It Takes a Village: Craft Specialization at a Late Neolithic (5400-4600BC) Site in Kosova

This talk will present the results of four fieldwork seasons at a newly discovered Late Neolithic site located in Western Kosova. The pilot data suggests that Lluga is a three-hectare village with numerous rectangular wattle and daub houses surrounded by a ditch. Also, it shows that it was a peripherical village of the Late Vinča culture group—with evidence of various craft production, a mixed economy, rituals, and deliberate house burning. What differentiates it from other contemporary sites is the evidence strongly suggests it was a specialized site for chipped stone tool production, specifically blades. However, some questions still need to be addressed- If there was craft specialization, was it organized at the household or village level? Was production for export or domestic consumption? Did the system of social organization change over time?