[Bonetools] Neolithic tool

[hemmings at mail.utexas.edu]

Hello Christian,
I would offer a couple of observations and include a jpg of a similar type of
item for comparision.  I don't see any evidence of manufacture on this bone.
It looks like a broken sliver with rounded edges along all breaks.  Even if it
was ground and then heavily burnished you should see macroscopically visible
striations near the tool edges.  Perhaps more importantly is the tip end.  I
have scraped a wet Texas longhorn hide with a similar bone fleshing tool and
this tip would have been very useful- with the broad rounded tip- in tight
spots.  However, the "wear polish" on the business end of this bone is convex-
if this tip is being worn down it would be concave or flat not convex.  In his
1972 book about the Clovis types site in New Mexico- James Hester had drawings
of several 'artifacts' with this same problem.  Attached is a view of one that
shows this very problem.

In this form it would work great as a blunt scraping tool.  And the microscope
should help distingusih what caused the tip polish.  But, the lack of
manufacturing evidence and the weathering rather than wear surface topography
seems to suggest this is not actually a bone tool.  I may be missing something
in the photo's and the microscope could prove me wrong but I would proceed
cautiously....  I have other images that I could show if you would like more
for comparision.. Andy

Quoting Christian Küchelmann <info at knochenarbeit.de>:

> Dear all,
>
> I got a request from an Austrian colleague which I would like to
> forward to you. The bonetool illustrated below has been found
> recently in Innsbruck, Tyrolia, Austria. It was manufactured from a
> cattle femur. Its special character is that the pointed end has one
> sharp edged side and one gauged out side. The dating is very rough
> between 4400 and 22   BC.
>
> Does anyone have information on comparative finds? Any hypothesis on
> possible function of the object are welcome.
>
> Best
>
> Christian
> --
> KNOCHENARBEIT
>
> Hans Christian Küchelmann
> Diplom-Biologe
>
> Konsul-Smidt-Straße 30, D-28217 Bremen, Germany
> tel: +421 - 61 99 177
> fax: +421 - 37 83 540
> mail: info at knochenarbeit.de
> web: http://www.knochenarbeit.de
>
>



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