D. Orton - Balkan Neolithic Hunting – DRAFT 1 False Dichotomies: Balkan Neolithic hunting in archaeological context David Orton Abstract Hunting in farming societies is often seen as an anomaly requiring special explanation. In reviewing the place of hunting within the central Balkan Neolithic, this paper challenges that view. Following a critical review of the Neolithic concept, taxonomic frequencies from 49 central Balkan Neolithic sites are used to chart the continuing importance of wild species throughout the period, and it is argued that hunting cannot be reduced to a sporadic, seasonal, or purely opportunistic practice. A slight decline in wild taxa at the end of the period is shown to reflect a marked common trend at several large, multi-phase sites. Detailed data from one of these – Gomolava – is used to argue for a social basis to the trend, one which can be linked to wider models of change during the period. Introduction This volume represents a valuable opportunity to address an issue which has suffered a general neglect in the archaeological literature. Despite the widespread rejection in recent decades of overtly social-evolutionist views, there remains a deeply ingrained tendency in archaeology to view foraging and farming as alternatives, with the latter replacing the former. While no-one denies that wild and domestic resources are often exploited alongside each other, prehistoric societies are typically characterized as either ‘foragers’ or ‘farmers’. Since hunting in farming societies does not fit easily into the underlying evolutionist narrative, it is perhaps unsurprising that publications addressing the topic per se (e.g. Boyle 2006; Desse and Audoin-Rouzeau 1993; Kent 1989) are sporadic and isolated. This paper addresses the subject of Neolithic hunting in the central Balkans. Data from across the region are collated and presented, and the ecological, economic and social contexts of hunting considered. Before introducing the case study, however, it is worth reviewing the history of the Neolithic concept and its impact on contemporary Neolithic (zoo)archaeology. The Neolithic – a brief history The term ‘Neolithic’ was coined by Lubbock (1865) to refer to the later part of the Stone Age. This was conceived as a definite chronological period within a universal evolutionary framework, analogous to a geological era (Thomas 1993, 362), and defined by its position vis-à-vis other periods as much as by its specific attributes. The term rapidly changed in meaning over the ensuing decades, however, coming to be used as an adjective more than a noun; a descriptor of a way of life rather than the name of a single epoch. More-or-less comprehensive histories of the concept are available elsewhere (e.g. Barker 2006, 1-41; Pluciennik 1998; Thomas 1993); the aim of the brief outline given here – heavily biased towards Europe – is to draw out two recurring themes.