[Bonetools] bone tool

[Christian Küchelmann]

Dear Etan,

I would like to second Alice in the identification. The bone is a metatarsus and it definitely belongs to the family Bovidae not to any Cervidae. The hole on the proximal end (left on your photo) is a natural anatomical feature (Canalis metatarsi proximalis). I have not seen any parallels for the artefact so far.

Best

Christian
-- 
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Hans Christian Küchelmann 

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> Am 27.07.2017 um 19:26 schrieb Alice Choyke <choyke at gmail.com>:
> 
> Dear Etan,
>      The bone appears to be a metatarsal  although it really does not look like any kind of a cervid to me. However, identifying from a picture is a fool's game. It is quite a mysterious object isn't it.  Etan - will you be keeping your e-mail now or do I need to change your e-mail on the list (bonetools at listserv.niif.hu <http://listserv.niif.hu/>)? I would love to retire and get some time to actually do the work I love - I am quite jealous.
> 
> Best,
> Alice
> 
> ------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: איתן איילון <etana at eretzmuseum.org.il <mailto:etana at eretzmuseum.org.il>>
> Date: Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 6:09 PM
> Subject: bone tool
> To: Alice Choyke <choyke at ceu.hu <mailto:choyke at ceu.hu>>
> 
> 
> Dear Alice,
> 
> I have retired 3 weeks ago and work from home. For some reason I don't find the mail address of the whole group. Can you pass this mail to everyone?
> 
>  
> Dear all,
> 
> Attached are a drawing and photo of a bone tool found many years ago in a 13th-12th century BCE fortress in Yotvata, in the Israeli Negev 30 km north of Elat. The animal was identified as Dama mesopotamica. Is the left hole natural? The right one is drilled and there is another one on the opposite side (not shown in the drawing). 
> 
>  
> Can you confirm the animal identification and identify the bone? Does anyone know parallels, suggestions for the use of this object?
> 
> The tool has not been published yet, so....
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Etan Ayalon
> 
> 
> <yotvata bone tool-1.jpg><yotvata bone tool-2.jpg>_______________________________________________
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