First potential Neolithic bone idol north of the Carpathians: taphonomic dilemmas and archaeological reflections

Abstract Bone figural representations are among the rarest categories of finds associated with the Linear Pottery culture (LBK), particularly in Central Europe. This paper presents the results of use-wear analysis and micro-computed tomography (μCT) scanning of an atypical item made from a red deer metatarsal, recovered from site 6 at Tominy. The site is situated in the upper Vistula River basin, within the sandy loam deposits of the northern foreland of the Sandomierz Upland. The analysis identified a range of modifications to the original bone structure, including butchery-related traces, intentional technological alterations, and probable bite marks left by a medium-sized carnivore, such as a dog or wolf. The combined evidence allowed for the reconstruction of the complex biography of the item and supports its interpretation as an intentional, albeit highly specific and unusual, figural representation of the idol type. This item constitutes the first and, to date, only known Early Neolithic anthropomorphic bone idol from north of the Carpathians. It exhibits the closest parallels to the exceptionally rare so-called Ensisheim-type idols known from scattered sites in France. These circumstances, together with notable divergences from Western European examples, form the basis for a broader discussion of the phenomenon in technological, functional, chronological, cultural, and symbolic terms.