I am new to this list, so this question may have been asked
already.
During several seasons of excavations of a metallurgical facility
at an Islamic urban site in northern Morocco, we have recovered dozens of
worked bone tools directly and exclusively associated with metal-working
debris (slag, iron nails, charcoal). The tools are usually made of Bos
metapodials; they've been flattened on 2, 3, or 4 sides, then impressed
with tiny triangular indentations; striations run diagonally across these
indentations.
My Moroccan collaborators have never seen anything like them. The
only published information we've been able to find is Semenov's 1964 book
on Prehistoric Technology; he suggests similar bone tools from Asia were
used as rasps, with sand held in the indentations and used as an abrasive
surface, for smoothing building stone.
If anyone has found similar tools or knows of published
information about them, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. I
would be happy to send a scanned photo of a tool to anyone wishing a
closer look. Many thanks for any help you can offer.
Nancy Benco
Nancy L. Benco
Dept. of Anthropology
George Washington University
2112 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: (202) 994-6953
Fax: (202) 994-6097
Email: [log in to unmask]
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