Experimental Replication of Stone, Bone and Shell Beads from Early Neolithic Sites in Southeast Europe

Flat disk beads made from a wide variety of biominerals, minerals and other stones are widely distributed on Early Neolithic sites throughout the Balkans. Replicative experiments indicate that hardness was a critical factor affecting drilling times and,presumably, the choice of materials for bead production. Using a pump drill and schist grindstone it was found that beads could be manufactured relatively easily from materials of less than 5 on Mohs hardness scale; materials harder than 5.5 either proved very difficult to drill or were not drilled successfully. The experiments suggest that, while some beads and necklaces were evidently specialist products, bead making could have been a normal household activity among early farming communities in Southeast Europe.