[Bonetools] Strange cattle bones with carved holes

[François Poplin]

Le 21/11/2014 16:56, Christian Küchelmann a écrit :
> Dear Josje,
>
> while I have no idea about the function of Johnny Karlssons finds, 
> your question of the function of the hole at the proximal end of a 
> skate can be solved. These type of bone skates is not rare and there 
> are several ones found with a peg still inside the hole.
What is the ratio of number of holes and number of metapodial elements 
of the bone ? Always 1/1 on equid bones and 2/2 on bovid or may it be 
1/2 on bovid ?

> Check the paper I wrote with Petar Zidarov for the WBRG-Tallinn volume 
> and the bone skates database for related finds and references at 
> http://www.knochenarbeit.de/eigene_arbeiten/skating_on_bones.pdf
> http://www.knochenarbeit.de/index.php?page=bone_skates
>
> Best
>
> Christian
> --
> Knochenarbeit
>
> Hans Christian Küchelmann
>
> Konsul-Smidt-Straße 30, D-28217 Bremen, Germany
> tel: +49 - 421 - 61 99 177
> fax: +49 - 421 - 37 83 540
> mail:info at knochenarbeit.de <mailto:info at knochenarbeit-shop.de>
> web:http://www.knochenarbeit.de <http://www.knochenarbeit-shop.de/>
>
> Am 21.11.2014 um 16:07 schrieb 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 
>> <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
>>
>>
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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

francoispoplin.blogspot.com

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