[Bonetools] FW: caprine horn-working

[Idoia Grau]

Dear colleagues,

Although this question is not directly related to bone working, I thought that perhaps you could give me a hand with this. 

I have analysed a Spanish 14th c. bone assemblage with a remarkable proportion of caprine horncores (both sheep and goat) but very few other elements. Contextual information also suggests that the deposit where they were found was probably refuse coming from a workshop producing metallic tools. I believe that these horncores are therefore related to horn working for producing handles for knifes and other tools. 

The biometrical analysis suggest that most of the sheep horncores belong to males and that most of the goat horncores belong to females. Does anybody know if there is any practical reason why the horn worker would choose one sex over the other? For example, I imagine that you can get more horn material from male 
sheep than from the females as the horns of rams are bigger. Also, is there any relationship between the sex and species used with the objects produced with horn? For example, perhaps goat horns are better for producing knive handles as they're more straight than the male sheep ones. 

Finally, any bibliographic references on horn-working (especially ethnographic) are very welcome. 

Thank you and best regards,
Idoia



Idoia Grau Sologestoa 

Postdoctoral
Fellowship funded by the Basque Government

University of Sheffield - Department of Archaeology

University of the Basque Country - Departamento de Geografía, Prehistoria y
Arqueología



https://sheffield.academia.edu/IdoiaGrauSologestoa

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Idoia_Sologestoa

http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=etZUCgQAAAAJ

 		 	   		   		 	   		  
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