[Bonetools] Strange cattle bones with carved holes

[François Poplin]

Le 21/11/2014 16:07, Josje van Leeuwen a écrit :
> 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
equids have "single" metapodials, with one medullar cavity

> 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 
> <mailto: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 12^th 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
>
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     Bonetools mailing list
>     Bonetools at listserv.niif.hu <mailto:Bonetools at listserv.niif.hu>
>     https://listserv.niif.hu/mailman/listinfo/bonetools
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Bonetools mailing list
> Bonetools at listserv.niif.hu
> https://listserv.niif.hu/mailman/listinfo/bonetools


-- 
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

francoispoplin.blogspot.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://listserv.niif.hu/pipermail/bonetools/attachments/20141121/f0991241/attachment-0001.html>