Spearheading into the Neolithic: last foragers and first farmers in the Dinaric Alps of Montenegro
This article presents a summary of new evidence for the Mesolithic in the Dinaric Alps of Montenegro.
The region is one of the best areas in south-eastern Europe to study Early Holocene foragers and the
nature of the transition to Neolithic lifeways at the end of the seventh and the beginning of the sixth
millennium cal BC thanks to the existence of biodiverse landscapes and numerous karstic features. We
argue that harpoons found at two different sites in this regional context represent a curated technology
that has its roots in a local Mesolithic cultural tradition. The continued use of this standardized
hunting tool kit in the Neolithic provides an important indication about the character of the
Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. We also use this regional case study to address wider questions concerning
the visibility and modes of Mesolithic occupation in south-eastern Europe as a whole.