Technological observations on the bifacial point from the Copper Age cemetery of Rákóczifalva
Norbert Faragó
Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 4/B Múzeum Krt., Budapest, 1088 Hungary; MTA-ELTE Lendület “Momentum” Innovation Research Group; E-mail: farago.norbert@btk.elte.hu, ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0351-1223
Cite as: Faragó, N. (2023). Technological observations on the bifacial point from the Copper Age cemetery of Rákóczifalva. In A. Király (Ed.), From tea leaves to leaf-shaped tools. Studies in honour of Zsolt Mester on his sixtieth birthday (pp. 141–157). Lithic Research Roundtable & Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. https://doi.org/10.23898/litikumsi02a07
Abstract: The subject of this study is a bifacial point found in the symbolic grave no. 218/230 at the Copper age site of Rákóczifalva-Bivaly-tó 1/C. In the lack of use-wear analysis the denomination „bifacial point” seemed more accurate, as other terms, such as arrowhead, spearhead, or dagger are rather functionally determined. Besides the description of the find, its archaeological context, and the outline of the possible analogies, the study focuses on an exhaustive technological analysis.
This analysis relied on the detailed observation of the consecutive steps and techniques realized during production. The main goal was to directly shed light on the circumstances of the preparation, the location, and the maker of this artefact. Indirectly, the study offers additional clues on the extended contacts and the technological innovation of the bifacial technique experienced during the Copper Age. According to the results, it is more probable that this point was manufactured off-site, because not just its raw material, but high-quality craftsmanship, and cultural tradition manifested in its find context represent strong connections with Northern Bulgaria.
Keywords: Knapped stones, Bifacial technology, Balkan flint, Copper Age, Bodrogkeresztúr culture
Data availability statement: The author confirms that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.
Disclosure statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Funding statement: This study was supported by the Bolyai János Research Scholarship.
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike International Public License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). You are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and transform the material, under the following terms: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
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