Buried Ornaments: Exploring Funerary Behaviours in the Chalcolithic From the Lower Danube

Summary This article focuses on personal adornments found in Chalcolithic funerary contexts from the Lower Danube. Generally, these artefacts are made from exotic raw materials originating from the Mediterranean sea, particularly Spondylus shells, along with Glycymeris or Antalis shells, and less frequently from local materials. The latter either imitate Spondylus shell pieces or are exceptional items. The first goal of this study is to determine whether these pieces show use‐wear marks or if they were created solely as funerary goods, so as to understand the social behavioural patterns of these communities concerning funerary practices. The second goal is to identify whether specific inventories within each necropolis relate to gender or age categories as markers of social stratification. Third, I discuss the provenance of these adornments and the possible exchange routes they travelled to become part of burial assemblages on the Lower Danube. This is the first systematic study of funerary ornaments from the Lower Danube that combines various types of analytical data while placing the symbolism of these artefacts at the centre of the interpretation.