[Bonetools] Magdalenian pointed tools, unknown function

[Marina Evora]

Dear J. Marc,

We have in Vale Boi Upper Paleolithic site (in Algarve, Portugal) two 
pointed tools that have similar treatment to your tools, but these ones came 
from gravettian layers. Vale Boi site is also a rockshelter and all the 
osseous artifacts already studied came from outside the shelter, from the 
slope and terrace. We haven't found any bone or antler tools from the 
magdalenian layers yet. Only gravettian and solutrean ones.

The tool VB1, 2, 3 and 4 (foto) is 138mm long x 8mm large x 8mm esp. with 
circular section. It's fractured in 5 portions, the kind of fracture is 
vertical and oblique.
The other tool VB5, 6 and 7 (foto)  is 61mm long x 5mm large x 5mm esp. also 
with a circular section, and is fractured in 2 portions with an oblique kind 
of fracture.

I hope it helps.

Best,
Marina Évora



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jean-Marc Pétillon" <petillon at univ-tlse2.fr>
To: <Bonetools at listserv.niif.hu>
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 9:56 AM
Subject: [Bonetools] Magdalenian pointed tools, unknown function


Here is another guess.

These tools were found at the Saint-Germain-la-Rivière rockshelter
(Gironde, France), in Lower Magdalenian layers dated ca. 18-20 kyr
cal. BP. The excavation is not under the shelter but on the steep
slope before it, so preservation conditions are not optimal and
post-depositional fragmentation is intense. No tool is complete; there
are about 30 fragments.

These pointed tools are made on complete sections of reindeer antlers
- either the main beam of middle-sized antlers or the tine of larger
ones. They are worked by scraping, strictly calibrated in diameter
(20-23 mm, circular section) and the biggest fragments are about
180-200 mm long. Close to the active part, the shaping is pronounced
enough to completely scrape off the compact tissue and expose the
inner spongiosa on one side.

What seems to be the active part of the tool is a blunt point that
often shows a very strange alteration on the tip (see pictures). The
points are sometimes found isolated, apparently broken during use (cf.
bending fracture or « tongued fracture ») which seems to show that the
tool worked in percussion or in flexion with some force.

These tools are not recorded in the Paleolithic literature and I have
never seen such alteration on antler before. Our haphazard functional
interpretations run from digging stick to ice pick, poker and tent
peg. Anyone who has ever seen something like this wins the SAA award
(Strange Antler Artifact - what did you think ?)...

J.Marc



-- 
Jean-Marc Pétillon
CNRS
Laboratoire TRACES (UMR 5608)
Université Toulouse le Mirail
Maison de la recherche
5 allées A. Machado
F-31058 Toulouse

+ 33 (0) 5 61 50 24 53
+ 33 (0) 6 31 07 47 62



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