2022 年 57 巻 p. 43-61
This paper aims at providing insights into early Neolithic bead hole-making techniques by analyzing stone beads recovered from excavations at Hasankeyf Höyük, Turkey. However, it must be noted that even though numerous stone beads have been collected from this site, the lack of blank/unfinished beads, perforating tools, and polishing/abrading implements at the excavation site indicate that those beads were produced and imported from outside of the settlement. Additionally, I report on scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations of silicon replicas made from the inner wall of bead perforations that indicate bidirectional perforations and mechanical rotary drills were frequently utilized in bead production, which is consistent with the widespread use of those techniques/tools at other Neolithic sites in Western Asia. I also observed features on the sample perforations that indicate either the use of a finishing process after perforation or long-term usage of the beads. Additionally, when examining unfinished beads, I found that very small-scale bead perforating actions had been carried out and that some beads may have been processed for reuse from chlorite vessel fragments. Furthermore, while previous studies generally agree that perforations made at a slanted angle were likely created by hand drills, the results of this study indicate that slanted perforations were also produced when using mechanical rotary drills.
