Bone and Antler

La lavorazione dell’osso e dell’avorio nella Roma antica

by Jacopo De Grossi Mazzorin

De Grossi Mazzorin J., Minniti C., 2012, La lavorazione dell’osso e dell’avorio nella Roma antica, in De Grossi Mazzorin J., Saccà D., Tozzi C., Atti del 6° Convegno Nazionale di Archeozoologia, Parco dell’Orecchiella, San Romano in Garfagnana – Lucca, 21-24 maggio 2009, Lucca, pp. 413-417.

Los retocadores óseos del Paleolítico Medio, una experimentación para la obtención de soportes

by Millán Mozota

Actas del I Congreso Español de Arqueología Experimental (Santander, 24-25 de Noviembre de 2005), Asociación Española de Arqueología Experimental, Santander, 2007, pp. 225-233.

The retouching bone tools are characteristic items from european middle Paleolithic assemblages, so are they related... more The retouching bone tools are characteristic items from european middle Paleolithic assemblages, so are they related with stone knapping. They are present in many sites from France, central-east Europe, and also the Iberian Peninsula. These tools have a wide chronological spawn, whose examples cover from the oldest european middle Palaeolithic, until the final stages of this period (c. 40.000 BP). The bone tools came from Middle Paleolithic sites, but also are present in recent prehistory ambients. An experimental approach is taken, that includes all the stages of bone processing: obtaining of the bone blanks (from fresh bones and/or old bones), using them, and discarding the tools. We got the archaeological reference of the retouching tools obtained in Axlor site’s modern excavations. This Mousterian site has levels with Quina-type side-scrappers and knapping techniques, and also other levels with really different kinds of stone tools. The site has provided an extensive assemblage of retouching bone tools. This paper describes the main lines of experimental program, and the results of the first phase, the one about  blank obtaining.

The Magdalenian harpoons from the Iberian Mediterranean, based on pieces from Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Valencian region)

by Didac Roman

Román, D., Villaverde, V., The Magdalenian harpoons from the Iberian Mediterranean, based on pieces from
Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Valencian region), Quaternary International (2012), doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2012.03.032

Harpoons are one of the most characteristic implements of the Upper Magdalenian. However,
morphologic... more Harpoons are one of the most characteristic implements of the Upper Magdalenian. However,
morphologic differences in barbs and bases mark different regional traditions. This paper gives an
account of the main features of harpoons in the Iberian Mediterranean, based on findings from Cova de
les Cendres, and compares them with those found in other areas in Western Europe.
The specificities of Mediterranean harpoons (a single range of barbs, variable length and number of
barbs, and lack of hafting devices on the base) are considered in discussion of their potential functions
and possible hafting systems.

Britton, K., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S., Roebroeks, W., Kindler, L., Richards, M.P., in press. Stable isotope analysis of well-preserved 120,000-year-old herbivore bone collagen from the Middle Palaeolithic site of Neumark-Nord 2, Germany reveals niche separation between bovids and equids. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (2012), doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.03.028

by Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser

Herbivores from the Neumark-Nord 2 archaeological site, Germany, were analysed for bone collagen stable carbon (δ13C)... more Herbivores from the Neumark-Nord 2 archaeological site, Germany, were analysed for bone collagen stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios in order to investigate feeding ecology at this early Last Interglacial (Eemian) shallow-lake site. Of 42 faunal samples selected, 23 yielded collagen, demonstrating remarkable preservation for material of this age. The results indicate clear inter-specific differences in δ15N and
δ13C values, notably between equids (Equus) and bovids (Bos/Bison), with mean difference Δ15N of +2‰ measured in the bovids compared to the equids. The potential reasons for these differences are explored, including physiology, herbivore feeding ecology, biogeography and resource partitioning within the local environment. The data are compared to previously published archaeological data, and modern experimental and
ecological data, suggesting that these inter-specific differences are not consistent and therefore unlikely to be solely the product of physiology or habitual forage preference. Data from this study are compared to the local vegetation (as reconstructed from pollen profiles), and it is suggested that these trends are likely the result of niche partitioning at the shallow lake site, reflecting the local diversity in vegetational zones. The evidence for
resource partitioning amongst Pleistocene herbivore communities at Neumark-Nord 2 and elsewhere is discussed.
This study represents one of the largest data sets for collagen of this age, and the implications for our understanding of Late Pleistocene herbivore ecology, local herbivore community behaviour and hominin
palaeodietary studies are explored.

Psalii din corn descoperite în aşezări ale culturii Babadag din nordul Dobrogei

by Florian Mihail

Római kori csont kardszíjbújtató Brigetióból

by Dávid Bartus

In: Bartosiewicz L. et al. (ed.), Csontvázak a szekrényből. Válogatott tanulmányok a Magyar Archaeozoológusok Visegrádi Találkozóinak Anyagából 2002-2009, Budapest 2009, 211-220.

Aranyfejű csont hajtűk a római korban

by Dávid Bartus

Archaeologiai Értesítő 131(2006) 193-203.

Adatok a brigetiói csontfaragó műhely lokalizálásához

by Dávid Bartus

Komárom-Esztergom Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 10(2003) 55-75.

Csontfaragó műhely Brigetióban?

by Dávid Bartus

In: Borhy L.-Számadó E. (szerk.): Római kori csontfaragványok és modern hamisítványok. Csontfaragóművészet Brigetióban, Acta Archaeologica Brigetionensia Ser. I. Vol. 2., Komárom 2001, 28-54.

Bone hairpins from Brigetio

by Dávid Bartus

In: Novotná, M. et al.(eds.): Schmuck und Tracht der Antike im Laufe der Zeit seit der Bronzezeit bis zur Spätantik. Proceedings of the International Conference, Modra-Harmónia, 19-22.11.2003, ANODOS. Studies of the Ancient World 3(2003), Trnava 2004, 23-32.

The Role of Ethnographic Museum Collections in Understanding Bone Tool Use

by Elisabeth Stone

Stone, Elisabeth A.
2011 The Role of Ethnographic Museum Collections in Understanding Bone Tool Use. In Written in Bones. Studies on technological and social context of past faunal skeletal remains, edited by Justyna Baron and Bernadeta Kufel-Diakowska. Instytut Archeologii Uniwersytet Wrocławski, Wrocław, Poland.

Osseous tools are an important component of the material culture of many ancient and contemporary groups and
are... more Osseous tools are an important component of the material culture of many ancient and contemporary groups and
are used in a wide range of activities. One of the major uses of bone tools is the preparation and manufacture of basketry,
woven fabrics, mats, nets, hides, and leathers. Because fiber technologies have low survival potential in the
archaeological record, I propose that some classes of osseous tools are a good proxy for fiber processing and may
provide direct evidence for this practice through use-related attrition. Functional analysis of archaeological specimens
may include comparison to both experimental and ethnographic tools, as the context and process of wear accumulation
are known in such cases and help provide standards for the assessment of attrition patterns on archaeological artifacts.
Here I examine some of the variability in morphology and use of bone tools from ethnographic and ethnohistoric
museum collections and explore the utility of these collections to create comparative standards for the assessment
of archaeological artifacts and for the construction of experimental programs. I discuss some of the diverse kinds of
records that provide information on contemporary and historic bone tool use and argue that studies of the ethnographic
material record can be productively organized at the artifact level.

New information from Maszycka Cave and the Late Glacial recolonisation of Central Europe

by Dariusz Bobak

Co-authored with: Stefan Karol Kozłowski, Marta Połtowicz-Bobak, Thomas Terberger

Maszycka cave is one of the most important Magdalenian sites in Central Europe. The assemblage is characterized by a... more Maszycka cave is one of the most important Magdalenian sites in Central Europe. The assemblage is characterized by a considerable number of organic tools including points, navettes and a decorated perforated antler. The cave was related to the middle Magdalenian of western Europe and identified as one of the earliest Magdalenian sites of Central Europe. A series of four AMS-dates now assigns the site more precisely to the period 16,350 to 16,100 calBC (c. 15.000 BP). No other reliably dated Magdalenian sites of this early period of recolonisation of southern Central Europe are known and its clearest parallels to the west are the Grotte Grappin at Arlay in western France and perhaps the open air site Munzingen in southwestern Germany. After the first short episode of recolonisation, a more permanent Magdalenian expansion into Central Europe started hundreds of years later with sites such as Kesslerloch in northern Switzerland.

Worked antler and bone objects

by Marcus Brittain

2010 (pages 127-129)

In Pryor, F. and M. Bamforth (ed.), Excavations at Flag Fen, Peterborough: 1995-2007' Oxford: Oxbow

A specialist report on the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age worked bone and antler recovered during excavations at... more A specialist report on the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age worked bone and antler recovered during excavations at Cambridgeshire's Flag Fen basin between 2003-2005, as well as previously unpublished items from earlier investigations. Items include a bone pin, antler 'fish hooks', and three rare decorated antler cheekpieces.

Improving the validation of finite element models with quantitative full-field strain comparisons

by Flora Gröning

2012, Journal of Biomechanics, DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.02.009

The techniques used to validate finite element (FE) models against experimental results have changed little during the... more The techniques used to validate finite element (FE) models against experimental results have changed little during the last decades, even though the traditional approach of using single point measurements from strain gauges has major limitations: the strain distribution across the surface is not captured and the accurate determination of strain gauge positions on the model surface is difficult if the 3D surface topography of the bone surface is not measured. The full-field strain measurement technique of digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI) can overcome these problems, but the potential of this technique has not yet been fully exploited in validation studies. Here we explore new ways of quantifying and visualising the variation in strain magnitudes and orientations within and between repeated DSPI measurements as well as between the DSPI measurements and FEA results. We show that our approach provides a much more comprehensive and accurate validation than traditional methods. The measurement repeatability and the correspondence between measured and predicted strains vary to a great degree within and between measurement areas. The two models used in this study predict the measured strain directions and magnitudes surprisingly well considering that homogeneous and isotropic mechanical properties were assigned to the models. However, the full-field comparisons also reveal some discrepancies between measured and predicted strains that are most probably caused by inaccuracies in the models' geometries and the degree of simplification of the modelled material properties.

Roman Bone Scabbard Slide from Brigetio

by Dávid Bartus

In: Novotná, M. et al.(ed.): Arms and Armour through the Ages. ANODOS. Studies of the Ancient World 4-5(2004-2005), Trnava 2006, 17-23.

Beinschnitzereien und Vorbilder: Die Problematik einer Luna-Darstellung

by Dávid Bartus

In: Bíró, Sz. (ed.): Ex Officina. Studia in honorem Dénes Gabler. Győr 2009, 43-48.

Női büszttel díszített csont hajtű a komáromi Klujber-gyűjteményből

by Dávid Bartus

In: Bíró, Sz. (ed.): Fiatal Római Koros Kutatók I. Konferenciakötete. Győr 2007, 191-196.

M. Kovač, “Rimski koštani žetoni i kockice za igru iz starog fundusa Muzeja Slavonije u Osijeku”, Osječki zbornik 30, Osijek, 2012. (u tisku) /M. Kovač, “Roman bone tokens and dice from the old holdings at the Museum of Slavonia in Osijek”, Osječki zbornik 30, Osijek, 2012. (in printing)

by Marina Kovač

in printing

Roman Bone Hairpins With Golden Head

by Dávid Bartus

In: Kuzmová, K. - Kvetánová, I. (eds.): In honour of Werner Jobst. Anodos. Studies of the Ancient World 8(2008) 35-43.

A Knife Handle from Caerwent (Venta Silurum) Depicting Gladiators

by Dávid Bartus

Britannia 41(2010) 321-324.