[Bonetools] Bone object

[Jean L Hudson]

Looking only at the size and the polish areas visible in your beautiful photograph, it seems the pointed end has the highest polish and the most extensive - thus may be the working end.  

If so, then the working tip is small, maybe 2.5 cm.  The complete object is also small, perhaps 6 cm, which seems a size appropriate to be held with the thumb for fine control but also a good amount of force. Alternatively, one could consider hafting of some kind, as the flatter, broader part of the item seems to have striae and perhaps a less finished or polished surface.  However all edges seem to show polish, which might be more likely with a hand-held rather than a hafted object.

There are fairly transverse striae visible on the edges of the pointed end along with the high polish - perhaps this suggests a twisting motion during use?  

I hate to suggest the obvious, and use such a functionally broad term, but could it not be some form of awl?  If so one could consider possible reasons for the overall flat and expanding shape, since so many awls seem to be more fully cylindrical.

Perhaps Elizabeth Stone could shed some light on ethnographic parallels to the polish patterns?

- Jean 

Jean Hudson
Associate Professor, Anthropology
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee


----- Original Message -----
From: Leigh Allen <leigh.allen at oxfordarch.co.uk>
To: bonetools at listserv.niif.hu
Sent: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:28:13 -0600 (CST)
Subject: [Bonetools] Bone object

Dear Colleagues, 

I attach a photograph of a rather beautiful bone object recovered from one of our excavations at Didcot, Oxfordshire, if anyone can tell me what it may have been used for I would be most grateful, it came from a Late Roman context. The closest parallel I have found so far are Prehistoric tools for decorating pots although these tend to have teeth at the splayed end and a perforation through the centre. 

Many thanks

Leigh Allen  

 


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