This thesis describes the results of an analysis of the Linearbandkeramik querns from Elsloo. A sample from the village (excavated material from the St. Jozefschool and the Riviusstraat) was...Show moreThis thesis describes the results of an analysis of the Linearbandkeramik querns from Elsloo. A sample from the village (excavated material from the St. Jozefschool and the Riviusstraat) was compared to the total assemblage from the cemetery. All stages in their biography were taken into account, from the selection of the raw materials to the way they were treated after their use-life had come to an end. The research has shown that the querns passed through an interesting life-cycle. Sandstone cobbles were collected from the gravel deposits of the river Meuse. A medium grain size was preferred. The ideal shape and size were obtained through hard percussion and the milling surface was pecked with a hammer stone to create a rough surface. The implements were subsequently employed to mill cereals, during which they were probably placed on a piece of hide or linen to catch the wheat grains and flour. Through use the milling surface became smooth, therefore it was recurrently rejuvenated. At some point their use came to an end. The grinding slabs from both assemblages differed substantially in their thickness, suggesting that exhaustion was not the sole reason why their use-life ended. The implements displayed a lot of fractures, of which some might were caused by rejuvenation, but for the majority this was not the case. From the number of fractures and their thicknesses was inferred that most of the artefacts were intentionally broken. Red ochre appeared on both assemblages and since use-wear caused by grinding this pigment was recognised on none of the tools, it must have been applied in an already powdered form. Traces were also found on some fractures, indicating that ochre was applied after they were broken. It did not occur on all implements and if it was present it seemed to be distributed over a random number of surfaces. However, in both assemblages it was mostly present on the milling surfaces. The comparison between the settlement and the cemetery assemblages revealed some interesting dissimilarities. First, there was a difference in the duration of use; the querns from the graveyard were used longer than those from the village. The second striking dissimilarity was visible in their treatment after the use-life had come to an end; the implements from the settlement were much more fragmented than those from the cemetery, while red ochre occurred more often and extensively on the graveyard assemblage. In this thesis I proposed four hypotheses to explain the peculiar practice to which the querns were subjected. The first two were applicable on both assemblages, while the others were more focused on the implements from the village. The first explanatory model linked the peculiar practice to a phase in the biography of the house. This biography was intertwined with the social life of the inhabitants and transitions to new stages could be accompanied by depositional activities. Possibly the quern fragments represent such a deposit. The second explanation linked the treatment to a specific attitude towards agriculture in LBK society. Possibly it refers to remnants of a Mesolithic way of thinking. Since milling was indirectly related to destruction of the forest it maybe was considered a dangerous activity and to appease the spirits the implements went through a special ritual at the end of their use-life. It can however also be interpreted in the opposite way and encompass an essentially Neolithic conception of the world. It seems likely that the principle of regeneration formed an essential part of Neolithic way of thinking. The activity to which the artefacts were subjected perhaps represents a deliberate offering concerned with giving sandstone back to the earth and thereby ensuring a continued supply. The third hypothesis interpreted the practice as an expression of a particular view on objects; possibly stones were considered as living subjects in LBK society. Problems like accidental breakage during rejuvenation perhaps were seen to reflect on the social relation between people and the stone, rather than on any analysis of the properties of the material itself. Maybe an accidentally broken quern was considered unusable or dangerous and therefore further destroyed and rubbed with red ochre. The fourth hypothesis connected the breakage of the implements from the settlement to a particular view on personhood. It may indicate that personhood was fractal and that the querns were imbued with a part of a person’s identity. Possibly they were deliberately fragmented in order to establish social relationships and the parts were kept as tokens of the bonds, forming inalienable links between all owners or users. It could be concluded that the treatment of the querns was informed by ways of understanding that differ from our own logic. The motivations were however rational for Linearbandkeramians, deriving from their particular perspective on the world. In this manner the peculiar ritual to which querns were subjected does not merely inform us about their roles in society, but also about LBK rationality. Obviously a deeper significance was assigned to the artefacts; their function for milling cereals was intertwined with other meanings, together encompassing their role in the lives of LBK people.Show less
