A Glimpse at Raw Material Economy and Production of Chipped Stones at the Neolithic (Starčevo) Site of Svinjarička Čuka, South Serbia

Abstract In this contribution, we present new data from the multi-layered Starčevo site of Svinjarička Čuka in southern Serbia, highlighting its key role in reconstructing processes involved in the dispersal of the Neolithic way of life from Anatolia into Central Europe from the perspective of the chipped stone assemblage. This case study explores factors such as deliberate choices of raw material procurement and the occasional resilience to innovations shaped by local traditions resulting from the ease of access to specific resources versus openness to interconnectivity on a local, regional, and supra-regional scale. In-depth raw material and technological analyses of the chipped stone assemblage from Svinjarička Čuka, which were recovered from three out of altogether six Starčevo occupation phases dating to the middle of the sixth millennium calBC, provide insights into the development of early Neolithic resource management and socio-cultural and economic behavior. The results of our study can be regarded as a reflection of key mechanisms involved in the Neolithization of the central Balkans.