[Bonetools] Strange cattle bones with carved holes

[Josje van Leeuwen]

Dear mr. Karlsson,

The bones you showed are new to me, but I have found something similar in
Medemblik, the Netherlands (a medieval trading settlement). It was a
metacarpal horse bone with a single hole in the proximal end. The distal
end had two holes just under the joint, probably used to bind it to
something. It was clearly used as an iceskate, but I couldn't see how they
would attach it to a foot with a hole in the distal end... My
interpretation is that it was probably used as skates for a sled (with two
such bones placed one in front of the other with perhaps a stick in
between). I have never seen anything like it, though, and perhaps it is
similar in a way to your find. It dates to around 1100.

I look forward to other reactions!

Yours sincerely,

Josje van Leeuwen

2014-11-21 15:44 GMT+01:00 Johnny Karlsson <johnny.karlsson at ofl.su.se>:

>  Dear all,
>
> I hope you can help me with some odd bone objects from medieval Sigtuna
> in Sweden.
>
> During a research on medieval bone skates from the town, I and a colleague
> came across some bones that seem to have another function at least primary.
> It is only metacarpal bones from cattle and they have two holes at the
> proximal joint, see photo. The holes are uneven and look carved rather than
> drilled. Usually the holes reach the medullar cavity. In two cases it is
> evident that the bones secondary have been used as skates, in two other
> cases they exhibit transverse striations on the diaphysis (see photo).
> But the majority of them show no sign of use at all except these two
> proximal holes. We identified about twenty of them from one particular
> trench in layers dating to the 12th century, but they do appear in
> smaller numbers in other parts of town.
>
> Has anyone of you seen something similar? Does anyone know their function?
>
> Thank you in advance,
> Johnny Karlsson
>
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