Fitz Jenő (szerk.): Die aktuellen Fragen der Bandkeramik - István Király Múzeum közelményei. A. sorozat 18. A Pannon konferenciák aktái 1. (Székesfehérvár, 1972)
R. Tringham: Bylany (Csehország) pattitott kőeszközeinek formái, technolgóiai és funkcionális vizsgálata
her higher in the blades made of the high-quality grey flint. The roughouts have been divided in the Bylany material into blade implements of a regular rectangular prismatic form whose length was at least twice their width, flake implements, and small deliberately truncated blades or „miniblades” whose width is the same (c. 2 cms.) as the blades, but whose length is 0.6 —2.2 cms.. These latter form a small but significant part of the industry being made especially in the high-quality grey flint and having a high proportion of implements whose shape was modified by deliberate retouch. Their technique of manufacture was quite different from the mesolithic techniques of making microlithic implements in that no „notching” or micro-cores were involved. The average length of the blade implements which form the largest proportion in the industry was 3 — 5 cms. never exceeding 7 cms. Of the 195 implements from Bylany I, almost half were used for cutting and half for scraping and shaving. 41% were used on soft materials such as meat or skins, 34° 0 were used on hard materials such as wood or bone, and 17% were used on vegetable materials probably for cutting cultivated wheat. A very small proportion, compared for example, with Hienheim im Bavaria, were used for boring, and only two for grooving and one for hammering or retouching. There were no projectiles of any kind as in the other Linear Pottery settlements apart from the lower Rhine and Croatia, N. W. Yugoslavia. Cutting implements were made predominantly from blades, scrapers for soft material were made predominantly of flakes, both clear examples of the functional factors mentioned above influencing the shape of the implement. Scrapers for hard materials were made predominantly of truncated blades, not only because these were made expecially of the tougher high-quality grey flint, but also because their small shape facilitated hafting as endscrapers without fear of their breaking under heavily-exerted pressure. Very few of the implements were used as dual purpose implements, although some of the blades showed that they had been used for cutting on both lateral edges. Implements used for cutting were made from brown flint, and to a lesser extent of chert. Very few show any preparation of their striking platforms or any modification of their shape by deliberate retouch. When retouch does occur it was in the form of blunting the distal end possibly to facilitate handling or hafting. Sickles received quite different treatment from the other cutting implements. A rather higher proportion were made in the high-quality grey flint, although the majority were made of brown flint and chert. The vast majority were made on narrow blades whose length was rather shorter than those of the other cutting implements. When their striking platforms have been preserved, they show more evidence of preparation before striking, but in general the bulb of percussion has been cut off or flattened. Over half the sickle blades were modified by deliberate retouch, a much higher proportion than any other category of implement apart from the small scrapers of hard material. Most of the modifications took the form of blunting the distal and proximal ends. Undoubtedly all these preparations and subsequent modifications were to produce sickle blades of regular shape + size which could be inserted compositely into antler and wooden handles. The high gloss on the blades at Bylany is distributed diagonally over one corner of the blade and it seems likely that they were hafted, like the hafted examples found at Karanovo, Azmak(16) and Valea Raii,<17) diagonally into the handles in order to form a continuous cutting edge following the curve of the red deer antler or curved branch.<18) Scrapers for soft material were made predominantly on flakes. Very few of the flake or blade scrapers were modified by deliberate retouch. However the 24% of scrapers for soft material which had been made on truncated „miniblades” were retouched at the distal end to provide a convex scraping edge. 2/3 of the scrapers for soft material had been used as side-scrapers, since the sides of flakes and blades frequently provided the necessary wide cutting edge. These were generally not modified by deliberate retouch unless it was to blunt the distal end. From an analysis of the edges of the scar facets on scrapers used on hard material it is possible to distinguish between those which have been used on medium hard material, such as wood, and those used on very hard material such as bone or antler. In both these categories there is a low percentage of implements made of weaker chert, and a high percentage of implements made in the high-quality grey flint. There were very few scrapers for hard material made on long blades; a large proportion was made on truncated blade. As mentioned before this was undoubtedly caused by the functional necessity of having to haft the scraper at its proximal end in order to acquire a suitable purchase for shaving hard materials. In order to facilitate hafting most of the scrapers for hard materials, as with those for soft material and sickles had their bulbs of percussion flattened or cut off. With the truncated blades this was clearly also to shorten the length of the blade. The majority of scrapers used on hard material were used, for the reasons mentioned above, at their distal ends which were generally straightened or made convex by deliberate retouch. Whether this distinction between convex or straight edge has a functional significance indicating different worked (16) G. GEORGIEV, Za nyalcoi orudiya га proizvodstvo ot neolita i eneolita ve Bulgaria. Studia in honorem I). Deôev. Sofia 1968, 369 — 387. (17) I). BERCIU, Rumania. London 1966, 41. (IS) (1. BEHM — BLANCKE, Bandkeramische Erntegeräte. Alt-Thüringen 6, 1962/63, 105- 174.;E.C. CUR WEN о. с. 179. 10* 147
