The Decor of Statuettes Belonging to the Gumelniţa Culture (Fifth Millennium BC)

Radian-Romus Andreescu (Romania)

Abstract

This article presents a detailed analysis of the engravings on clay statuettes of the Gumelniţa culture. During the fifth millennium BC, the Gumelniţa culture covered parts of Romania and Bulgaria reaching the shores of the Aegean Sea. This civilization is characterized by tell-type settlements with several dwelling levels providing extremely rich archaeological material. Some of the most spectacular artifacts are the anthropomorphic figurines, most of which are made of clay, but also of other materials such as bone, stone or even gold. This article is based upon direct analysis of pieces belonging to two large sets of figures discovered at the sites of Cǎscioarele and Vităneşti in the Muntenia region. The analysis focuses on standing or seated statuettes whose bodies are decorated with incisions. As for the signification of the statuettes’ decor, there are two hypotheses: the first one identifies the decorative motifs as tattoos, while the second one supports the idea of some garments being represented. Another hypothesis considers the possibility that the decor could represent a combination of real and symbolic elements, meaning that some motifs might really represent garment pieces or accessories (even adornments), whereas others might represent either drawings on the garments or have a symbolic signification.