<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large">Dear all,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"> I would like to make another suggestion. There is a mysterious bone object that appears in the late Middle Bronze Age and lasts into the Iron Age. It has a distribution, as far as I can see, from Hungary to Poland, all the way to the Black Sea. It is always made on ungulate radius from caprine, domestic pig, capreolus, cattle, horse, red deer and even aurochs. It has just such a facet running from the proximal epiphysis to above the distal epiphysis on the dorsal surface. It may or may not have a largish hole running medial-lateral above the distal epiphysis. The macro-wear (20X) may be essentially identical to the macro wear on clearly identifiable skates but it also may be glossy, without easily identifiable striae at low magnification. The edges of the facets may be clearly defined or rounded. My guess is that these tools are somehow used for softening leather or even felt-working or the end of wool fabric production like mangles. They cry out for serious experimental work. They continue to be published as skates and perhaps they are but there is at least a big question mark hanging over them.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large">Best,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large">Alice </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Aug 21, 2021 at 8:57 AM <<a href="mailto:silviaeccher@libero.it">silviaeccher@libero.it</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
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Dear all,
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during the study of an Iron Age fauna in Bressanone (Bolzano, Italy) for my PhD research I found a proximal of horse radius (which I am attaching in two photos with different angles so that I can better appreciate its characteristics) with a smooth back face, shiny to the touch and view.
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There are some traces of processing on the sides, while the smoothed back has light and rare scratches horizontally.
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From the bibliography that I have read and which was also indicated to me by Mr. Küchelmann, whom I thank again, would seem to be a skate/sledge runner.
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if you agree with this opinion, is anyone aware of the findings of skates/sledges in the Alps dating back to the Iron Age-Latène period?
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From what I have found there would be a horse metatarsal from Prellenkirchen, Leitha-Marsch, Austria, dated to the late Latène but I do not think it has been published yet.
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Thank you all!
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Silvia Eccher
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