On Thu, 24 Feb 2000, Nancy Benco wrote:
> 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,
from what you describe this might or might not have been polishing tools,
although I cannot imagine how the sand would have been retained by the
indentations. Personally, I think for smoothing a block of local sand or
limestone you need a bit more than a bone even if it's used with highly
abrasive quartz sand.
Detailed miscroscopic examination of the abraded areas and/or the
indentations may show you more. We have found evidence for 7th cent.
boneworking at Leptiminus and this seems to conform with material found at
Carthage. Have a look at
http://people.bu.edu/mskinner/EMC/ariane.htm
Ariane is courtesy of the University of Manitoba.
If you are stuck completely, you could also try Annie Grant at Leicester
University. She's probably seen more bones than is good for anybody's
health and she has worked extensively on the bone from North African
sites.
Finally, I would like to point out that bone with metalworking debris does
not necessarily mean there is a connection. I don't know the evidence you
are dealing with but in the case of a dump (slag, nails, charcoal?!) you
get all sorts of things without any particular order. I have come across
bone (though not worked) on salt or glass making sites in the Fezzan, and
with decorated bone there is always the possibility of jewelry, which I
found during the survey of a number of gsur. Depending on the size, the
decorated bone on your site could have been used for inlays of metalwork,
and the abrasions are work-marks. Last, but not least, you can use dried
bone as a fuel and it will burn as neatly as any hardwood from a tree.
What I mean by this is simply: are you dealing with secondary contexts?
What we need, I think, is a bit more detailed description of the find
(measurements?) as well as the archaeological context (what kind of
metallurgical activity, more concrete dating?). A picture certainly
wouldn't do any harm.
Hope this helps (insh-Allah),
Irene
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Wer die Vergangenheit nicht kennt, kann die Zukunft nicht gestalten.
(Goethe)
Irene E Schrufer-Kolb
School of Archaeological Studies Tel.: +44-(0)1280-823102
University of Leicester FAX: +44-(0)116-252-5005
University Road e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Leicester LE1 7RH http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/ies1/
United Kingdom
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