Dear all,
Such polished sheep and goat astragali turn up in some numbers at Merv in Turkmenistan too in Sasanian and Islamic contexts. A number of us were taught one of the modern astragalus games by locals while we were in the field. At that time anecdotal evidence had it that astragali were probably underrepresented in our assemblages since local site workers were likely to be stashing a few these bones in their pockets. I'm sure this is untrue of course! However any children that came past the "bone working tables" could immediately identify these particular bones and often they simulated throwing actions to show us how they were used. In recent times a similar type of game played with astragali was called ?"knucklebones" in Britain and "osselets" in France? At Merv we also recovered 1st phalanges of sheep and goat which were modified so that they could stand proximal end down. Does anyone know if there is evidence that these too may have been gaming pieces?
The Merv astragali are referred to briefly in IRAN XXXVI 1998 (can send copies)and there will be more detail shortly in a mongraph about Sasanian Erk Kala at Merv
PS Gerhard Forstenpointner has done some thorough work on astragali
Best wishes
Ian Smith
Dear Carine,
Perhaps owing to their peculiar shape ruminant astragali have been almost universally popular for a variety of ("symbolic") purposes. In addition to Umberto's data, in Hugary we have 17th c. Ottoman Period gaming pieces weighed with lead, just to name the possibly most relevant pieces. But either modified or in mass deposits (>20), they occur almost in all major archaeological periods from the Iron Age Hallstatt culture onwards.
Copies have also been popular. There is an attache case sized bronze specimen in the Louvre (owned by Dareios of Persia, if I recall well). The British Museum has a Greek vase in the shape of an astragalus etc. I own modern plastic (France), brass (Mongolia) and lead (Flanders) astragali used as dice and good luck pieces respecitvely. Sebastiao Salgado has a photo in which a small boy is playing with a mixed bunch of plasic cows and cowboys and sheep astragali on a porch somewhere in Latin America.
Once you are aware, you see them almost everywhere!
Best wishes, Laszlo Bartosiewicz
-----Original Message-----
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carine Tomé
Sent: 26 November 2004 15:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] water birds and ruminant astragali
Dear All,
1. I have to synthesize data about aquatic birds exploitation in the Near
and Middle-East during Prehistory (special number of the review
"Paléorient"). If somebody has personal references on the subject I would
be glad to quote them in this article.
2. I studied for my Phd the faunal material of 3 Arabian Gulf settlements
(Dilmun and hellenic periods). In these sites, I found small ruminants
astragali (sheep, goats and gazelle) polished on 1, 2, 3 or 4 sides and
sometimes, with bitumen (dorsal side). I would like to know if somebody can
observe this type of artefact in another sites. I know there are few
examples in Greece (Bovidae astragali) and in other sites of the Middle
East. Moreover, if someone is interested in this subject I can send him the
information I have.
Many thanks
Carine TOMÉ
Laboratoire d'archéozoologie du CEPAM / CNRS
250 rue Albert Einstein - 06560 VALBONNE
tel: 04 93 95 41 55
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