_____________ * Geology Department, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; otis.crandell@ubbcluj.ro Buletinul Muzeului Judeţean Teleorman. Seria Arheologie 5, 2013: 125-142 THE PROVENANCE OF NEOLI THI C AND CHALCOLI THI C STONE TOOLS FROM SI TES IN TELEORMAN COUNTY, ROMANI A Otis CRANDELL * Abstract: This article examines the raw materials used to produce the artefacts found at five sites in Teleorman County, Romania. These sites range from the Neolithic (Starčevo-Criş, Dudeşti, and Vădastra) to the Chalcolithic (Gumelniţa A2 and B1). In larger surrounding area, there are numerous sources of knappable raw materials suitable for producing tools. These materials are described and compared by macroscopic and microscopic means. The artefacts were similarly analysed in order to help determine their provenance. Among other things, this study indicates that the populations at these settlements predominantly used locally available materials. Rezumat: Acest articol analizează materiile prime, utilizate pentru producerea de artefacte, găsite în cinci situri din judeţul Teleorman, România. Datează din neolitic (Starčevo-Criş, Dudeşti şi Vădastra) şi eneolitic (Gumelniţa A2 şi B1). În zona înconjurătoare, există numeroase surse de materii prime adecvate pentru producerea de unelte prin cioplire. Materialele sunt descrise şi comparate din punct de vedere macroscopic şi microscopic. Artefactele au fost analizate în mod similar, în scopul de a ajuta la determinarea provenienţei lor. Printre altele, studiu indică faptul că populaţiile din aceste aşezări, utilizau, în principal, materiale disponibile pe plan local. Keywords: lithic artefacts; Balkan flint; Neolithic; Chalcolithic; provenance. Cuvinte cheie: artefacte litice; silex balcanic; neolitic; eneolitice; provenienţă. I ntroduction The lithic artefacts used in this study came from five sites in Teleorman County - Măgura ‘Boldul lui Moş Ivănuş’, Măgura ‘Buduiasca’, Beciu ‘Rusca Scărişoreanu’, Poroschia ‘Râpe’ and Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’. They were made available by the Teleorman County Museum in Alexandria. These sites have all been extensively excavated in recent years and numerous artefacts were available from these sites. The knapped stone lithic assemblages at Măgura ‘Boldul lui Moş Ivănuş’, Măgura ‘Buduiasca’ and Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’ are comprised of over 1000 artefacts. Those from Beciu ‘Rusca Scărişoreanu’ and Poroschia ‘Râpe’ are comprised of over 500 artefacts. Due to the large assemblages (including lithic artefacts) it was possible to study them in detail. These sites are also within a relatively small geographic area and represent almost a complete time span from the early Neolithic to the late Chalcolithic. (See the map in Figure 1 for the locations of the sites.) This made them ideal for a diachronic study of raw material usage. These sites from Teleorman are listed chronologically from oldest (Starčevo-Criş) to youngest (Gumelniţa) in Table 1. Starčevo-Criş Dudeşti Vădastra Boian Gumelniţa Sites I II III A2 B1 Măgura - ‘Boldul lui Moş Ivănuş’ x x x Măgura - ‘Buduiasca’ x x x Beciu - ‘Rusca Scărişoreanu’ x Poroschia - ‘Râpe’ x Vităneşti - ‘Măgurice’ x x Table 1. Sites from Teleorman County indicating the cultures present at each. Siturile analizate din judeţul Teleorman, cu apartenenţa culturală a fiecăruia.