Worked bone beads

Deutsch: Im Rahmen des Projektes Ancient Mining and Metallurgy in West Central Iran hat das Deutsche Bergbau-Museum in Zusammenarbeit mit den iranischen Institutionen das vorgeschichtliche Kupferabbaugebiet von Veshnaveh in Zentraliran untersucht. Dabei wurde in einer der Gruben für den Bergbau gänzlich untypische Funde entdeckt. Zu Tage kamen Keramikgefäße, Holzobjekte, Textilfragmente, Nahrungsreste und Schmuckartefakte aus Glas - v.a. Glasperlen -  Halbedelstein, Gold und anderen Metallen. Offenbar wurde das ehemalige Bergwerk über einen Zeitraum von etwa 1400 Jahren (von ca. 800 v. Chr. bis  8. Jh. n. Chr.) als ein Naturheiligtum genutzt.
Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Kleinfunden dieser Grabung sowie der Deponierungspraxis und stellt für die Problematik der vorislamischen Religion in Iran, aber auch für das weltweit verbreitete Phänomen der Höhlenheiligtümer einen wichtigen Aspekt dar, auch kann sie einen wichtigen Beitrag in der Parther- und Sasanidenforschung leisten.

English: Within the programme „Ancient Mining and Metallurgy in West Central Iran“ the German Mining Museum examined prehistoric copper mines in the central mountains of Iran. The archaeological area is located between the cities of Ghom and Kashan, near the village of Veshnaveh, about 150 km South of Teheran. In five excavation and survey campaigns during the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 the region was examined, while in 2003 small finds of the first three seasons were documented and processed at the Mirasfarhangi-je Ghom (Archaeological Insitute in Ghom). The intention of the archaeologists was to investigate the regional prehistoric copper supply, the technique that was used to extract the metal from the rock and how the copper was traded. Several mines were accessible in the mining district of Laghe Morad, Mazrayeh and Chale Ghar and they were systematically examined and documented. The utilisation phase of the whole mining area obviously lay between the early 3rd and late 2nd millennium BC.

However, much later non-mining activity was proved by revealing finds in two of the mines: In the mine called Ghale Ghar 1, the archaeologists unexpectedly came across an ensemble of objects that were obviously not related to the mining activity at all. That happened in the year 2001, during one of the first excavation campaigns. In mine 1, thousands of finds were found: ceramic vessels and sherds, wood and wooden vessels, remains of nuts, shell and baked goods, animal bones, one textile fragment, jewellery such as glass and stone beads and pendants, metal finger rings and ear rings, as well as one glass vessel and sheets of decorated metal.

Based on comparative studies and a stratigraphical analysis, this research study gives an outline of the chronology of the small finds that were excavated in the mines Chale Ghar 1 and 2. Most objects could be dated to Arsacid and Sasanian periods. An interpretation of the popular belief and the religious meaning of the site is on of the central points in the study.

Barice-Gređani group was first defined on a basis of cemetery finds from cemetery Barice near Gornja Orahovica and it was long known in literature as a group of Barice-Gređani type cemeteries. That was supported by a number of excavated and published cemeteries and lack of settlement research in Slavonian and Bosnian Posavina was present at that time. The first material from settlement of Barice-Gređani group was partially published in late 1980s. A numerous new settlements and cemeteries of Urnfield Culture were discovered and excavated in last 30 years due to intensive building of
infrastructure, organising museum networks and monument protection system. In that light it is now possible to reinterpret older finds and make more complex contextualisation of Barice-Gređani group burial ritual. Three bone beads found in burial 16 belong to rare finds in the cemeteries of Barice-Gređani group. Only two cemeteries except Mačkovac from area that covers group Barice-Gređani have similar worked bone finds. Bone objects are exposed to funeral pyre together
with deceased in all excavated contexts.

The archaeological record has revealed the occurrence of metapodials, mainly of cattle, that feature on the posterior side of the diaphysis a variable number of perforations. They have been recovered isolated or in small assemblages. So far they have never been studied from a contextual and/or functional point of view.
The observation of 29 Portuguese samples (from Silves, Alcoutim, Paderne, Mértola, Palmela and Lisbon), all dated to the Islamic period, allowed us to characterize their typology.
Traces left by their use (position, number and differential external and internal wear of the holes) suggest that these bones were elements of a complex structure in which spinning axes were involved.