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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Dear all, </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Please, find enclosed several pictures of a bone
artefact/tool dated to the Islamic period (11<sup>th</sup>-12<sup>th</sup> centuries
AD) found in recent excavations in the city of Lisbon, Portugal. It is not a
single piece. So far I have three more identical specimens recovered from two
other Portuguese localities. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I have not been able to find any parallels, so I would
appreciate any help or clues about their possible function. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Three of the four specimens are manufactured on
cattle metatarsal, the fourth one was fashioned from cattle radius. They are
very similar in size: approx. 14 cm. As you can see they present two small
holes on the anterior face of the bone which is highly polished. The back of
the bone was roughly cut at both ends to give it a triangular shape. The edges
are also smoothed.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Thank you very much for your help!</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Marta</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Dra. Marta Moreno García</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Laboratório de Arqueozoologia</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>IGESPAR</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Av da Índia 136, Lisbo</span></font><font face=Tahoma><span
lang=EN-GB style='font-family:Tahoma'>a 1300-300</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Portugal</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>e-mail: <a href="mailto:mmoreno@igespar.pt">mmoreno@igespar.pt</a></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Tel: 00 351 21 361 65 57</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Fax: 00 351 21 361 65 59</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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