[Bonetools] medieval drilled phalanges

[Sandra Olsen]

Dear Alice:
Could they have served as containers, with something, perhaps a liquid,
being put in the marrow cavity and then sealed in with lead?  The
"something" may have evaporated, but maybe there would be traces, if
analyzed.  The questions then are: would there be a connection to the marrow
cavity from the outside via the drilled hole, and did the lead just cap off
the opening or did it fill the marrow cavity? From the broken one, from what
I can see, the lead didn't fill the whole cavity.   Fascinating!
Sandi 

Sandra L. Olsen, Ph.D.
Full Curator of Anthropology
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
O'Neil Research Center
5800 Baum Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
 
Office Phone: 1-412-665-2606
Office Fax: 1-412-665-2751
Email: olsens at carnegiemnh.org


On 3/1/08 8:37 AM, "h13017cho at helka.iif.hu" <h13017cho at helka.iif.hu> wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
>    More strange bone tools -this time from a medieval house context in Visby
> on Gotland (Sweden). These cattle first phalanges were drilled through the
> proximal end and filled with lead. The cut marks look more like cuts from
> defleshing and hide removal to me. Curiously, these objects will NOT stand
> upright with the lead in them so gaming pieces are out. We have identical
> objects from rural medieval contexts, cattle and horse first phalanges
> drilled 
> through the proximal ends but without the lead. I assumed the Hungarian
> objects must be some kind of toy (phalanges standing in as harnessed
> animals with a toy wagon) or some kind of crude, ad hoc handle.   Any
> ideas out there? 
> 
> Alice
> The following section of this message contains a file attachment
> prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
> If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
> you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
> If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.
> 
>    ---- File information -----------
>      File:  Phalange, prox with lead.jpg
>      Date:  1 Mar 2008, 13:27
>      Size:  84695 bytes.
>      Type:  JPEG-image
> The following section of this message contains a file attachment
> prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
> If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
> you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
> If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.
> 
>    ---- File information -----------
>      File:  Phalange_ventral side_lead.jpg
>      Date:  1 Mar 2008, 13:28
>      Size:  110854 bytes.
>      Type:  JPEG-image
> The following section of this message contains a file attachment
> prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
> If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
> you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
> If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.
> 
>    ---- File information -----------
>      File:  Phalange_medial_lead.jpg
>      Date:  1 Mar 2008, 13:28
>      Size:  111316 bytes.
>      Type:  JPEG-image
> The following section of this message contains a file attachment
> prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
> If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
> you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
> If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.
> 
>    ---- File information -----------
>      File:  Phalange_lateral_lead.jpg
>      Date:  1 Mar 2008, 13:29
>      Size:  99353 bytes.
>      Type:  JPEG-image
> The following section of this message contains a file attachment
> prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.
> If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,
> you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.
> If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.
> 
>    ---- File information -----------
>      File:  Phalange_dorsal_lead.jpg
>      Date:  1 Mar 2008, 13:28
>      Size:  115408 bytes.
>      Type:  JPEG-image
> _______________________________________________
> Bonetools mailing list
> Bonetools at listserv.iif.hu
> http://listserv.niif.hu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/bonetools