Small but significant: The use-wear analysis of prongs made of hard organic material from the Late Neolithic—Early Bronze age layers of peat-bog sites of northern Belarus

Abstract

In this article, we present the results of trace and experimental analyses of bone and teeth tools (24 specimens) from the cultural layers of Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age settlements at the Kryvina peat-bog (North-Eastern Belarus). Based on manufacturing traces, these small-sized items (averaging 35 mm in length) were categorized separately as prongs, characterized by a sharp tip at one end and a wide, sometimes specially polished base. The broad base of these prongs exhibited glue residues, indicating they were rigidly fixed. Microscopic analysis of the prong surfaces revealed a diverse and complex set of wear marks. To determine the origin of these wear traces, we conducted a series of experiments processing wool and plant fibers. In these experiments, replicas of the prongs were mounted in wooden bases to function as combs and carding boards. The results of the experiments were correlated with archaeological samples. To interpret these findings, we considered the cultural and historical context of the region during the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age, alongside archaeozoological data indicating the use of domestic animals (sheep and goats) in the Kryvina peat-bog by at least the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Based on the collected evidence, we reconstruct the processing of wool from these animals in the region, marking the first such evidence for the forest zone of Eastern Europe.