Enigmatic artefacts from the Chalcolithic tell Petko Karavelovo (Veliko Tarnovo district)

• Main Authors: Maria Gurova, Alexander Chohadzhiev
• Format: Article
• Language: Bulgarian
• Published: Association of Bulgarian Archaeologists 2019-06-01
• Series: Българско е-Списание за Археология
• Subjects: chalcolithic; enigmatic fashioned artefacts; technological traces; intense polish
• Online Access: https://be-ja.org/index.php/journal/article/view/189

The Chalcolithic Tell Petko Karavelovo reveals a cultural sequence from the Early to the Late Chalcolithic. Apart from evidence of complex building architecture, the tell has produced a rich repertoire of finds of various materials (clay, bone, antler, flint, shell, stone), as well as palaeobotanical and zooarchaeological remains and a series of new 14C dates. This report presents some of the more intriguing recently discovered finds – 3 delicately fashioned objects of bone (though antler is not excluded). These objects are exceptional, with only one known parallel at a site in northwest Bulgaria. It is hoped that publication of these enigmatic items will lead to the recognition of similar artefacts from other contexts and a better understanding of their function and significance.