O Amuletă De Tip Pandantiv Din Defensă De MistreȚ, Descoperită Într-Un Complex Vinča, De La Limba-Oarda De Jos– <i>Ș esul Orzii</i>

Abstract The present study examines the circumstances of discovery and the functional significance of a special artefact belonging to the category of small finds or adornments, discovered at the end of 2025 at the archaeological site of Limba–Oarda de Jos, Șesul Orzii sector, within a sunken dwelling structure (pit-house) attributed to Phase A of the Vinča occupation. The artefact in question is a perforated pendant made from a wild boar tusk, which was worked with remarkable care and precision in an apparent attempt to ultimately achieve the specific shape of a bear canine (possibly cave bear). The presence, within the material assemblage of Neolithic contexts, of artefacts whose morphology evokes the magical and religious practices characteristic of hunter-gatherer populations raises a series of questions regarding their functionality. The author proposes several working hypotheses aimed at understanding the place and role of such objects, with broader implications for interpreting the register of cultural gestures and symbolic practices of communities belonging to the developed Neolithic