Rebecca H. SCHWENDLER : Magdalenian Perforated Bone Disks in Their Geographic and Social Contexts

Perforated bone disks are hallmarks of Middle Magdalenian deposits in the French Pyrenees and in the Dordogne, yet some examples are known from elsewhere in Europe and from Upper Magdalenian contexts. Their perforations, decorations, small sizes, and low weights suggest that they were suspendedÑas jewelry, clothing ornaments, noisemakers, tokens, or other visible adornments. Some contemporaneous northern European sites, in particular, also have yielded similarly sized and decorated disks made of heavier stone, antler, and ivory. Previous studies have lumped together examples from all time periods, geographic regions, and materials. In contrast, this paper highlights those differences to discuss
1) geographic and temporal trends in the creation and use of disks,
2) archaeological evidence for cultural transmission versus independent invention, and
3) social relationships among inhabitants of different regions of Magdalenian western Europe. First I build a profile of French Middle Magdalenian bone disks to identify local or regional trends in size and decoration. Then I test how the geographic, temporal, and material outliers relate to the French population. Next I compare the spatial and temporal distributions of the disks with complementary evidence for the circulation of non-local lithic raw materials, items of personal ornamentation, and portable decorated objects. Finally, I discuss my findings in terms of individual artifact production, personal display, and long-distance social interaction.

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