[Bonetools] Mammoth tusk as raw material in Roman times?

[François Poplin]

Dear SA O'Connor

1°) I am affraid, but the fact that has not been answered my question 
"Has it been found in a genuine and secure archaelogical excavation ?" 
sounds bad,

2°) in that very case, there is a mighty, excellent way to know. Who can 
tell ? (Olivier please, keep quite for some days).

Your's.

Le 16/04/2013 14:32, SA O'Connor a écrit :
> Dear Sonja,
>
> I would be really interested in knowing the basis of this 
> identification. If this is based on Schreger angle measurements, it 
> may not be possible to differentiate mammoth from extant elephant with 
> any confidence from a fragment.
>
> Only the outer Schreger angles are diagnostic, i.e. those in the 
> outermost layers of the dentine, close to the cementum covering of the 
> tusk. Towards the centre of a tusk the angles become progressively 
> smaller and similar in character whether the tusk is from an extant 
> and extinct proboscidean species. So, even if the Schreger angles 
> average less than 100 or even 90 degrees, unless traces of the 
> cementum are visible the fragment might come from any position in the 
> tusk and could be elephant or mammoth.
>
> All the best,
>
> Sonia
>
>
> kQuoting Sonja Vukovic <sonja.vukovic at gmail.com>:
>
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> I am forwarding you a query from our colleague, Dr Sofija Petkovic 
>> from the
>> Institute of Archaeology in Belgrade. She is analysing an object made of
>> the mammoth tusk, found in Romuliana (Serbia), that dates back to the 
>> Roman
>> period. The object is fragmented and it represents an elephant's head 
>> done
>> in a relief. The function of this item is unclear, but it was 
>> probably an
>> application for some kind of furniture or sarcophagi, etc..
>>
>> She is wondering weather anyone has ever identified a mammoth tusk as 
>> raw
>> material in Roman period?!
>>
>> Anyway, she is going to publish this object soon!
>>
>> Thank you very much,
>> best wishes,
>>
>> Sonja
>>
>> -- 
>> Sonja Vukovic
>> Laboratory for bioarchaeology
>> Faculty of Philosophy
>> University of Belgrade
>> Serbia
>>
>
>
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-- 
François POPLIN

Directeur honoraire de l’UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archébotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements

Responsable du Séminaire d'Anthropozoologie

Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
CP 56
Ancien Laboratoire d’Anatomie comparée
55, rue de Buffon
75005 Paris
01 40 79 33 11
fax ------ 33 14

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