity. Production of decorative items could begin as early as the time of the Neanderthals, with a large increase in their number with the appearance of anatomically modern humans (Zilhão et al. 2009 ; Álvarez-Fernández 2007, 15). Personal ornaments in their formal expressions, such as marine gastropods and bivalves, freshwater gastropods, modified animal bones and teeth, not only point to the universal idea of decoration and aesthetic sensibility, but also reveal mutual contacts and communication paths of the prehistoric populations. Although beaded compositions can carry a great deal more information than the small units of which they are made, the Upper Palaeolithic bead compositions are rarely preserved. Well known exceptions are found in burial contexts such as from the Eastern Gravettian Palaeolithic culture of Sungir or in the Barma Grande cave (Grimaldi caves of north- western Italy). At most Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites, however, personal ornaments are found scattered among other waste. The reason is probably their small size, as well as fact that these artefacts cycled through people’s hands on daily basis via manufacture and maintenance. One of the richest sites on the Eastern Adriatic coast with the finds of personal ornaments is Vlakno cave on the island of Dugi otok, Croatia. Small inner cave space served as an ideal place for stay of small communities of hunter-gatherers during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Excavations in the cave started in 2004 (Brusić 2005), and so far depth of 5 m has been reached with continuous cultural layers which can be traced back to 19, 500 cal. BP. The richness of layers without visible hiatus in stratigraphy, with tephra as clear chronological and stratigraphic marker makes Vlakno an ideal place for the study of transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene and of reactions of the Epigravettian communities on the eastern Adriatic coast to great changes in climate and environment. So far, almost 500 specimens of body ornaments have been found, along with numerous unperforated marine gastropods species. According to the raw material, ornamental assemblage can be divided into three groups: (1) marine gastropods, bivalves and scaphopoda ; (2) freshwater gastropods ; (3) terrestrial mammals (teeth and bones). Results of the analysis have shown the existence of changes in ornamental tradition regarding preferred type of ornaments during the time. Perforated animal teeth, most of them Red deer canines (Cervus elaphus), are gradually replaced by marine gastropods and bivalves, with the domination of marine gastropod Columbella rustica. In addition to personal ornaments, symbolic behaviour of the Vlakno cave population is outlined by the finds of two engraved fragments of chert nodules dated 14.500 cal. BP. These decorated stones are the oldest finds with symbolic expression in Dalmatia. Decorated stones are also found in the Mesolithic layers, but in this period linear motifs are no longer engraved but painted.

Vlakno cave ; Late Pleistocene ; Early Holocene ; personal ornaments ; symbolic behaviour ; Eastern Adriatic Coast

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