CASTELPERRONIAN AND AURIGNACIAN ORNAMENTS - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF 3 UNEXAMINED SERIES OF PERFORATED TEETH

Personal ornaments such as perforated teeth have been retrieved from m any Aurignacian sites, but which more rarely from Castelperronian laye rs. It has been doubted whether the perforated teeth uncovered from th e latter sites might be ascribed to this culture. Two series of bored Aurignacian teeth and one of Castelperronian teeth have been studied t o see if there were similarities and differences in the boring techniq ues. The methods used in both Aurignacian series seem to exhibit simil arities: the root of the tooth is first thinned by scraping, then ii i s scratched through, which often results in a small-size perforation, Such traces are not systematically exhibited in the Castelperronian se ries where the work marks mostly affect the vicinity of the perforatio n which seems to be obtained through repeated exertion of pressure in one particular spot. The perforation is slightly larger than in the ot her two series but the work is more refined.