Dear Peter,
cattle metapodials (mostly mt) with man-made holes perpendicular (i.e. in a
longitudinal direction) to the proximal articular surface are shown in
MacGregor1985:Fig 93 and AYork 17/2 Fig.946. I know similar items from the
migration period of Austria and we had some consent that they are a kind of socket,
probably for fixing some object into the ground. In these items, however, the distal end
is formed into an irregular point. How do the remaining parts of your bones look like?
Is there any polish/wear or is the opposite end worked into a point, or are these
metapodials complete? In the case of an ovicaprine metapodial, this holes (if man-
made)could conceivably represent a hilt for some kind of (metal?)point fixed into the
proximal articular area, the diaphysis should be polished then (handling wear).
Cheers
Mag.Dr. Günther Karl Kunst
VIAS
Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science
Interdisziplinäres Forschungsinstitut für Archäologie
Inst.fuer Palaeontologie
GEOZENTRUM
University of Vienna
Althanstr. 14, A-1090 Wien
Austria
Tel: +43-1-4277-22406
Fax. +43-1-4277-9535
Homepage: www.univie.ac.at/vias
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