[Bonetools] Iceman's antler retouching tool

[Selena Vitezović]

Dear Dale,

If you could scan me this particular page, I'd be very gratefful.
I have in an assemblage I analysed something that may resemble to the
Iceman's artefact - an antler tip with traces suggesting it may have been
used as retouching tool. Interesting thing is that the tool has
perforations on the top - as it was carried around by its owner, perhaps
attached to the belt, or something like that. The tool is from Donja
Branjevina, Early/Middle Neolithic site in northern Serbia. I attached the
photo of it.
Morphologically, these two objects are not quite the same - however, I
found interesting the idea of carrying around the retouching tool.

thank you for the answer, best, Selena


On 2 October 2013 13:51, Serjeantson D. <D.Serjeantson at soton.ac.uk> wrote:

> Dear Selena,
> The tool is described in 'The Man in the Ice' by Spindler (p.105). He
> described it as a piece of lime wood with a hole drilled down the middle
> with a rod or spike of antler inserted into the hole.  The fact that it was
> antler was confirmed by Angela von den Driesch. The tip of the rod had been
> hardened by fire to strengthen it and was a blackish colour. The rod or
> spike was 5.1 cm long and 5 mm in diameter.
>
> I have got a copy of the catalogue from the display in Bolzano and it does
> contain a good colour photo of the retoucheur. If you would like a scan, I
> can do that when I next have  access to a scanner.
>
> The catalogue says that nothing similar has been found elsewhere. Have you
> found an antler rod which might be from a similar tool? I wonder if anyone
> else has since found a similar rod.
>
> Best
> Dale
>
> Dale Serjeantson FSA, MIFA, MA
> Archaeology
> Faculty of Humanities
> University of Southampton
> Southampton S017 1BJ
>
> http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology/about/staff/dale.page
> ________________________________
> From: bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu [
> bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu] on behalf of Selena Vitezović [
> selenavitezovic at gmail.com]
> Sent: 02 October 2013 10:22
> To: Mailing list for archaeologists of the research group for the study of
> object and waste of bone, antler. ivory and horn.
> Subject: [Bonetools] Iceman's antler retouching tool
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> Two years ago, I saw and exhibition on Otzi, the Iceman, in  Historical
> museum in Oslo (exhibition was a visiting one, but I do not recall who
> originally made it, I saw it while attending EAA conference in Oslo).
> There I saw the replicas of some items found in Iceman's pockets,
> including a retouching tool made from antler. However, this was an
> exhibition without accompanying catalogue, and I was wondering if anyone
> can help mi with reference for this information?
> Perhaps the same exhibition was held in some other museum with a
> catalogue: I tried to find any data on papers published on Otzi, which are
> quite numerous, but so far I haven't encountered any mention of antler
> retouching tool.
> Any help is welcome, thank you.
>
> Best regards, Selena Vitezović
>
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