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Seal Bones: Tools and Artefacts from Estonian Coastal Neolithic and Bronze Age Sites

Explore the utilization of seal bones for tools and artefacts in Neolithic and Bronze Age sites along the Estonian coast, including awls, pendants, and harpoon heads.

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Seal Bones: Tools and Artefacts from Estonian Coastal Neolithic and Bronze Age Sites

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  1. Seal bones as raw material for tools in Estonian coastal region in the Neolithic and Bronze Age Heidi Luik Tallinn University ICAZ 2010

  2. Seal bones in the Neolithic andBronze Agesites in Estonia (after Lõugas 1997, Table 3 and Storå & Lõugas 2005, Table 1) 1 Kõpu I, 2 Kõpu XI, 3 Loona, 4 Naakamäe, 5 Kõnnu, 6 Tallinn, Vabaduse Square, 7 Kroodi, 8 Vihasoo III, 9 Kudruküla, 10 Riigiküla, 11 Kaseküla, 12 Lemmetsa, 13 Reiu, 14 Lodja, 15 Valma, 16 Kaali, 17 Asva, 18 Ridala, 19 Iru, 20 Joaorg in Narva

  3. Harp seal Phoca groenlandica Grey seal Halichoerus grypus Ringed seal Phoca hispida Harbour seal Phoca vitulina

  4. Seal bones in the Neolithic andBronze Agesites in Estonia (after Lõugas 1997, Table 3 and Storå & Lõugas 2005, Table 1) Number of seal bones in sites: Neolithic Naakamäe ~ 7000 Riigiküla ~ 990 Kõpu I ~ 530 Loona ~ 480 Kõnnu ~ 260 Kõpu IX ~ 140 Bronze Age Asva ~ 660 Ridala ~ 370 Iru ~ 110 Kaali ~ 40 1 Kõpu I, 2 Kõpu XI, 3 Loona, 4 Naakamäe, 5 Kõnnu, 6 Tallinn, Vabaduse Square, 7 Kroodi, 8 Vihasoo III, 9 Kudruküla, 10 Riigiküla, 11 Kaseküla, 12 Lemmetsa, 13 Reiu, 14 Lodja, 15 Valma, 16 Kaali, 17 Asva, 18 Ridala, 19 Iru, 20 Joaorg in Narva

  5. Seal bone artefacts • fibulae of seals are of suitable shape for making awls • seal canines were used for pendants

  6. Tools 6 4 7 1 1 2 3 5 Naakamäe: 26 awls of seal bone: 25 made from fibulae (1-3), one from metatarsus (7), chisel shaped artefact from tibia (5), tip of a fishing spear(?) from fibula (6). Loona: 12 awls, 11 made from fibulae, one from tibia (4).

  7. 2 Seal bone artefacts from neighbouring areas: 1 - awls from Ire, Gotland (Janzon 1974, pls 11, 13); 2 - awl and scrapers from Šventoji, Lithuania (Rimantienė 1996, figs 38: 9; 49: 1, 2, 4). 1

  8. Among about 800 bone artefacts from Asva there is only one fragment which could be a tip of an awl made from fibula of seal (1). 1 Typical for the Late Bronze Age sites are awls made from goat/ sheep metapodials (2). 2

  9. Seal canine pendants 2 3 1, 2 - Loona, 3 - Naakamäe, 4 - Kõnnu 1 • 48 pendants from Loona • 6 pendants from Naakamäe • 14 pendants from Kõnnu • a few from Kõljala, Kaseküla and Vabaduse Square, Tallinn 4

  10. Seal hunting and use of seals 1 1 2 3 4 Late Bronze Age harpoon heads from Asva, made from antler (1-5) and bone (6). Neolithic bone harpoon heads from Naakamäe (1, 3), Loona (2) and Kõnnu (4).

  11. 12 13 Probable seal figurines (1- Siliņupe, 12 - Valma, 13 - Lake Ladoga) and seal canine pendants (2 - Zvejnieki, 3 - Kõljala, 4-11- Šventoji) (Zagorska 2000, fig. 5; Ots 2010, fig. 2; Gurina 1961, fig. 19: 13).

  12. Thank you for attention!

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