REVIEW OF SOCIAL COMPLEXITY IN THE NEOLITHIC OF THE CENTRAL BALKANS: A LITHIC PERSPECTIVE

This paper evaluates the social complexity of Neolithic societies in the Central Balkans using evidence from stone tool technology. It examines key indicators of social complexity from the lithic perspective, including technological standardisation and specialisation, organisation of production and distribution, and trade and exchange of exogenous resources. The results indicate continuity in technological traditions, deliberate standardisation of blade production, and distinct regional and chronological raw material management strategies. The distribution of non-local resources – Balkan flint in the Early Neolithic and obsidian in the Late Neolithic – reveals structured exchange networks that enabled both material flows and cultural interconnectedness. These patterns, while reflecting well-organised production and distribution, do not point to centralised political control or institutional hierarchy, but rather to moderately complex, community-based systems for transmitting skills, ideas, cultural values, and maintaining inter-community connections.