1. Seal bones as raw material for tools in Estonian coastal region in the Neolithic and Bronze Age
Heidi Luik
Tallinn University
ICAZ 2010

2. Seal bones in the Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in Estonia
(after Lõugas 1997, Table 3 and Storå & Lõugas 2005, Table 1)
1 Kõpu I, 2 Kõpu XI, 3 Loona, 4 Naakamäe, 5 Kõnnu, 6 Tallinn, Vabaduse Square, 7 Kroodi, 8 Vihasoo III, 9 Kudruküla, 10 Riigiküla, 11 Kaseküla, 12 Lemmetsa, 13 Reiu, 14 Lodja, 15 Valma, 16 Kaali, 17 Asva, Ridala, 19 Iru, 20 Joaorg in Narva

3. Harp seal Phoca groenlandica Grey seal Halichoerus grypus
Ringed seal Phoca hispida
Harbour seal Phoca vitulina

4. Seal bones in the Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in Estonia
(after Lõugas 1997, Table 3 and Storå & Lõugas 2005, Table 1)
Number of seal bones in sites:
Neolithic
Naakamäe ~ 7000
Riigiküla ~ 990
Kõpu I ~ 530
Loona ~ 480
Kõnnu ~ 260
Kõpu IX ~ 140
Bronze Age
Asva ~ 660
Ridala ~ 370
Iru ~ 110
Kaali ~ 40
1 Kõpu I, 2 Kõpu XI, 3 Loona, 4 Naakamäe, 5 Kõnnu, 6 Tallinn, Vabaduse Square, 7 Kroodi, 8 Vihasoo III, 9 Kudruküla, 10 Riigiküla, 11 Kaseküla, 12 Lemmetsa, 13 Reiu, 14 Lodja, 15 Valma, 16 Kaali, 17 Asva, Ridala, 19 Iru, 20 Joaorg in Narva

5. Seal bone artefacts
fibulae of seals are of suitable shape for making awls
seal canines were used for pendants

6. Tools 6 4 7 1 1 2 3 5
Naakamäe: 26 awls of seal bone: 25 made from fibulae (1-3), one from metatarsus (7), chisel shaped artefact from tibia (5), tip of a fishing spear(?) from fibula (6).
Loona: 12 awls, 11 made from fibulae, one from tibia (4).

7. Seal bone artefacts from neighbouring areas: 2
Seal bone artefacts from neighbouring areas:
1 - awls from Ire, Gotland (Janzon 1974, pls 11, 13);
2 - awl and scrapers from Šventoji, Lithuania (Rimantienė 1996, figs 38: 9; 49: 1, 2, 4). 1

8. Among about 800 bone artefacts from Asva there is only one fragment which could be a tip of an awl made from fibula of seal (1). 1
Typical for the Late Bronze Age sites are awls made from goat/ sheep metapodials (2). 2

9. Seal canine pendants 1, 2 - Loona, 3 - Naakamäe, 4 - Kõnnu
48 pendants from Loona
6 pendants from Naakamäe
14 pendants from Kõnnu
a few from Kõljala, Kaseküla and Vabaduse Square, Tallinn 4

10. Seal hunting and use of seals1 1 2 3 4
Late Bronze Age harpoon heads from Asva, made from antler (1-5) and bone (6).
Neolithic bone harpoon heads from Naakamäe (1, 3), Loona (2) and Kõnnu (4).

11. 12 13
Probable seal figurines (1- Siliņupe, 12 - Valma, 13 - Lake Ladoga) and seal canine pendants (2 - Zvejnieki, 3 - Kõljala, Šventoji) (Zagorska 2000, fig. 5; Ots 2010, fig. 2; Gurina 1961, fig. 19: 13).

12. Thank you for attention!