Searching for the Individual: Characterising Knowledge Transfer and Skill in Prehistoric Personal Ornament Making

Baysal, Emma L.; Yelözer, Sera

doi:10.1007/s10816-022-09589-z

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Its association with a child reaffirms the significant place of children for early farming communities in the Levant and questions their indirect role in stimulating bead production activities, in boosting technologies and aesthetics tastes, especially given that they appear to be the main individuals concerned by body ornamentations in such contexts (for sites with burials were body ornaments are more related to children, see e.g. [ 45 , 57 , 134 , 136 , 139 , 150 – 157 ]). The study of the necklace reveals, on the other hand, how complex the interactions between the social actors of the community of Ba`ja had been–the bead-makers, the string/ cordage makers, the travelers, or mobile individuals, the familial or tribal authorities behind the demands of artistic creations, and other members of the society.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

Alarashi,

Benz,

Gresky

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba`ja, a Neolithic village (7,400–6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba`ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

Alarashi,

Benz,

Gresky

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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show abstract

“…Another original way to explore the topic of this special issue is suggested by Baysal and Yelözer (2023) who consider ornament-making as a means to address skill development and knowledge transfer in material culture. Starting from the concept of a mutually shaped human-ornament relationship, authors question to what extent key aspects of learning and knowledge transfer, such as the decision-making and individual levels of skill, can be identified and interpreted through information collected from Neolithic ornaments on a regional scale in Turkey.…”

Section: From Novices To Expertsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Novices to Experts: Skill Development and Knowledge Transmission in Prehistory

Forte

Castañeda

Romagnoli

2023

J Archaeol Method Theory

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Searching for the Individual: Characterising Knowledge Transfer and Skill in Prehistoric Personal Ornament Making

Cited by 2 publications

References 58 publications

Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

From Novices to Experts: Skill Development and Knowledge Transmission in Prehistory

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