Vying for Top Model in the Neolithic (ca. 5700 BC)
At the Plocnik archaeological site in southern Serbia, several female figurines have been uncovered that point toward a rather extensive history of feminine concern with fashion. The site was once occupied by the Vinca culture, Europe’s largest prehistoric civilization, and it appears that they were somewhat more advanced than previously assumed – finds from the site point to a well-developed and sophisticated metropolis with a flare for art and fashion.
According to the figurines, the young women who lived at this site were dressed similar to the modern young women of today – wearing short, decorative tops, miniskirts, and jewelry like bracelets around their arms. Unlike many early cultures whose figurines were highly similar one to the next, the group of Vinca who lived here created over 60 different styles of pottery and figurines – and surprisingly, they weren’t all made to depict deities! Plenty of the figurines appear to have been created just for fun, for the pure enjoyment of creating art.
The pursuit of beauty isn’t something that has normally been associated with prehistoric cultures, but humans have been occupied with creating beautiful things since, seemingly, time began. The culture here had a rather advanced form of labor division and social organization, with things like stoves, special trash holes in the ground, wool and fur mats to sleep on, and leather, wool or flax clothing. Even a thermal well nearby to the settlement may be evidence of the first European spa!
Plenty of animal toys and clay rattles, as well as awkward clay pots created by children – the equivalent of today’s finger-painting efforts, perhaps – show that children were also a large component in the community. Specialized areas in the homes also point to the keeping of certain kinds of animals as pets.
The discovery of a metal workshop at the site has also been extremely important in potentially pushing back the date of the Chalcolithic period, or Copper Age, in Europe to having begun nearly 500 years earlier than previously thought. The Vinca are now thought to have been the first culture with metalworking capabilities in Europe – and considering their high interest in fashion and art and specific focus on children and community, it seems that the people of prehistory are not so far removed from modern society as some might think.
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