Chronology and development of the Chalcolithic necropolis of Varna I

In the following paper, we present the main results of our now completed studies of the Varna I cemetery, based on the excavations undertaken by Ivan Ivanov in the years 1972–1991. The richness of the assemblages is singular in Old World prehistory. To tackle the question of its inter­nal, chronolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Raiko Krauß, Clemens Schmid, David Kirschenheuter, Jonas Abele, Vladimir Slavchev, Bernhard Weninger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2017-12-01
Series:Documenta Praehistorica
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Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/7355
Description
Summary:In the following paper, we present the main results of our now completed studies of the Varna I cemetery, based on the excavations undertaken by Ivan Ivanov in the years 1972–1991. The richness of the assemblages is singular in Old World prehistory. To tackle the question of its inter­nal, chronological development, we applied correspondence analysis (CA) to a newly created database that includes the inventories of all presently known graves, symbolic burials and find de­posits. The rank order of the seriated inventories was used to establish a CA-based 14C-age model for wiggle matching. In combination with topographic observations and social network analysis (SNA), our studies provide a new understanding both of the chronological and spatial distribution of the graves and burial goods, as well as new insights into the social structure, gender roles, individual relation­ships and ritual practices of the Chalcolithic community.
ISSN:1408-967X
1854-2492