[Bonetools] Strange holes in the bones

[SA O'Connor]

Dear Therese,

Given the eroded appearance of the edges of the bone fragments and the  
crisp edges of the drilled holes, could these holes be modern? Could  
they be the result of post-excavation sampling?

All the best,

Sonia

Quoting Therese Ekholm <therese.ekholm at arkeologi.uu.se>:

> To whom it may concern
>
> My name is Therese Ekholm and I am a PhD student at Uppsala  
> University. I have some questions and I hope you can help me. In the  
> osteological material that I work with I found some strange holes in  
> the bones that can not be natural. The material is burnt and the  
> pieces of bones are very small in general and the bones with holes  
> are about one centimeter. The holes, that seem to be drilled, are  
> one to one and a half millimeters. The sides of the holes are not  
> damaged and do not have any traces of wear and tear. All of them are  
> drilled from the outer surface but not all of them are drilled all  
> the way through the bone. Do you have an idea of what it can be? I  
> send you some photos but I could only make them black and white with  
> the microscope. The site is dated to around 7000 BC and it is not  
> very common to find bones in that area, especially worked bones.
>
>
>
> Sincerely
> Therese Ekholm
>
>


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